The route along the shore of Loch Trool passes along a bridge over Buchan Burn. On it are carved the words of Sir Walter Scott:

"Land of brown heath and shaggy wood, Land of the mountain and the flood,
Land of my sires what mortal hand,
Can e'er untie the filial band,
That knits me to thy rugged strand".

This was our last ride of the holiday. It would certainly be hard to untie ourselves from this land of brown heath and shaggy wood.

#glentrool #galloway #ncn7 #BikeTooter

How many times do you need to ride a route before you can declare it a favourite? Once was enough for G, who decided this track near Minniwick Moss was worthy of favourite status when we passed along it on our way to Wigtown.

I had to hand it to him, this was lovely riding: standing trees providing shelter on one side and felled sections of forest opening up views of the high ground on the other.

The boy's got good taste.

#biketooter #glentrool #dumfriesandgalloway

We spent a cosy hour of our holiday searching the map for this landscape's wonderful names:

Nick of the Dungeon
Clints of the Buss
Rig of the Jarkness
Fang of the Merrick
Bog of the Gairy
Howe of the Caldron
Neive of the Spit
Scars of the Benyellany
Rig of the Gloon
Braes of Mullachgenny
Lump of the Eglin
Broads of the Merrick

And my favourite: The Range of the Awful Hand. How good, and terrifying, does that sound?

#placenames #therangeoftheawfulhand #maps #glentrool

In the afternoon we walked down to the Water of Trool as far as the footbridge and stood for a while, letting white noise and white water wash ordinary life away. Stare at a boiling river for long enough and it's almost impossible for your mind to be anywhere other than in that moment – fears, anxieties, work and chores are swept downstream.

#wateroftrool #glentrool #dumfriesandgolloway #scotland