Walking around Kirkcudbright 711 m.
Cairnsmore of Fleet.  Woodland path & stalker's track.	6+ miles round trip.

Through forestry onto open moor and rocky hillside.

Forestry - easy; moor & hillside - moderate/difficult if wet.

Refer to Ordnance Survey map Landranger 83.  This attractive hill, (711m. 2333ft), standing alone, within a National Nature reserve, is rounded and open at the top.  There is a cairn, memorial and a trig. point; it provides an excellent all-round viewpoint.  The hill is not a difficult challenge, but it provides some strenuous hill walking along the constantly graded track.  From Kirkcudbright follow the A755 towards Gatehouse of Fleet.  At the junction with the A75 turn left  towards Stranraer.    Follow the A75 beyond Gatehouse and Creetown, turning right along a minor road just before the hamlet of Palnure (NX457629).  Continue for ¼ mile, then turn right thro' the old viaduct onto the unmade road leading to Cairnsmore.  The end of this road is reached in about 1 mile, where there is a sign  "Car Park for Hill Walks"  to the left, indicating a parking area in a small wood (NX472641).  Leave transport here, and from the gate at the end of the road, follow an indistinct path up across the field to a gate in the opposite corner.

Follow the path on an easy gradient thro' Bardrochwood, crossing a forestry road and up to the forestry edge (1¼ mile).  Emerge on to the open heather clad hillside, following the old deerstalker's track for a further 1¼ mile, up on to the hogback of Cairnsmore of Fleet. The path veers northwards, levels out along the broad undulating ridge, and is marked by small cairns for the last ¼ mile or so to the summit cairn and the OS trig. point (NX501671). Just before the summit is a memorial tablet to all the airmen who have lost their lives in plane crashes on the hill. On a good day detours may be made northwest down to Eastman's Cairn (½ mile), northeast down to Meikle Multaggart and back along the broad ridge south east to the sister cairn at 656m. Since the hill is fairly isolated, there are splendid views from the top in all directions; in a northerly direction across to the Merrick (the highest of the Galloway Hills) and the Rhins of Kells, and southerly across Wigtown Bay to the Isle of Man.  Descend by re-tracing the route.                                            top

photos taken in May 2003

photos taken in May 2003