Walking the Galloway Hills

The 33 circular day walks and 7 longer expeditions in this guidebook cover rocky, heathery wilderness in southwest Scotland. Ranging up to 840m, these are significant hills, including Merrick, Corserine, Millfore and the Rhinns of Kells. Longer routes include a 5-day tour and a brief description of the Southern Uplands Way.

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Walk 20: Tops of Craigeazle from Backhill of Bush

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Distance: A 7 mile (11km) walk which starts easy but gets harder.
Start: At Backhill of Bush Bothy - 481843.
Parking: For overnight parking use the Craigencallie car park.

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If the cloud is hanging low over the Dungeon Hills and the Rhinns of Kells, or if sloppy snow makes it inadvisable to head for the highest hills, then you might be inclined to set your sights lower when looking for a walk from the Backhill of Bush Bothy. By using forest roads, it’s possible to walk most of the way round the lower slopes of Craigeazle. A difficult walk leads over the Tops of Craigeazle and makes a circuit which ends back at the bothy. Although the crest of the hill is fairly low, it is also very rugged, but at least you’d be enjoying some sort of walk instead of festering all day at the bothy.

The Route
Leave the Backhill of Bush Bothy, turning left along the nearby forest road. This has a couple of bends where it crosses Downies Burn, then it runs almost due south for some time. There are a couple of short rides leading off to the right, so that you can see the exceptionally rugged flanks of the Dungeon Hills - you might like to bear these access points in mind for future reference. The forest road swings round to the left at the Rig of Crow Nest and settles down to run south-eastwards. Immediately after crossing Curnelloch Burn there’s another forest road turning off to the left. Follow this road uphill at a gentle gradient. As you climb, you’ll sometimes be aware of running water off to the left in the trees. This is Curnelloch Burn again, but don’t go down to its banks until you have a clear view of it at a point where there’s a gap in the trees - just before the forest road crosses Green Burn.

Turn off to the left and cross Curnelloch Burn. A very vague path leads up a forest ride and emerges onto the Rig of Wellees. This is a tough moorland crest which features tussocky grass, heather, patches of bog and rock. It all adds up to a hard walk across Craigeazle to reach the Tops of Craigeazle at 489m. There’s no path or natural line, so you choose a route which suits you best. Head roughly westwards from the Tops of Craigeazle, then bear to the right along the top edge of the forest. You’re looking for a gap in the trees which is used by deer and goats, which leads to a junction of forest rides. Take the ride which runs steeply downhill, avoiding all others to the left and right. It’s heavy going at first, but the gradient and conditions underfoot get easier. Beware of areas where bog myrtle grows, as there are old lopped-off branches hidden in the grass which could trip you. Also watch out for a couple of nasty ditches which need to be crossed before you finally land on the forest road. After that difficult descent, it’s simply a matter of turning right and walking back along the forest road to the Backhill of Bush Bothy.