Day One: Mull of Galloway to New England Bay

The first day on the route was way tougher than I expected. That’s a pretty normal reaction to a first day on a long hike, especially with a route known by maps but not experience.

The first stage was to explore the area

around the lighthouse, which is also an RSPB sanctuary. There are very dramatic cliffs with nesting birds, and even a family of foxes who moved in a few years ago. They brave the precarious scree slopes around the cliffs to raid the nests for eggs and young.

Down a steep staircase on the south side of the peninsula is the lighthouse’s foghorn; a massive piece of kit with a warning light to not approach when it is sounding. The equipment for the foghorn include two large tanks for the compressed air used to sound the foghorn, and the trumpet (?) of the horn is mounted on a circular track so it can be pointed in almost any direction away from the land.

The major paths around the bird sanctuary are broad and well-maintained. The Mull of Galloway trail is not one of these. I guess it’s not as famous as something like the West Highland Way or the nearby Southern Upland Way. The path is there, and there is decent signage, but the path is mostly a foot-wide trampling of foliage to start with, and care must be taken to keep your footing. This becomes increasingly important on the large stretches of path that run above steep slopes and cliffs. For those (like me) who find such situations difficult, there are often styles giving opportunities to move inland of the fences around fields.

On leaving the promontory of the Mull of Galloway, the path descends steeply to the bay of East Tarbet, where I had a lovely chat with four visitors to the area, who generously donated £40 to the charities we’re raising funds for. If you’d like to donate directly, you can do so here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DavidGardiner13

After climbing out of East Tarbet, the path continued along cliff tops and then turned back inshore into fields, where I was astonished by a hare (who was equally astonished by me). I’ve never really seen a hare so close before, and always been unsure how I could tell the difference between a hare and a rabbit; now I know better! This hare leapt from the undergrowth barely 15 feet from me, and sped away in a series of bounds where it seemed to spend more time floating through the air with all four of its very long legs hanging below it, before briefly touching the ground again to begin another leap. Big, lean, and with very long ears, it reminded me far more of a very small deer than a large rabbit.

There’s a generous number of picnic spots and interpretation boards along the way. Hopefully more people will begin using the Way, and the paths will improve to match the facilities.

I was very tired and sore when I finally reached New England Bay. It’s mostly a caravan site, with just five tent pitches, and the soil is very shallow with densely packed stones. Wonderfully friendly staff, though, and great facilities.

With the tent pitched, I put the kettle on to heat a very tasty dinner of Almond Jalfrezi from the lovely people at TentMeals. Fresh tasting ingredients and a good portion, and that meal plus a mug of rose tea left me feeling a whole lot more human. Now I have to do some washing up, which I’m putting off by writing this blog entry. Well, as Sam Gamgee’s dad always says, it’s the job you never start that takes longest to finish! I’d better get to it.