Sandyhills Beach Walk

Another walk for us, at this picturesque beach in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland. (Click on any picture to see a larger version).

Our previous walk here (see article below) was to the right, when you get down to the beach. This time we turned left. It is a muddier/silty walk, but still has interesting caves and rock formations to explore.

Lunch afterwards was at the Loch Arthur Cafe in Beeswing. They have an outside seating area overlooking a pond, which is ideal if you have a dog with you. The food is freshly prepared and often includes produce from the farm. I ate the dipping platter (hummus, tomato and tzatziki dips with tortilla chips, salad garnish and vegetable sticks). Rob had the cream cheese tart with mixed salads, and we both had large Americano coffees. Excellent, as always.

Kippford Walk, Stone Creatures and Lunch

[Rob's photo of a heart-shaped fern emerging]

 

 Rob, Brock and I went on a favourite walk of ours today, from Kippford to Rockcliffe and back. There is a circular walk through woodlands full of bluebells and ransomes, at this time of year, to Rockcliffe and back along the shore path, with views over the inlet, the mud flats dotted with picturesque boats, to the next peninsula with its woodlands and hills.

 

[Brock on the beach at Rockcliffe: the half-way point]

There is a garden on the return leg, where someone makes strange little stone creatures out of rocks, pebbles, found items, teddy bears' eyes, and sometimes teeth. There are always a few new ones to spot.

We decided to try a new place for lunch: The Mariner Hotel, Restaurant and Bar We sat in the beer garden with Brock. There were quite a few tables available outside, with good views over the marina. There is plenty of indoor seating in a conservatory, for when the weather is less clement.

We ordered orange squash, mineral water and two portions of the vegetable curry with rice (Rob had half rice/half chips). It arrived fairly quickly, and was a good-sized portion. It was tasty: quite mild, English-style curry, with a fruity/spicy flavour; plenty of chickpeas, sweetcorn, greens (chard, I think), red pepper and onion. Rob said that the chips were very good, too. The bill came to just under £20. The choice was a bit limited for vegetarians apart from the curry, (mainly cheese-based dishes: macaroni, salad, or panini). But at least there were two gluten free, veggie choices: the curry and the cheese salad.

Zip Wire Fun

Rob and I had a go on the 'UK's longest zip wire' yesterday, at Laggan Outdoor Centre, SW Scotland.

It poured with rain on the journey over, but had cleared up by the time we arrived. You get kitted out at the base camp, with harness and embarrassing safety hat, before being conveyed in a small group up to the top of the hill in a landrover.

Looking smug, with my hat at a jaunty angle before the descent.

 

The starting platform with instructors preparing the safety equipment.

I had thought that I would be scared, because I am not a great one for heights, but it was fine. I was more worried about dropping my camera, because I had decided to take photos during the descent. We were told that it would be okay as long as we held on with the other hand. It takes about five minutes to get strapped tightly into place with a safety rope and assorted clips, before the five second count down. The red circle in the photo below shows where we will end up (hopefully).

 We're off!

You travel quite fast on the initial descent and have views over the surrounding fields as far as the sea. I spun round and was travelling backwards for some reason, so I could see Rob following on behind me.

It was over very quickly and we had to go through the unclipping process still in the air, before being lowered to the ground. Here's someone else having a go. The last section is much flatter, so that you slow down before getting to the end!

It was good fun and an interesting experience. There are other outdoor activities to take part in, such as grass boarding, clay pigeon shooting, archery, segway tours, and getting rolled downhill in a giant ball (!).

You have to book in advance for the zip wire as they have been fully booked every day. Also the rides can be cancelled if it is very windy, so check in advance of travel that it is still on. The ride costs £15 for one go, £25 for two (per person).