EK News Article by Eric Kent:  

This week’s Duncanrig Ramblers walks were in Dumfries and Galloway. The main walk was from the grandly named Green Well of Scotland to Carsphairn via the Hill called Cairnsmore of Carsphairn 797 metres high (8.5 miles) and the alternate walk was from Drumjohn to the Green Well of Scotland (8.5 miles). The weather for both walks was decidedly damp with poor visibility for much of the high walk.  Leaving the  coach at the  Green well of Scotland we set off up beside the Water of Deugh on a good track which runs round the side of the hills name Willieanna and Dunpol . The Green Well of Scotland at the walk start appears to be the site of a former well This is the site of several legends; one is that a pot of gold was stolen from Lagwyne Castle on the outskirts of Carsphairn and the thief threw it into the well, and another is that a man who had collected gold dust from the Gold Wells of Cairnsmore and converted it into coins, threw the coins into the well when officers of the crown came to see him. A gold coin has been found there! Once past the two hills mentioned earlier the good track ended and we headed east parallel to the Polsue Burn until we were able to cross the burn on a relatively new bridge. After this the hard work started and we had a relentless climb to reach the large summit cairn where the weather was very misty, windy, cold and wet. After lunch on the lee of the hill out of the wind we decided to miss the southeast top called Beninner and we cut downward keeping our high as high as possible into the corrie between the hills called Black Shoulder and Beninner over some very rough ground. During this period the weather window cleared for a short time and we were able to see some hill views including the Merrick, Shalloch on Minnoch and Corserine. We eventually found a farmers quad bike trail and we used this for part of the descent until we were down past Qantans hill and then followed a farm track down to Knockgrey farm then on to the B729 and then into the village of Carsphairn. The ruin of Lagwyne Mansion is just outside the village. This was the childhood home (for a short time) of John Loudon McAdam (the man who invented "macadamisation", a process that made roads more hardwearing and smoother to travel on). He was born in Ayr but moved to Carsphairn shortly thereafter. Unfortunately the house caught fire when he was 6 years old and he was nearly killed. There is a memorial to him in the Carsphairn church. Carsphairn is situated about 10 miles north of Dalry on the A 713 on the Ayr road. The name means Alder meadow and the present population is about 115. It is one of the more isolated villages in the area. On a farm not very far south from the village of Carsphairn a hoard of 2222 ancient coins of were found in 1913, a few of which can be seen in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. There were Scottish pennies from the times of Alexander III, John Balliol and Robert Bruce, as well as English coins from the reigns of Edwards I and II, some Irish and some foreign. It is thought that they were buried in the early 14th century.

The alternate walk started at Drumjohn which is a few miles before Carsphairn on the way from Ayr. Close to the start of this walk you pass by the unmanned power station of Drumjohn which is part of a major hydro electric scheme for this area which started construction around 1930 and was finally completed in the 1980’s. The water for this scheme is taken in part from Loch Doon and passes through six power generating stations until the water eventually reaches the Solway Firth at Kirkcudbright via the River Dee.  The walk continued on through the forest pathways past the ruins of the farmstead Craigencolon which is close to Loch Doon and then on to the hamlet of Lamloch. Close by to this village is a memorial at Brochloch which commemorates the death of 11 American airmen who died there in a plane crash in 1951. The walk then progressed over forest and open ground to the abandoned village and lead mine close to the location of Garryhorn Rig (335metres). Woodhead mine was worked between 1838 and 1873 by the local landowner Colonel Macadam Cathcart. The mine was developed complete with smelt mill with two veins called the woodhead vein and the Garryhorn vein. The miners were mainly from the Wanlockhead and Leadhills and the village that was built for the miners had a school and a library. In1851 it was established by national census that there were 301 people in the village. In the early days up to 1851 the mine was extremely productive with lead tonnage up to 905 tonnes being produced annually. From then onward the tonnage decreased until the mine was closed and abandoned in 1873. The smelt mill chimneys and the ruins of the mining community village are still visible. The walk continued on past Garryhorn farm then on to the Green well of Scotland. The walkers noted marshland carpets of tormentil, bog asphodel, bugle, harebells common orchid meadowsweet and rose bat willow herbs along with wheatear’s pipit’s and swallows during today’s walk.
After all the walking parties were picked up by the coach we travelled back to the village of Hollybush which is located about 6 miles from Ayr on the A713. The social hour was enjoyed in the local hostelry in the village.