Red Kites and coastal paths a great week in Galloway: Part 1
This is quite a different series of posts than the last one when my son and I travelled down to Wembley for the FA Cup Final. In fact it was just the day before the Cup Final that my wife and I got back from another terrific week in Scotland.
This latest trip followed hot on the heels of a solo trip earlier in the month when I made a short three stop/1,ooo mile trip on one of my bikes. You can read about that here if you missed it.
On this trip my wife and I headed to Newton Stewart in south-west Scotland, a town located on the River Cree in Dumfries and Galloway.
It was almost exactly a year ago when we were last in Newton Stewart. On that occasion it was for a shorter break with our nephew and a trip that we almost cancelled after my wifes trip and injuries.
Dumfries and Galloway – a decent area
Dumfries and Galloway is in the southwest corner of Scotland and I gather is an area often overlooked by tourists heading for the west coast and the Highlands.
I would say from the occasions I have stayed in the area and the many times I have travelled that way over the last 20 years or so, the coastline, the forests and the general feel of the area is more than worth checking out.
The area provides a real sense of peace along with plenty of places that still feel genuinely untouched.
Galloway Forest
The Galloway Forest is a favourite place of mine. It’s the largest forest park in Britain and an absolute joy to motorcycle or drive through.
Although it attracts over 800,000 visitors a year I have never been there and seen much traffic or crowds. There’s a lot of space in this wonderful area, and it’s home to red deer, red kites and wild goats … but more of that later.
A good place to find out more about the Galloway Forest is at the Forestry and Land Scotland web site at this link.
Refreshments in Penrith
On the way to Newton Stewart we made a stop in Penrith, a market town in Cumbria and just outside the Lake District National Park.
Penrith is a decent town to call into and has quite a history with origins dating back to Roman times. With a good selection of independent shops, cafes, and restaurants there are no shortage of places to stop for a drink and a bite to eat
I would imagine it’s a reasonable town to base yourself in for a few days if exploring Cumbria and the Lake District. On this occasion we only called for refreshments and a wander around but nevertheless enjoyed our brief visit.
And if you are wondering why there is a statue of Paddington Bear (see the picture set below) sat on a bench it’s to do with the promotion of the film Paddington in Peru. Penrith was chosen as one of 23 locations across the UK and Ireland for a statue.
Penrith pictures
Clicking any image below will open a clickable/scrollable gallery.
Property on the river
The property we stayed at in Newton Stewart was right on the banks of the River Cree and just a short walk to the town and the Cree Bridge which is a fine granite structure built in the early 1800’s.
Newton Stewart is only a small market town surrounded by the Galloway Hills. Despite the small size of the town, it’s a popular location for cyclists and hill walkers particularly because of it’s proximity to the Galloway Forest Park.
The town has a reasonable selection of independent shops. There are also a couple of supermarkets at the end of the town, set unobtrusively just off the high street and close to the river.
We enjoyed our stay there and our property was ideally located for taking a morning walk through town and along the river before returning and heading out for the day.
Property snaps
Clicking any image below will open a clickable/scrollable gallery.
Room with a view
Over the years we have stayed in some decent hotels and decent properties. Just last year we stayed up near Skye on the north shore of Loch Long in the Kyle and Localsh district. The view from the lounge of the property we had rented was magnificent. The lounge overlooked Loch Long and provided a view that we thought hard to beat – but the view from our property in Newton Stewart, looking directly onto the River Cree was just wonderful as well.
Swallows and Sparlings
Swallows swooping across the River Cree and Sparlings leaping from it were a constant feature during our time there. to be honest, prior to this trip I had never heard of Sparlings and was quite taken aback to see so many fish constantly leaping from the water. It turns out, Sparlings are a small silvery fish and an annual visitor to the River Cree at Newton Stewart!
Sparlings are also found in parts of northern Europe and some river estuaries in the UK and Ireland. Apparently (and a bit weirdly) the fish has a cucumber like smell when fresh or cooked.
The fish are typically about 6″ to 8″ long and used to be widespread across Scotland’s Solway coast but now it is the River Cree that supports the last known sparling population on Scotland’s west coast.
Apparently Sparlings spend most of their lives in the estuary and it’s typically between February and April when they migrate upstream … just goes to show everyday really is a school day
Views from the ‘River Room’
Clicking any image below will open a clickable/scrollable gallery of the ‘River Room’
Nice property
The property we stayed in was quiet, comfortable and spacious and was absolutely ideal for our stay.
Rather than attempt to describe it, the picture set below gives an idea of the set up at this well-appointed three bedroom accommodation. Location wise it was just a five minute or so walk to the high street in Newton Stewart.
Sunshine and beer
I have always maintained that Scotland is a great place to go at any time of the year … but if you get the weather then it really is hard to beat and is a match for most anywhere.
The weather on the day we travelled and for the duration of our stay was wonderful and we certainly made the most of the sunshine and warm days. In fact we didn’t waste any time in checking out a pub called The Black Horse Hotel – about a 15 minute or so walk from our accommodation. Although we had a couple of different beers there during our stay, including some craft ales, we didn’t get to sample any of the 70 or so different gins stocked by The Black Horse.
Check out the pictures below from the garden at The Black Horse.
A great holiday and fab accomodation.
A great holiday and fab accommodation.