My Favourite Walk from Rockcliffe to Kippford

 

Our cottage in Rockcliffe from the public path going past it

A nice stream I have to cross on the way back to the cottage

A private pier and the causeway to Rough Island 

The Tree of the Year as voted by The Woodland Trust in 2021. It is about 65 years old

Myself at The Tree of the Year

Another view of the Tree of the Year with the beach in front of it made up entirely of shells

This Robin followed me all the way along the coastal path

The only people I met on my walk were these Little People

It was low tide but I will do the same walk later this week at high tide

Eaglets feeding in the Urr estuary

There were loads of Crab Apples on the upper path to Kippford.

Our First Full Day in Rockcliffe

We arrived in Rockcliffe on Friday afternoon and this was my first walk along the shore with the Island of Heston in the distance.

Our small holiday cottage and very comfortable it is.

Saturday morning walk with a fast tide coming in.

This was at about 11.00am and in another 90 minutes it was high tide

Last nights evening walk along the lane from our cottage. This is the nicest house with a wonderful garden and hedge.

Hillside House, garden, and hedge.

I wouldn't like the job of cutting this hedge

The tide coming in on this mornings walk

We spent the morning visiting Colvend and Dalbeattie Cemetery's to pay our respects to Gaye's cousin Evelyn and then her Aunt & Uncle David & Florence McGinn. After that a coffee in Dalbeattie and we headed back to Rockcliffe to sit by the shore for an hour. Gaye enjoyed her Mr. Whippy.

 

A Long Awaited Visit to Kippford and Rockcliffe

A long time ago I promised I would take our friends Mark & Leila Hallam to my favourite walk in Dumfries & Galloway along the shore from Kippford to Rockcliffe so today I managed to keep my promise. We left Langholm at 9.00am on a beautiful autumn morning and with high tide set for noon at Kippford we couldn't have picked a better day. Only disappointment was not being able to walk the causway to Rough Island, but that can be an excuse for another visit in the future. 

This is about 10.30am and 90 minutes before high tide

This old Scots Pine is near the car park just as you enter Kippford

This old boat is very photogenic on a high tide.

Some lovely Lillies in one of the local gardens.

The Urr estuary from the high road above the houses

The path from Rockcliffe to Kippford

Rockcliffe beach and the tide coming in, but it was not a very high tide today

A slipway near Rockcliffe

Mark and myself photographed in front of the Tree of the Year in the UK voted by a national newspaper in December 2021. I am disappointed that there is no sign up giving the story of how it was the winner of this award in 2021. 

The Tree of the Year in 2021 and 7th in Europe at the same time.

Mark, Leila, and their lovely dog Henry in front of the famous shell beach in Kippford

Henry has never seen a beach quite like this

Almost high tide

A garden Thistle. We finished our visit after a 4 mile walk with a lovely lunch in the Anchor Hotel

 

A Kippford to Rockcliffe Walk with the Southwells

 

We had arranged to meet our friends Doreen and Norman from South Wales at their chalet at Barend near Sandyhills where they are staying for 2 weeks together with their daughter and son in law. The weather forecast was awful but we decided we would still try and get a walk from Kippford to Rockcliffe and back. After we had coffee at the chalet we set out for the walk dressed for wet weather. We were soon casting off various items as it was dry, warm, and muggy, but a perfect walk. We left Gaye and Doreen back at the Chalet to catch up with all the news while Tom and I joined Norman and family for the 4 mile walk. This is the road above Kippford on our way back to the village.  

Rockcliffe at high tide but on a very quiet day

The Ice Cream van is always there and Milo waited patiently for his ice cream.

Norman with daughter Lindsay and her husband Jon

Tom and I have been friends with Norman since the days when he came to Langholm to play rugby for Bryn Wanderers against Langholm 2nds in the mid 70s. Tom used to play against him. He met Gaye's friend Doreen from Dalbeattie who was staying with us and the rest as they say is history.

We had great entertainment watching a couple blow up an inflatable Canoe at Rockcliffe.

When they eventually launched it we all gave them a round of applause

After our meal back at the Chalet this photo was taken by Jon. I will never complain about youngsters spending so much time on their mobiles again.

The Tree of the Year 2021 at Kippford

High Tide at Kippford

The party of walkers, Norman, Lindsay, Jon, and Tom

All 7 of us taken after dinner at the Chalet in Barend. A most enjoyable day in good company.

Walking With the Southwells at Kippford

It is 2 years since we last saw Doreen and Norman from South Wales when they visited Langholm in 2019 but at long last they are back in Scotland and staying for 3 weeks at Barend near Sandyhills. Gaye and I and Tom Stothart met up with them this morning and after morning Coffee at their Chalet we took off to Rockcliffe to walk the upper footpath to Kippford and then back via the lower footpath.

The weather was glorious and both Rockliffe and Kippford was busy with walkers and bathers

Doreen and Norman's daughter Lindsay was up staying with them for a few days with her husband John.

Gaye with Doreen and Lindsay near Rockcliffe on the lower path

A few years ago I wrote an article for the E & L Advertiser about the walk from Kippford to Rockcliffe and I mentioned this Ice Cream van at Rockcliffe and we were delighted to see it is still there so Lindsay and Tom took advantage of it. 

This is Heston island viewed from Rockcliffe

All 7 of us at the start of the walk with dogs Findlay and Milo

This is Kippford from the upper pathway and the tide is coming in and will be at high tide in another hour.

Tom and Norman and Findlay the dog named after a Scottish Rugby Internationalist Findlay Calder

Gaye on the sea front at Rockcliffe in front of some lovely plants. After our walk we headed back to Barend and had a lovely meal courtesy of Doreen and Lindsay with new potatoes grown by Norman and brought specially for us from Wales.