Carlingwark Loch Circular

Circular walk through farmland. 5.6km/3½ miles -allow 2 hours. Roadside pavement, minor roads and grass paths.

Stout shoes recommended

Start from the lochside park and turn onto Whitepark Road. Turn right and follow the road south past the cemetery and towards Gelston. Turn right at the ‘Footpath’ sign at Cuckoo Bridge and follow the path over the boardwalk then through a fenced off footpath to the minor road near Mid Kelton. The boardwalk crosses marshland which is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its wildlife. Areas of semi-natural woodland occur within the marshland, supporting lichens, fungi and breeding songbirds. When you are on the boardwalk, don’t miss the opportunity to spot wildlife. Look for water beetles in open water and spiders scurrying over the boards. The boardwalk also provides the chance to admire the landscape of the area with good views of the nearby hills of Screel and Bengairn.

At the end of the countryside path turn right onto the road and continue past the Douglas Mausoleum and Threave Gardens. The Douglas Mausoleum was built around 1830 to house the remains of William Douglas and the Douglas family. In 1792 Sir William, acting under a Royal Charter, changed the name of the small village of Causewayend to Castle Douglas.

Return to Castle Douglas using the pavement/cycle path along the side of Carlingwark Loch. The loch is renowned for its birdlife, including coots, mute swans, tufted duck, shoveler and great crested grebe. An information board is located at the park to help you with identification. In the 1860s two fishermen hooked a large bronze cooking pot full of old bits and pieces of metalwork, which are now on view in the Scottish National Museum in Edinburgh. Decorations on some of the objects showed them to have been used at the time when Roman armies were in the area some 1800 years ago.