Parton Heritage Trail at Loch Ken

This would be the last walk of the year for Niall before he heads back to Australia so we decided to head for Loch Ken in the hope of seeing some Red Kites. The plan was to walk the Parton Heritage Trail but it is not completed yet so we could only walk half of it and a distance of about 4 miles. We did see Red Kites and a pair of them flew right over the top of us.

This is a Nuthatch feeding at one of the RSPB Hides on the Ken-Dee Marshes near Laurieston which was the second half of our days walk. 

Underneath the Feeding Station was this wee mouse living on the bits dropped by the birds

After we completed the Parton Heritage Trail we walked along the main road for half a mile and there sitting in a lay bye was Willie Mitchell an ex Langholmite and a good friend of Tom and I. He was there on his way to pick up a patient from New Galloway so we had a short but very enjoyable crack about happy times in Langholm.

A better photo of the Nuthatch.

Loch Ken

The RSPB reserve on the marshes from the bird hide. It was too early for the winter Geese as they will arrive in mid October.

The Red Kite flying high in the sky. We did manage to see them a bit closer but by the time I had focused my camera they had moved away.

At the highest point of the Parton Heritage Trail with a lovely view over Loch Ken.

River Esk Walk

It is quite some time since I posted anything on my blog but my Laptop has been playing up and is still not working properly so these next few blogs will be from my I Pad. 

A couple of weeks ago I took Peter and Elizabeth on the River Esk walk from Canonbie to Langholm. It had been proposed that this walk would be published as a Waymarked walk in our next edition of Langholm Walks but unfortunately Buccleuch Estates have scuppered this by not allowing it to be developed. this is a great pity as it is without doubt one of the nicest walks in the whole area but needs to be signposted to help walkers find the way. There is no reason for people not to give it a try and I am willing to act as a guide to anybody wanting to explore it.

Peter and Elizabeth thoroughly enjoyed the walk and agree with me that it is very beautiful.

This is taken at the Mill Stream at Hollows mill. The walk is particularly attractive at Irving House which has been empty now for a good number of years. We all agreed it would make a superb high class Hotel so maybe somebody will buy it for future development.