 Head for the Mull of Galloway, passing the Mull of Galloway Farm. Just after you cross a cattle grid, look out for a road down to your left, leading to a parking area in East Tarbet bay.
The road is rough and uneven in places.
From the bay walk upwards to the left until you reach a dyke. Follow the waymarked posts, northwards, through two gates and over a stile at a dyke.
The east side of the Mull is very different from its west coast. Steep, grassy slopes end in vertical layers of greywacke, a type of sandstone pushed upwards from the seabed 400-500 million years ago. There are fabulous views to the Mull of Galloway lighthouse at the very tip of the Rhins, and north to Maryport and Cailiness Point. On a clear day you can see Scare Rocks in Luce Bay, home to thousands of pairs of nesting gannets. These large sea birds often hunt along the coastline, diving steeply to spear unwary fish.
Heading inland at Portankil, follow Kirk Burn upstream using a stile to go over fencing, and soon you will pass the remains of Kirkmaiden Church, now covered in grass. It was replaced in the 17th Century by the church which stands today in Kirkmaiden village.
The narrow road to the Mull leads you back to East Tarbet Bay. In the past, paraffin and other supplies for the lighthouse keepers were brought by boat and stored in the stone building here. |
