| Start Point: | Garroch Estate, off Glenlee road |
| Grade: | Moderate |
| Distance: | Approx. 3.2 miles |
| Description: | A mainly woodland walk which uses many of the wooden bridges and boardwalks crossing burns and wet areas. It intersects with many other walks on the Garroch Estate so be aware some marker posts point in the opposite direction to this walk. |
| Download: | Download PDF |
It is suggested you park in a small area on the right approx. 100m inside the drive leading to the Walled Garden or at the walled garden car park. Return on foot to the Glenlee tarmac road and turn left.
Follow this road, there is a field and then woodland on your left, until you reach the second galvanised farm gate into a field. This part of the walk will take 15 minutes and warm the muscles up ready for the more rigorous paths ahead.
The path through the field is now closed. Please follow the diversion by taking the next left on a farm track signed Old Garroch and turning sharp left after about 200 yards to ascend a woodland path which crosses bridges over four small burns. At a fork in the path descend left and when you reach a fence do not go through the gate, but descend with the fence on your right. Pass through a gap in the wall and turn right to rejoin the route at the part known as the Alpine walk.
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When you see an open area ahead through an avenue of trees you are close to Garroch House and its private grounds. Turn 110 degrees right by the marker post and go initially straight up a steep bank through woodland then bear left until you reach a horizontal track. Continue ahead until you can see Garroch House below left and look for a marker post and wooden steps on your right.
Follow these steps uphill and go ahead through woodland on an indistinct track until you reach a broken gate with another pedestrian gate immediately on your left opening into a rough area of fern and scrubland.
Go through the gap in the wall and left through the gate, then bear right, slightly downhill at first towards a rock outcrop and then anti-clockwise up around the hill on your left and over the brow with a stone wall and trees on your right.
Look back at the view of Dalry and Balmaclellan . When you reach a farm gate into a field bear left downhill through the field and look for a small loch on your right, continue downhill until you reach a farm gate also with a pedestrian gate.
Turn right on the main farm driveway for a short distance until you see a 30-degree side turning on your left leading to a stone bridge (with a wooden bridge below for viewing the waterfall). Cross the wooden bridge and turn left downhill on a track running parallel to a moss-covered stone wall on your right. Look for a wooden bridge below on your left, but do not cross unless you wish to take a short cut to the Walled Garden a short distance below.
Continue downhill and cross a wooden bridge, then over a boardwalk and uphill until you reach a rough vehicle track which also leads down to the Walled Garden.
Turn left and almost immediately you will see a grassy farm track on your right leading through the trees to a farm gate into a field with Dunveoch Cottage above you on your right. Go straight across the field to reach a gate into woodland.
Proceed down a re-surfaced path and cross a small wooden bridge then up the bank to the ridge and turn left. (You should see a long boardwalk through the reeds on your right below, but leave this for another day).
Continue along the ridge with the burn on your right below until the path drops steeply down to another wooden bridge.
Cross and turn immediately left through a gate and down through woodland with a stone wall on your left, crossing several short boardwalks until you see a gated wooden bridge on your left. Cross and follow the path through the wood until you exit through an area of pine trees and you see the Walled Garden ahead on your right.
The track back to your vehicle, if you left it near the Glenlee road, is ahead. Turn right past the former mill pond on your right and keep going downhill to the Glenlee road.