The Southern Upland Way: Scotland's Coast to Coast

Day Four: Bargrennan, through Glen Trool to White Laggan Bothy in the Galloway Hills

Tuesday 3rd April
From Glen Trool Holiday Park along the length of Loch Trool and into the Galloway Hills, ending at White Laggan Bothy by the shores of Loch Dee


A pond surrounded by reeds which is Glen Trool Holiday Park's site for small tents.	The path leaving Bargrennan goes straight into the trees on a slope above the River Cree

Our first point of call today is the campsite shop where we get talking to the campsite owner. She tells us that she often sees people power walking through here, and wonders how they enjoy it. The camp shop itself is very limited, and you have to ask for stuff from behind the counter. However it is adequate for purchasing a few days food, though might have been more so if we had a tin opener with us.

The target for this evening is White Laggan Bothy in which we have decided we are definitely going to sleep. Our spirits are pretty high as we head back along the daffodil lined road to rejoin the SUW. We reflect that we could have asked the campsite lady for a weather forecast but we decide we'd rather be surprised and prove our mettle as adventurers. On reaching the SUW way we read some interesting facts on the SUW notice board:

"The Southern Upland Way crosses all the major rivers of South-West Scotland and the high moorland sections are soon relieved by the descents into the richer more diverse valley bottoms. The pattern of habitat types is repeated again and again, and it is not essential to walk the whole route to experience the full range of wildlife."

We are about to pass through the Galloway Forest Park which is nearly 300 square miles of forest, moorland and loch, and our the bothy we are aiming for today is bang in the middle of this forest park. We rejoin the route which journeys alongside the River Cree, a lovely riverside walk with soft pine floors. We keep an eye out for the next kist has been hidden by a potter using much subterfuge and is hidden somewhere between here and our bothy tonight. We climb steeply up the valley floor, high above the river. These more strenuous, narrow and steep paths seem to be quite unique to the SUW. These paths are not designed to be easy, but instead are natural paths with relatively little work put into them. Compared with the West Highland way, these paths err on the side of adventurous, rather than creating a walkers highway. This is more of what you would expect from an ideal trail experience. As well as having to earn your food - we are bloody looking forward to breakfast.

We discuss our commitments to the SUW, even though we appear to be keeping to schedule at present. We decide we need a smart pace, to have quick breaks, get up early, and eat our big meals early on in the day.


We meet a horse rider on the track	The River Trool

Leaving the River Cree we head up away from the main road on the other side of the Cree, over a small hill to the River Trool. They're really not afraid of directing us up steep gradients on this walk. Through a little eddy of the Galloway forest, and we join a broad forest track. Massive logging vehicles trundle up and down the forest track, and one comes so suddenly round that Jo gets quite a fright. The friendly driver gives us a smile and a wave, amused at Jo untangling herself from the bushes having jumped into them at his sudden appearance.

The path takes us into Brigton woods and we can hear and see the river Trool which we are going to follow upstream to Loch Trool. The elevated forest path takes us past an area where a lot of felling is taking place. Supposedly this forest produces 150,000 tonnes of timber every year!


These old well established woods have a thick green undergrowth of moss.	A clearing in the woods gives a fantastic view with a backdrop of the Galloway Hills

Out the other side of Brigton woods and we are into a different kind of forested area now. This is not coniferous plantation forest but rather older, self planted forest with a moss covered ground and knarled birch trees. The thinner forest allows for distant views through gaps in the trees. The Galloway Hills rise out of the thick coniferous blanket ahead of us, the tops of the hills lit up by the sun.

We cross the River Trool and continue on the opposite bank past a small abandoned old building called Dalane Cottage. We stop opposite the building for a quick rest, during which Jo persuades Alan to give her a foot massage. It's a pleasant place to stop with the backdrop of the Galloway hills in clear view and wee lambs playing on the opposite shore of the wide River Trool.


Dalane Cottage - an abandoned building - with the Galloway hills behind	Sheep graze and lambs play on the opposite bank


The River Trool grows wide and shallow as we near the flood plains leading up to Loch Trool.	The path winds up high above the River Trool

Along the banks of the tranquil River Trool, and we see Scottish Blackface Sheep on the opposite shore, some herding tiny lambs away from any threat we may pose. It's beautiful enough, but apparently this whole wildlife corridor next to the river is being replanted with native broadleaf trees to try and return the area to its previous state of beauty. This will also improve the quality of the water.

The path proceeds along the marshy, pool dotted flood plain of the River Trool. For this section, the path floods yearly, and a detour is provided on the opposite bank of the River Trool if this is the case. The deep blue of the water makes a striking contrast to the surrounding hills, and the silver-white of the birch trees which line it. Rich in wildlife, we spot several frogs jumping across our path, and swimming around in small pools, as well as butterflies and insects.

A martyr's tomb in the area bears witness to 6 guys who were slaugtered whilst praying around 320 years ago, and makes an interesting small detour.


