Larg is gently grassy – it’ll mislead you into thinking the walk ahead will be an easy one. Lamachan, too, is grassy, but leads into a knobbly ridgeline, excitingly bypassed by a path across the top of the northern slope. That path is narrow and slightly rocky, and was made in the first place by goats.
Curleywee is just as nice as its name. Thread up among scree and small crags to the grassy hollow at its top. This is southwest Scotland, so you’ll have that top to yourself. The route threads down among more small crags onto a moorland of orange grasses and a dozen sky-coloured lochans. For your fourth hill, massive, sprawling Millfore is heathery to start with, past the peaty little Black Loch. It’s grassy above, past the high-cupped White Lochan; and the descent over Drigmorn offers the third hilltop lochan, frillingly named as Fuffock.
Take the forest road running northwest. After 1km it runs alongside Penkiln Burn. In another 2km the ground up left has newly planted trees, and views open ahead to show Larg Hill. The track crosses a first small concrete bridge, and in 500 metres more it crosses a second one and is about to re-enter trees.
Turn up left, alongside the tree edge and Benroach Burn. After 300 metres the right-hand (north) bank is obstructed by windblown trees. Cross to the awkward rough ground on the left side of the stream. Just above, a clear gap continues uphill, east. (The gap separates young trees on the right from newly planted trees on the left.)
The ride arrives at the wall at the plantation top, south of Sheuchanower. Turn north, with the wall on your right, across Sheuchanower’s slight rise, then up the grassy slope towards Larg Hill. Here, at the natural treeline, scrubby dwarf pine has been left to itself on the slope to your right. At a wall junction, keep ahead to the summit cairn on Larg Hill.
Head northeast, to the left of another wall, down to Nick of the Brushy. The col is a small meltwater channel, from when ice filled the Loch Trool valley on your left. That same glacier has dumped granite boulders along the ridge. A small path leads up Lamachan Hill. The summit is marked by a gateway gap in a falling stone wall.
Larg Hill from the slopes of Lamachan (granite erratic boulder in the foreground)
Head roughly northeast across the plateau, following occasional old iron fence posts, to Bennanbrack. Now descend southeast on a lumpy ridge. Look out for the small goat path just down on the left; it takes an exciting line just below the ridge crest.
After Nick of Corners Gate, the goat path contours across the north side of a hump called Milldown to arrive in Nick of Curleywee. Go through a wall gap and head up the steep face of Curleywee.
Curleywee on the approach from Nick of Curleywee
Descend Curleywee with care. Head southeast across a slight col, over the spur top of Gaharn, and gently down for another 50 metres or so. Now turn down right to descend slightly west of south, weaving between rocky bits of ground, onto a flat moorland. Cross this towards Bennan Hill to find a falling stone wall. Turn left down this, with a path. Keep downhill through a fence gate to Loup of Laggan pass.
Cross the path that passes through the pass and head up the lumpy moorland ridge opposite, keeping to the highest line. Pass Black Loch (small, among heather) and then White Lochan (larger, among grass). Now find a faint quad-bike track along the grassy ridgeline. There’s a slight dip, then a grassy rise to the summit ridge of Millfore. Turn left to the Millfore summit trig.
Return along the summit ridge, past Millfore’s southwest top. A quad-bike track runs down past the lochan called Fuffock on Drigmorn Hill.
Fuffock: one of the flat tassels in the dimples of an old mattress? A person who, at any stop, takes every single item out of their rucksack?
Continue briefly down southwest until the ridgeline steepens. Now turn left off the quad-bike trail to descend south, following the highest ground midway between Pulnee and Green Burns.
As the slope eases, with luck another quad-bike path will be found, which leads into fields. If it arrives at a fence gate, move left for 100 metres to a wall gateway near a little black shed. Pass through a second gateway, where a track runs ahead to an abandoned cottage, Drigmorn. On old Landranger maps this name, Drigmorn, is 500 metres too far north.
Behind the house the track fords Green Burn. Turn right on the forest road beyond. It runs downvalley past Auchenleck to the walk start.
WALK 5
Merrick and Murder Hole
| Start/Finish | Lower car park at Bruce’s Stone (NX 414 803) |
| Distance | 14.5km (9 miles) |
| Ascent | 700m (2700ft) |
| Approx time | 5½hrs |
| Terrain | Good path up Merrick, then grassy descent and small rough paths that can be peaty and wet |
| Max altitude | Merrick, 843m |
| Maps | Landranger 77 (Dalmellington); Explorer 318 (Galloway N); Harveys Galloway Hills |
| Parking | The lower Bruce’s Stone car park, with a ‘dual carriageway’ layout |
| Variants | Ascent via Fell of Eschoncan (no extra distance or mileage but a lot rougher); descent by Rig of the Buchan (described in Walk 6) – 13.5km (8½ miles) with 900m (3000ft) of ascent (about 5hrs) |
The granite country of Galloway is southern Scotland’s lakeland, with a score of lochs in an area just 30km across. This lochan-wander takes in four of the best – Trool, Valley, Neldricken and the highest and wildest water south of the Highlands, Loch Enoch. Almost as an afterthought Merrick is thrown in, the highest of the Southern Upland hills (but not the wildest – that’s Craignaw, on Walk 6).
And the Murder Hole? It’s a pool of unwholesome reeds and black water at the corner of Loch Neldricken. It’s bottomless and never freezes over, and it’s where the bog brigands of 200 years ago used to fling the unwanted carcasses of their victims. At least, if you believe The Raiders, by SR Crockett – a friend of Robert Louis Stevenson and almost his equal when it comes to a hill-walking adventure story to tingle your boot soles.
The alternative descent from Loch Enoch, by the Rig of the Buchan, is probably even nicer than the three lochs, while also being easier and drier underfoot. So if Merrick is to be your only route in Galloway, you may prefer to switch at Loch Enoch to this alternative descent.
Merrick from the east – Redstone Rig runs down the left-hand skyline
Diversion to Fell of Eschoncan
Near the top end of the car park a small bracken path heads up the steep side of Fell of Eschoncan – it was created with a strimmer for the first running of the Merrick hill race, but persists as a rugged alternative route over Fell of Eschoncan. The faint path then passes across the rough plateau of Bennan, staying below, and east of, the radio masts to continue north across