Walking & Cycling
This part of Scotland has often been described as 'Scotland in Miniature', you could be on a mountain ridge, a coastal path, a forest trail or a moorland track. You may be following in the footsteps of saints, pilgrims, Roman soldiers, cattle drovers or gold prospectors. One thing is certain, you will enjoy a spectacle of nature never enjoyed by those who stay in their car.
Walking
Local Hills
You can walk to the highest point in the area, about 7-8 miles round
trip, from Cosses Country House. 'Beneraird', an outstanding hill of 1,435
feet, on which stands a considerable Cairn (stone fortification). The path
to it is part of the old road from Ballantrae to New Luce, and the view from
the summit is remarkable with vistas extending from the Isle of Man to
Arran; Ballantrae lies to the Northwest, Lagafater and its gleaming lochs
nestle in the depths of the south, and all around is a vast panorama of
mountains, valleys and moorland with the Merrick and Mountains of Fleet to
the east.
www.stincharvalley.co.uk
Southern Upland Way
Opened in 1918, this cross country path is 212 miles long, covering some of the wildest landscape in southern Scotland starting from Portpatrick. Sections of it can be walked in a day from Portpatrick or New Luce.
The Pilgrims Way
Follow the route that pilgrims used to take from Glen Luce to visit the priory of St Ninian at Whithorn at the south of the Machars.
Carrick Forest Trails
From the village of Barr you can go walking and cycling on the many forest trails including the Stinchar Falls, Barr Trails and Cornish Hill.
Galloway Forest Park
Near Newton Stewart there are a wide range of tracks and trails in the park including the magnificent Glen Trool and Clatteringshaws and Bruce's Stone.
Cycling
Get on your bike, cycle around Ayrshire, Arran, Dumfries and Galloway and the views will take your breath away. Your bicycle has it's ancestral origins here. A blacksmith called Kirkpatrick Macmillan invented the first pedal cycle at Keir Mill on the Drumlanrig Estate in 1840.
Cycle round the Isle of Cumbrae
Cycle routes and quiet roads, challenging hill routes, off-road forest
trails, quiet river valleys and coastal paths with sweeping panoramas. The
16 Kilometre circuit of the Isle of Cumbrae is such a joy to ride, cyclists
outnumber motorists.