We had an unexpected visitor to Kirkandrews Bay last weekend. A black swan, normally a resident of Australia, was paddling around the bay. It probably escaped from a local wildfowl collection or came over from Glenkiln near Dumfries where there are known to be a small group of black swans.
Last weekend we explored a bit more of the local coastline and took a look at the section from Ross Bay up towards Kirkcudbright. We parked at Balmangan farm where there is a camp site and a network of walking trails. We followed one of the trails round the edge of Ross Bay then found a stile over a wall leading down to a small beach. From this point we worked our way northwards along the rocky shore line between the high and low tide marks.
The rocks along the coast are very steeply bedded and at right angles to the shore line so progress along the coast entails a lot of scrambling over the rocky ridges.
At one point we had to climb a small gully to get past one of the ridges. The rocks were nice and dry and offered plenty of hand and foot holds just where we needed them.
A little further up the coast we came across an old shipwreck. The ship was probably wrecked on Frenchman’s Rock, an outcrop in the middle of Kirkcudbright bay, then washed ashore here.
The next headland was a pinnacle of rock dropping into the sea. Some interesting scrambling moves were required to get across the front of the pinnacle but the rock provided some very good hand and foot holds just where they were needed.
The descent down the far side of the pinnacle was also assisted by some nicely placed flakes of rock.
By this time, the tide was rising quite quickly so we took the next available opportunity to head up into Senwick woods and get onto the footpath that tracks along the top of the cliffs, leading eventually to Mill Hall and Nun Mill Bay.
On the return journey we stayed on the footpath and had a look at the remains of Senwick church and graveyard which is now being absorbed back into the woodlands.
We had another visit from Hilary and Jonathan in July, right in the middle of the spell of hot, dry weather. Here are Gabrielle and Jonathan inspecting the contents of one of the rock pools at Kirkandrews Bay.
The sea was a bit frisky outside Kirkandrews Bay but we managed to get out in the kayaks for a trip round the headland to Rumblekirn.
Here are Gabrielle and Hilary paddling back into the bay.
John & Jonathan demonstrating synchronised paddling on the way out past Meggerland Point.
We are still looking for ways to use up all of the piles of rocks that were left over from the building work. At the bottom of the steps to the lower garden there was a little corner that needed tidying up so we built a small dry stone wall to enclose a bed for some shade-loving plants. This was also a good excuse to go out to Buckland Plants, near Kirkcudbright to acquire a few new specimens.