Hill walk routes to climb in SW Scotland - also coastal paths and National Scenic Areas with maps, pictures and other useful information based on extensive local knowledge
The Rhinns of Kells from Clenrie
Rhinns from Clenrie Page2 - Map of North Galloway - Map of Rhinns - Rhinns Introduction
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Map of a walking route from Clenrie to Carlin's Cairn along the Rhinns of Kells
Map of the route in from Clenrie to the Rhinns of Kells

The picture below shows Clenrie house (foreground) at the bottom of the Rig of Clenrie. The car park (grid ref. NX 557 826) is just out of the picture on the left back down the track that you can see by the house. You get onto this track nearly 5 miles back down it at Glenlee (grid ref. NX 612 803) on the A762 New Galloway to Carsphairn road. The Southern Upland Way comes up the track from the car park to Clenrie but heads SSW from here (to the right in the picture) whereas we head NW up the Rig (in the opposite direction from where we are facing in this picture). For a map of routes on the Rhinns click here.
Clenrie house at the bottom of the Rig of Clenrie - where we leave the Southern Upland Way
The second picture is taken from Meikle Lump at the top of the Rig of Clenrie and shows the route up - the red star shows where the car park is. The Rig itself is quite a hard slog over irregular unspectacular terraine. St John's Town Dalry lies just above the red star.
View from Meikle Lump at the top of the Rig of Clenrie showing the route we have come up

In the third picture we are near the top of Meikle Millyea looking SSE with Clatteringshaws Loch on the right and Cairnsmore of Dee on the left. Beyond, and slightly to the left of Cairnsmore is Screel and Ben Gairn which lie south of Castle Douglas. Notice the ferrel goat in the mid foreground. They are quite common in Galloway.
View from near the top of Meikle Millyea looking SSE towards Clatteringshaws Loch and Cairnsmore of Dee
View from Meikle Millyea looking NNW over Loch Dungeon, Loch Minnoch and Loch Harrow
The picture above shows the view from more or less the same point as the previous shot but in this case we are looking NNW over Loch Dungeon, Loch Minnoch and Loch Harrow (in that order from front to back). The Cairnsmore in this picture is Cairnsmore of Carsphairn which you will see later from Carlin's Cairn. It is just right of centre on the skyline. The route from Forebush up onto the Rhinns (which is shown orange on the map) comes up through these trees this side of Cairnsmore.
View over to the Dungeon hills and the Awful Hand from Meikle Millyea as you head for Milldown

The picture above shows the view westward from Meikle Millyea as you head for Milldown. The ridge of hills comprising Craignaw, Dungeon Hill and Mullwharchar is on the Dungeon Ridge. Benyellary, Merrick, Kirriereoch and Shalloch on Minnoch, all with their tops in the mist, are on the Awful Hand Ridge. The Nick of the Dungeon is a deep cut into the Dungeon Ridge which offers a much less steep climb up onto the ridge from the Silver Flowe. You can just see the two lochs of the Dungeon below the Nick.
View of the Minnigaff hills from Meikle Millyea
Here we are looking SW from Meikle Millyea towards Loch Dee and the Minnigaff Hills beyond. Craiglee lies at the southern end of the Dungeon Hills and the Silver Flow is the floating bog which lies in the valley between the Rhinns and the Dungeon hills.

To see a panorama of the Awful Hand, Dungeon Hills and Minnigaff Hills click here
Heading for Cartlin's Cairn from Corserine

On the 3rd July 2000 when these pictures were taken we went into mist after leaving Meikle Millyea and it did not clear until we were on the top of Corserine and just thinking about heading back without seeing anything when it all opened up and there was Carlin's Cairn and the whole of the north end of the Rhinns in front of us, as in the picture above. You can see that there is a steep descent and re-ascent between the two hills - both are over 800 meters high.
View looking back from Carlin's Cairn to Corserine
Map of the top of Corserine showing the five ridges which run off it.

Above is the view back from Carlin's Cairn to Corserine with Loch Dee, Curleywee and Lamachan right of centre. You can see from these last two picture that Carlin's Cairn is much the shapelier of the two hills and because it drops away more quickly all the way round the surrounding landscape is easier to see. Corserine is a very tricky hill in mist.
With the hill being so flat and featureless on top you can very easily get disorientated. One great shoulder runs west and two run east off the main ridge so you have five ways off and you could easily end up going down one of the shoulders by mistake - not necessarily dangerous, but adding hours onto your day. See Navigation Tips page
View from the trig point on Corserine with the Awful Hand in the distance.

Here is Sandy beside the trig point on Corserine with the distinctive silhouette of the Awful Hand behind. Benyellary is just to the right of the trig point and Merrick is to the right of it. The solid lump of Kirriereoch to the right of that. Again you can see how flat and featureless the top of Corserine is.
The Loch that you see is Loch Enoch. The water that runs out of Loch Enoch, via the Pulskaig Burn, flows into Gala Lane which in turn runs northwards into Loch Doon. The River Doon then runs out of the north end of Loch Doon on its way down to the Firth of Clyde near Alloway (where the National Bard Robert Burns was born). So the water flowing under the "Auld Brig 'O Doon" where Tam 'O Shanter's nag Maggie lost her tail to the witch Nannie originates in Loch Enoch.

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