Clauchrie Clamber.

Location  -  Clauchrie Plantation, between Park nr. Closeburn and Auldgirth on an unclassified road. 
Grid Ref for layby to park your car  NX912885
Total Distance   - Measured on OS Get a map - 4 mile round trip.
Surface - Mainly Forest track/fire roads with a couple of grassy fields.
What did we see - a lovely cloud inversion, beautiful frost patterning on the ground and on the foliage.
Susan's Rating - always one of my favourite places to walk, run and explore.  This walk involves quite a fair bit of uphill to begin with and then it undulates.  It's not steep uphill though just keep it nice and steady and it's very do-able.


We started out at the Clauchrie Layby and made our way down the track towards Clauchrie House.  The Core Path people have been doing a fair bit of work on this path.  (Core Path 3) There are brilliant new gates throughout and finger posts pointing the way so if you follow these you won't get lost.  They've even put in a planked bridge at the bottom of the forest to make access to the field climb a little easier.

So following the finger posts we headed upwards until the finger pointed to the left hand path which we followed to its end point where another finger post pointed the way to the new gate into the field and the great new bridge brought us safely into the field.  From there we just followed the dyke line all the way to a gate at the top of the field, again another finger post pointed us in the right direction, through this gate up through the field at an angle to another gate in the topmost corner of the field.

At this point after a chat with the small holder from Auchencairn Cottage and his family we turned and headed back the way we had come.  Good signage on the gate posts reminded us to keep the dogs under control and I would urge everyone to keep dogs on leads near livestock particularly during LAMBING TIME.   We walkers, ramblers, runners have a duty to act responsibly in the countryside and help to maintain good relationships with the people for whom the countryside is more than a place to enjoy and have fun in.

The Lay By. Turn down the road and over the bridge.

New gate into the forest, follow the finger post.

The Left Hand path - yes it was a different day.

Core paths have put in a nice hard path and a new gate.

New Bridge which makes the walk a lot easier and safer.

Second last gate.

Top gate in the corner of the field.

From the  turnaround point at NX921905 you can continue and extend the walk in several directions.  Carry on down the lane to the gate at the forest and you can turn right into the forest and go to Loch Ettrick, Auchencairn Mast and various points within the forest.  All routes well worth exploring. Or you can continue down the tarmac road which leads to Croalchapel.  This can form part of a circular route by heading through Park Village and carrying on up the road leading back to Clauchrie. 

I've been here many many times in all different types of weather but today was one of my favourite days, it was clear and crisp and cold in places but the cloud inversion made it a little bit special.