Southern Upland Way: St Johns Town of Dalry to Sanquhar

I did not charge my camera last night and had to economise today on the photographs I could take. We left St Johns at the opposite end of town to our accommodation (where we had very little sleep for 2 nights (the juke box was right under our rooms and played until 2 to 5 am. Traffic stopped and started outside all night, and as I am a light sleeper my sleep was very disturbed.

We turned left into a road, which soon turned into a rough track. After leaving the houses behind we walked between clumps of gorse and then onto open moorland. We climbed to the top of a hill and then descended between small copses and passed over the Trolane Burn. We were a softer surface today but our feet were already hurting from the previous days' walking.

We walked around Ardoch Hill, a small dome shaped hill that had risen sharply in front of us. On our right was a conifer plantation. We walked along its western flank. Although there was no track the route was obvious, following the woodland's boundary wall.

We crossed a stile and footbridge, and another and then followed the Earlstoun Burn along the forest edge. We then left the forest edge, crossing open moorland, with its vast open panorama of hills, mountains, moors and sky. Curlews could be heard distinctly.

The path joined a metalled road at a junction and we walked along it towards Butterhole Bridge. We were walking uphill. Shortly after Butterhole Bridge we took a path to our left, leaving the road, and climbed to the summit of Culmark Hill. From Culmark Hill we descended slightly to Culmark Farm, passing through it and crossing a ladder stile to join a farm track which we followed to Blackmark Plantation. We skirted its edge and turned right onto the B729, turning off it after a short while, to our left, near the Old School House Farm.

We now walked uphill, our feet not yet bothering us very much, as we had been walking mostly on soft terrain today. Our path now led us into the Manquhill Forest and climbed steadily, but still on an earthy track (thank goodness!)

At the top of the Hill, out of the trees, there was a view of the moorland mountains. Then we plunged back into the forest, passed over several forest roads and eventually left the forest and climbed steeply up Benbrack. The view from here was breathtaking and had been each time we were clear of the forest. From the top we crossed a stile and took the path to our left along a fence which we followed for some distance as it threaded between conifer plantations, down then up Mid Hill and then Cairn Hill, where we turned right to where we turned right to Black Hill and then left to skirt the edge of the forest.

At High Countarn we turned right along a straight, wide, grassy track to Allen's Cairn, right in the heart of the forest. Alan's Cairn is made of red sandstone and contains plaques for two covenanteers who were shot by Dragoons. From the cairn we turned left, taking a path that detoured around a quarry on a stony path that hurt our feet. We came across a forestry road that zigzagged through the forest and passed an overnight shelter (small and crude, but a blessing in inclement weather) and then came to a fork in the path. We took the right-hand fork and crossed a stream at a sheep pen. Here the track turned into a forestry road.

We soon left the forest. All around us were rolling hills and valleys, and a bright blue sky with white fluffy clouds. I had been over-conservative of the use of my camera so far, as there was very little battery life in it, but the views were now so glorious that I felt compelled to start snapping, and take the chance of running out of battery power before completing the walk.

National Trail Guides UK