Portpatrick to Dunskey Castle, Morroch Bay and back.

 Monday 13 September.  With Harry - 5 miles and a bit in persistent drizzle, along the coast path and back via the road.

Around midday, after coffee we decide to walk to Dunskey Castle, as we did in May 2019 in very different weather.

Along the sea front, up along south Crescent until we meet the steps and footpath sign to Dunskey Castle.

The path is straightforward, and after half a mile or so we reach the ruined castle.

The sign now says that Morroch Bay is a mile further on, so on we go, getting drizzled on, and wetted by long grass beside the path. The flowers are less impressive than in spring time, but there are plenty.

Views down to the rocky shore don’t inspire me to think of a small boat to Ireland today…but there’s a boat close in.

Oh yes, glad to see the giggle gang have been up here…

We reach the path above Morroch Bay,

and see cottages below - the track has a notice at onceforbidding and enticing.

Self-catering? Wow… we walk along a bit and catch sight of Knockinaam Lodge 

Hotel (in Port of Spital Bay), then turn back and walk almost down the track to Morroch Bay. Yes, it’s steep!

We have to climb back up and follow the track to the road. We meet one car and a tractor.

We continue past the caravan sites, which are being extended, and descend into Portpatrick via Military Road and Old Military Road, and back to Dinvin Street for a well-earned lunch. Only a whisker over five miles, but with 600 feet of climbing and descent, and the narrow cliff path, it feels more

Around Carrshield

 A morning “stroll”, I said. “before coffee.”

Just over 2 miles, taking 1and a half hours, only 240 feet of climbing, but boggy and bumpy terrain….

.

First a wander round the tiny cemetery - the heart shapes appear to be restored inscriptions.

Down to the footbridge over the tiny River West Allen. 

And up the other side, with a look back at the village

The path through access land, turns right just before the Miner’s Rest farmhouse, and goes along the bottom of their garden, with a gate at each end.

On the track just beyond is a building which. may have something to do with the old lead mines.

The next part of the walk is rough ground, crossing a small stream or two, past cattle

then following a wall until we reached  a footpath to our right.

The going improved …a little…

The remains of another old building

Another tricky bit of descent to a footbridge

back over the River West Allen

uphill along a nettle-rich path

and finally along the road, past the church

and back for a slightly later, but much appreciated coffee and cake outside in occasional sun.

Carrshield to Killhope Law

 

Wednesday 08 September, with Harry. 6.3 miles and 950 feet of climbing.

A deceptively strenuous six miles to the top of Killhope Law.  From the old school house

 to the cottages with sunflowers.

Opposite the cottages we took the path to the right, through someone’s drive and a very awkward gate on to the hillside. 

A short steep climb over rough ground, past an abandoned building. Then the path was reasonably clear for a while, but disappeared frequently making walking very tiring through bog grass etc.

Eventually we crossed Isaac’s Tea Trail path, and followed a clearer path to the road, where we met three cyclists doing the C2C.  

After a coffee we followed the track round the contours to a shooting hut.

then headed up through rough steep ground until eventually we met the ridge

and could see the trig point (673 metres/around 2200 feet) 

and a little further ahead a cairn.

Glorious sunshine so we stopped and took in the view over to Cross Fell, down to Burnhope reservoir and across north to more Northumbrian hills (possibly the Cheviots).

The trek down to the road was even tougher through heather and bog.

Lunch back at the road, and then the hard work done, there simply remained a two and a half mile tramp along the road, mostly downhill, but steep and hard on the feet. Swallows and martins are gathering, ready to migrate south.

The route passed close to a walk we did in May 2019 - from Killhope to Allenheads.