The River Trool winds its way down from its source in the still distant Galloway Hills	The River Trool's flood plain is dotted with silver birch trees.


In the forest high above the shores of Loch Trool, the path winds its way through the Scot's Pine Forest.	As we continue along the banks of Loch Trool, the forest thins and the views become more extensive.

We pass by Caldons at the head of Loch Trool, where there used to be a campsite. Though the campsite no longer exists, this area is still popular with wild campers. As we approach Loch Trool we ascend up the spur of bank into an absolutely lovely Scot's Pine Wood. Our first views of the Loch are glimpses of the brilliant blue between Scot's Pines from high above. The path meanders up and down the valley side before eventually before taking us near the shore about half-way along. We divert down to the shore for a late afternoon break, and Alan takes some panoramic photos. Check out the view of the loch!

We sit and eat some lunch on the pine laden floor beside the loch, the sun making this an idyllic spot. Feeling refreshed, we continue along the second half of the Loch, where the trees have been felled and the views open out.


At the end of Loch Trool we get a choice of following a nice easy track up to the bothy, or following an old path round the valley side. We cross the bridge to follow the path.	This is a very old path, where instead of a bridge across the river, there's an ancient causeway of stones.

At the East end of the loch there is a notice explaining that a new route has been opened up for the Southern Upland Way, which offers better views but which may be muddy and even flooded in places. The old route is still available for those with no sense of adventure in the form of a white track used by cyclists which travels up the valley through rather boring dense plantation forest. We decide to take the more interesting new route even though it is slightly longer and much harder going. A short distance along this path and we cross a track and discover to our amazement that the surface is made up of ground white shells! We follow the river closely at first through old twisted trees before coming out onto a grassy plain with views out to the left. The path is very muddy in some places, and difficult to follow in others. As the old path climbs up the valley, we cross rivers with wide causeways built from large stones. We assume this is how people made river crossings before the bridge was invented. As we climb further up the valley side we find we are in an enthralling landscape, surrounded on all sides by heather covered hills glowing reddish in the evening sun.


One of many tributaries leading down to Loch Trool	The sun starts to set behind the Galloway Hills


Looking back we realise where the old route of the SUW went - straight through the middle of that plantation forest!	We climb up into the heart of the Galloway Hills

Looking back towards Glen Trool, now out of sight behind a spur of the hill, we notice the old route of the SUW, a white track emerging from a long corridor of conifer plantation. The route looks very depressing in comparison as you would get no views at all, and none of the excitement of trying to follow the poorly defined path and negotiating the many streams on route.

A good sense of balance is definitely needed here in order to avoid a trip into the mud! Alan almost looses a boot as it gets sucked into a particularly deep gouge of mud.

As we cross the Trostan Burn, Alan fills up the water bottles before becoming enraptured by the setting sun. Jo looks worried as Alan pulls out his tripod and spends a half hour photographing the setting sun as it sinks below the hills. It's almost dark and if we don't get a move on soon, we'll be arriving at the bothy after nightfall.


We cross many tributaries, each made passable by its own stepping stones.	The sun disappears out of sight behind the backdrop of hills, making us short of daylight hours


We glimpse the track leading to the bothy, a contrasting brilliant white scar.	Loch Dee comes into view - we're almost at the bothy!

We reach the top of the pass just as the sun sets and are rewarded with fine view of a high undulating plain, loch Derry sitting in the middle. The area is enclosed by rugged rocky hills, which Alan comments are more impressive than many Munros. We set a good pace in the failing light and head for our bothy, still a couple of km. We rejoin the old route on the bright white shell track and manage to keep a fast pace all the way to the bothy. It's dark by the time we get there, but thankfully we are welcomed by a warm, lit bothy, and greeted by a postman from London called Pete.

It's a modern bothy in that it has a wood burning stove rather than an open fireplace. Downstairs there is a small area for preparing food and a table with chairs. The upstairs room overhangs the downstairs and consists merely of a bare floor with plenty of room to sleep several people.

Outside it's a baltic, clear moonlit night, and we find ourselves glad for the shelter of the bothy, for what little extra warmth it might provide.

The Kist

On coming across the magic word ULTREIA, Jo is absolutely correct in her suspicions of a kist, as although it blends perfectly into the environment, it does look slightly different from its surroundings. The kist was made by a potter and therefore the inside of it is, as you may imagine, a pot. What you see from the path however looks completely natural and blends in well with its surroundings.

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The Southern Upland Way: Scotland's Coast to Coast

Day Four: Bargrennan, through Glen Trool to White Laggan Bothy in the Galloway Hills

Tuesday 3rd April From Glen Trool Holiday Park along the length of Loch Trool and into the Galloway Hills, ending at White Laggan Bothy by the shores of Loch Dee

Tuesday 3rd April
From Glen Trool Holiday Park along the length of Loch Trool and into the Galloway Hills, ending at White Laggan Bothy by the shores of Loch Dee