Saturday: Glasgow - Galloway
We will collect you from the city centre or from Glasgow International Airport. We will travel by minibus to Newton Stewart, our base for the first half of the week.

Sunday: Galloway Forest Park
We will explore Galloway Forest Park, the largest forest park in Britain. But before we go into the park we will have a short walk in the largest remaining woodland in southern Scotland. It is thought to date back over 5000 years to the last ice age.
After this first introduction, we will travel into the hart of the forest park where we will walk around Loch Trool, the site where Robert the Bruce won the first battle over the English in 1307. Loch Trool is surrounded by the highest peaks of the Galloway Hills.
6 miles

Torhousekie stone circle

Monday: Journey through time
We will start in the Neolithic period by visiting the superb Clyde-type chambered cairns at Cairnholy. There are a substantial number of cup and ring marked rocks around the cairn.
Today's walk will be on a ridge near Cairnholy from where we will have superb views across the Solway Firth and towards the Galloway hills.
Up to 6 miles, some will be off track and max 200m/650ft ascent

We will stay in the Neolithic period when we travel to The Machars and visit the Torhousekie stone circle, which comprises 19 granite boulders. We jump to the 4^th century by visiting St. Ninian's Cave. A walk of 2 km along a wooded glen and over a pebbly beach leads to the cave. We will continue our journey with a visit to site of the first Christian church in Scotland, founded by St. Ninian in the 5th century. The Whithorn's cathedral is the earliest part of the monastery that you can still see. It was built in the 1100s and erected on the site of the earlier church that housed Saint Ninian’s relics.

We will finish our tour of The Machars in Wigtown, Scotland`s national book town.

Threave Castle in the river Dee

Tuesday: Threave Castle and coastal walk
In the morning we will visit the ruins of Threave Castle on an island in the River Dee. This is a massive 14th century tower built by Archibald the Grim, Lord of Galloway. To get to the island, we must ring the bell at the jetty and the boatman will come across from the island to take us to the castle. 

Our afternoon walk will be a coastal walk along the Solway Firth. This takes us onto high cliffs. In May and June these cliff areas are alive with nesting sea birds jostling and noisily contesting for prime sites. There are colonies of Kittiwakes, Fulmars and Herring Gulls and on the lower slopes the Guillemots and Razorbills make their homes. Further round there are many Cormorants nesting. There will also be an abundance of wild flowers that cling to the cliffs. And if you are bored with all this natural beauty, you can gaze across the Solway Firth towards England, the Isle of Man and Ireland.
Up to 6 miles, limited ascent.

Wednesday: Culzean Castle and journey to Argyll
We will leave Galloway and travel to the Scottish Highlands. We will stop at Culzean Castle. The castle is completely renovated and the current building reflects the different stages of Culzean's past, from Robert Adam's additions to the medieval tower house, to its heyday as one of the grandest houses in Scotland. In 1945, the Kennedy family, who have owned the castle for more then 375 years, gave it into the care of the National Trust for Scotland.

We will continue our journey to Argyll by taking the ferry across the Clyde. There we will visit Benmore Botanic Garden for a guided tour of the garden. The garden lies in a magnificent mountainside setting on the Cowal Peninsula. Benmore’s 120 acres boast over 300 species of rhododendron; Bhutanese and Chilean plantings and a spectacular avenue of Giant Redwoods.After dropping off our luggage at our accommodation, we will have a short walk to the ruins of Castle Lachlan.

Argyll, Leacann Muir

Thursday: Auchendrain Museum and Leacann Muir
Auchendrain Museum is an example of a traditional farm township of the kind our forefathers inhabited and worked. The original village buildings are furnished and give a glimpse into the lives of the people who once lived and worked. Hundreds of similar townships throughout Argyll were abandoned or cleared.

Our walk on Leacann Muir is a rough walk across wild moorland with wonderful views, remote hill lochans and great positions from many little hilltops. Not much in the way of climbing up, but no paths, lots of heather and wall to wall wildness. Grand!
About 4 to 6 hours walk depending on the weather and our inclination.

Friday: West Highland Way: Inversnaid to Ardleish
We will take the passenger ferry across Loch Lomond to Inversnaid and walk one of the best sections of the West Highland Way. Leaving Inversnaid we pass through ancient oak woodland and walk underneath Rob Roy's Cave. The path is rough with numerous ups and downs. We will be rewarded with superb views. In Ardleish a boat will take us back to the west shore of the loch.
5 miles, 200m/650ft ascent 

Saturday: Argyll - Glasgow
We drive across the 'Rest & Be Thankfull' pass to Loch Long and along Loch Lomond back to Glasgow, where we will arrive in the late morning.

The emphasis of the week is on enjoyment, so no-one should worry too much: you aren't in a race. Daily distances will never exceed 6 miles (10 km) plus varying amounts of ascent, and we don't expect to walk for longer than 4 hours (maximum) on any day. We will almost always be on paths or tracks or quiet roads except where the countryside is extremely easy, when we do go off path. There will be some steep sections, but not consisting of hundreds of feet together. Age is not a problem if you are fit and used to country walking / hiking.

Accommodation

As with all About Argyll's holidays, this is either in selected B&B or in hotels, as you prefer. You can rely on the quality of the accommodation that we find for you - its comfort, its food and the welcoming nature of those who run it. If you have particular requirements, please let us know so that we can do our best to meet them.
Details of where you will be staying will be sent to you well in advance of your holiday.

Clothing and equipment

You will need to bring boots with a good tread that provide adequate ankle support, warm clothing, waterproofs (top and over-trousers) and a rucksack big enough for your spare clothes, a packed lunch and whatever else you normally like to have with you (binoculars, a camera, etc.). Boots are especially important. They don't have to be particularly heavy, but wearing ultra lightweight ones may mean your feet get wet and trainers definitely aren't adequate nor, on some of the rougher and steeper going, however short it may be, are they safe. 'Trekking poles' (or even one) can be very useful, especially for anyone with knee problems.

For full details on booking and insurance, please click here.