Walking around Kirkcudbright.                             Click Here to view Printer friendly page.
The Beeches.  Mainly on road walk.	6  miles.  Circular route.

Riverside, country and woodland walk on footpaths/roads.

To Low Bridge of Tarff - easy; beyond - moderate

This circular walk crosses the River Dee twice, and the River Tarff. The walk is on roads/verges and hard footpaths. except for the riverside path option, (Dee Walk), between Tongland Bridge and Kirkcudbright Bridge. The walk can be extended for 1½ miles by visiting Twynholm village. Starting at the Tourist Office near the Harbour, walk the few yards along the river up to the road at the end of Bridge. Cross the road to follow the tree-lined Dee Walk footpath upstream by the riverside. (This walk is just as delightful taken in the clock-wise direction).  At the end of the Dee Walk road, continue through the gate, and follow the gravel path across open grass, by the hedge. There are several paths off to the right, to the road leading back into town. At the wooden footbridge (¾ mile), turn left, walking along the raised embankment, by the riverside hedge and continue onto a grassy  path.   Turn right at the footbridge, and then left onto the main road and footpath, to bypass the riverside path to Tongland Bridge. The  path carries on along the flood embankment, to Tongland Bridge (Telford 1805).  Short sections of this path can be muddy in wet weather. There are a few seats and good views over the river & reed beds. Just before the Bridge, the path enters a strip of deciduous woodland, with  steep drops on the river side.  From Tongland Bridge (1¾ miles), there are views up & downstream. On the upstream side the high pillars of the old railway viaduct are close by.  Cross Tongland Bridge, and turn left along the A762  road.  A ½ mile detour can be made to Tongland Power Station (Tours, tel. 01557 330114), along the A711 towards Castle Douglas.  Walk on the river side of the road, where the verge is wider, for ¾ mile to the minor road on the left. (2½ miles). Turn down this minor road, pausing on the Low Bridge of Tarff (over Tarff Water), to view the tidal river and reed beds.  From the bridge the road gradually climbs, passing a road junction on the right, through a mixture of  farmland and woodland to Hilltop Cottage. The road continues rising until the long straight, towards Twynholm, is reached.   At the crossroads (3½ miles), turn left along the road towards the A755 and Kirkcudbright.

	(A detour, adding 1½ miles, may be made into Twynholm village, where there is a shop, a pub and the David Coulthard Museum).
	This road, is wider, although twisty in places. Traffic is variable, with occasional lorries.  The first  ½ mile passes through an avenue of trees, mostly beech.  After passing a few cottages, near the access to Comstoun Mains, the road falls gradually to the junction with the A755.

Turn left along the A755, facing on-coming traffic for ½ mile, walking on the wide verge, to the turn-off for B727 Borgue; there are views over the town and estuary, along this length. Opposite the junction is a seat at the start of a road side footpath into town.  Carry on past the timber houses of Mersecroft and the Creamery, crossing the road to the footpath on the opposite side and over Kirkcudbright Bridge.  From the bridge there are views up and down the tidal River Dee.  At the end of the bridge turn right, back to the harbour and start.

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