Discover Dumfries & Galloway: 5 must-do short walks

The best walk to follow in the footsteps of Robert the Bruce...

What: Around Loch Trool
Summary: A circuit of the wooded loch on good, clear paths
Start/finish: Forestry Commission car park at Caldons, near Glentrool village
TIme: 3½hr
Distance: 10km (6¼ miles)
Climb: 150m

A smooth, well-made path runs around southern Scotland’s most beautiful loch. There are views of the magnificent Merrick hills, and ancient oakwoods to walk under. But for enthusiasts of Scottish Independence all this is of small significance compared to the crucial Battle of Glentrool. During the turbulent beginning of the 14th century, Robert the Bruce, one of several claimants to the Scottish crown, held out in the Galloway Hills with a small band of guerrilla fighters. In 1307, at Loch Trool, they ambushed a larger force loyal to King Edward I of England, first rolling down boulders from the slopes of Mulldonoch and then leaping down through the trees with their broadswords. Bruce’s Stone on the opposite shore is supposed to be where the future king stood to direct the battle – presumably using signal flags or a trumpet. This first small victory led to growing support and, eventually, seven years later, to the final defeat of the English at Bannockburn.

The best walk for gardens and castles...

What: Threave Gardens and Castle
Summary: A castle view, a garden, an island bird hide and the smallest hill you ever climbed.
Start/finish: North edge of Threave Gardens, Castle Douglas
Time: 2½hr
Distance: 6.5km (4 miles)
Climb: 80m

This walk through the National Trust for Scotland's Threave Estate just outside Castle Douglas is a great one for bird watchers, with hides overlooking marshland pools, and ospreys on camera at Kelton Mains farmhouse. It’s grand, too, for the rest of us, with a big river to enjoy and a view across it to a castle on an island. (Note Historic Scotland has suspended visits to the castle itself after a safety inspection in 2022, however you can still visit the castle island via a small ferry.) Garden lovers can, for a modest entrance charge, include the nearby Threave Gardens at either the start or the end of the walk.

The garden is one of Galloway’s finest, run by the National Trust for Scotland. It’s used for training horticultural students, and the various ‘garden rooms’ are in a rich variety of styles. Odd-looking ornamental grasses are one of its specialities. The walled garden and glasshouses are a more obvious attraction, especially the magnificent tree ferns. The woodland garden features snowdrops, bluebells and red squirrels. But do also consult a garden map to find the tiny, hidden jewel that is the ‘Garden of Contemplation’ – looking out to the surrounding countryside, and as much sculpture as garden, it was built as a memorial of the Lockerbie aeroplane disaster of 1988.

The best walk for spectacular clifftops...

What: Sandyhills to Rockcliffe
Summary: A linear walk along the area’s most spectacular clifftops.
Start/finish: Bus interchange at Sandyhills beach
Time: 3hr
Distance: 7.5km (4¾ miles)
Climb: 200m

This fairly strenuous clifftop walk looks out across the wide tidal sands and the Solway to the Lake District hills. There’s a wild rocky foreshore and several secret beaches along the way – all in all well worth the bother of the bus link from Rockcliffe for car drivers. Meanwhile those travelling by bus enjoy a circular tour from Dumfries, out via New Abbey, then Dalbeattie on the way back.

The best walk for a challenging summit...

What: Criffel summit
Summary: A challenging circuit over Galloway’s upstanding hill above one of its prettiest villages.
Start/finish: Mid Glen, at end of lane from New Abbey (at busy times, start at Sweetheart Abbey)
Time: 4½hr
Distance: 9.5km (6 miles)
Climb: 550m

Criffel stands alone, high above the Solway Firth. It's a huge lump of granite, melted in the heat of the collision of England with Scotland 400 million years ago. The granite gives the hill its upstanding, rounded shape. The name is Norse, meaning ‘the crows’ hill’. It used to be a notably boggy hill, but in 2020 a fine new path was built up it from Ardwall and the older path from New Abbey was improved. This route uses the New Abbey path, which gives a gentler ascent (though the section immediately below Knockendoch is steep and remains rough). From the summit there are views across the sea to the English Lake District and the large Robin Rigg offshore windfarm and a well-made new path is used for most of the descent. A linking path around the base of the hill by Loch Kindar completes the circuit. The lovely ruins at New Abbey are worth a visit at the start or the end of the walk. Most of the tower and the arched windows remain, as one of southern Scotland’s most beautiful ruins.

The best walk from Portpatrick...

What: Portpatrick and Dunskey Glen
Summary: A short but fairly rugged circuit of clifftops, beach and tiny wooded glen.
Start/finish: Portpatrick harbour
Time: 2hr
Distance: 5km (3 miles)
Climb: 120m

The small town of Portpatrick takes its name from Ireland’s patron saint, which makes sense, given that for many centuries this was the main port for travel across to the other country. This walk features a coastal footpath from the harbour, that is slightly rocky and rugged at one point, a dramatic little glen, and the wide, open spaces of Portpatrick golf course. All this, plus views across the sea to Ireland, make this one of Galloway’s finest short coastal walks. You could also use this one just to get to the perfect wee beach at Port Mora, a quiet little cove that’s a stiff half-hour walk from the car park.