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WALK 4

Minnigaff Hills

Start/Finish	Auchenleck Bridge, 6km northeast of Newton Stewart (NX 447 705)
Distance	21km (13 miles)
Ascent	1300m (4300ft)
Approx time	8hrs
Terrain	Forest roads, grassy hill ridges; pathless slopes of grass and short heather; rough forest ride near walk start, and fairly rough descent from Curleywee
Max altitude	Lamachan Hill, 717m
Maps	Landranger 77 (Dalmellington); Explorer 319 (Galloway S); Harveys Galloway Hills (omits tracks at start and end)
Parking	Roadside pull-in at forest road end beside Auchenleck bridge

The Minnigaff Hills may be small, but they’re as shaggy and wild as the mountain goats that roam over them. The approach from the south makes sure the northward view of the Merrick and its surrounding lochs socks you in the eye as you reach the ridgeline. And it gives a natural horseshoe to compare and contrast all four Minnigaff summits.

Larg is gently grassy – it’ll mislead you into thinking the walk ahead will be an easy one. Lamachan, too, is grassy, but leads into a knobbly ridgeline, excitingly bypassed by a path across the top of the northern slope. That path is narrow and slightly rocky, and was made in the first place by goats.

Curleywee is just as nice as its name. Thread up among scree and small crags to the grassy hollow at its top. This is southwest Scotland, so you’ll have that top to yourself. The route threads down among more small crags onto a moorland of orange grasses and a dozen sky-coloured lochans. For your fourth hill, massive, sprawling Millfore is heathery to start with, past the peaty little Black Loch. It’s grassy above, past the high-cupped White Lochan; and the descent over Drigmorn offers the third hilltop lochan, frillingly named as Fuffock.

Take the forest road running northwest. After 1km it runs alongside Penkiln Burn. In another 2km the ground up left has newly planted trees, and views open ahead to show Larg Hill. The track crosses a first small concrete bridge, and in 500 metres more it crosses a second one and is about to re-enter trees.

Turn up left, alongside the tree edge and Benroach Burn. After 300 metres the right-hand (north) bank is obstructed by windblown trees. Cross to the awkward rough ground on the left side of the stream. Just above, a clear gap continues uphill, east. (The gap separates young trees on the right from newly planted trees on the left.)

The ride arrives at the wall at the plantation top, south of Sheuchanower. Turn north, with the wall on your right, across Sheuchanower’s slight rise, then up the grassy slope towards Larg Hill. Here, at the natural treeline, scrubby dwarf pine has been left to itself on the slope to your right. At a wall junction, keep ahead to the summit cairn on Larg Hill.

Head northeast, to the left of another wall, down to Nick of the Brushy. The col is a small meltwater channel, from when ice filled the Loch Trool valley on your left. That same glacier has dumped granite boulders along the ridge. A small path leads up Lamachan Hill. The summit is marked by a gateway gap in a falling stone wall.

Larg Hill from the slopes of Lamachan (granite erratic boulder in the foreground)

Head roughly northeast across the plateau, following occasional old iron fence posts, to Bennanbrack. Now descend southeast on a lumpy ridge. Look out for the small goat path just down on the left; it takes an exciting line just below the ridge crest.

After Nick of Corners Gate, the goat path contours across the north side of a hump called Milldown to arrive in Nick of Curleywee. Go through a wall gap and head up the steep face of Curleywee.

Curleywee on the approach from Nick of Curleywee

Descend Curleywee with care. Head southeast across a slight col, over the spur top of Gaharn, and gently down for another 50 metres or so. Now turn down right to descend slightly west of south, weaving between rocky bits of ground, onto a flat moorland. Cross this towards Bennan Hill to find a falling stone wall. Turn left down this, with a path. Keep downhill through a fence gate to Loup of Laggan pass.

Cross the path that passes through the pass and head up the lumpy moorland ridge opposite, keeping to the highest line. Pass Black Loch (small, among heather) and then White Lochan (larger, among grass). Now find a faint quad-bike track along the grassy ridgeline. There’s a slight dip, then a grassy rise to the summit ridge of Millfore. Turn left to the Millfore summit trig.

Return along the summit ridge, past Millfore’s southwest top. A quad-bike track runs down past the lochan called Fuffock on Drigmorn Hill.

Fuffock: one of the flat tassels in the dimples of an old mattress? A person who, at any stop, takes every single item out of their rucksack?

Continue briefly down southwest until the ridgeline steepens. Now turn left off the quad-bike trail to descend south, following the highest ground midway between Pulnee and Green Burns.

As the slope eases, with luck another quad-bike path will be found, which leads into fields. If it arrives at a fence gate, move left for 100 metres to a wall gateway near a little black shed. Pass through a second gateway, where a track runs ahead to an abandoned cottage, Drigmorn. On old Landranger maps this name, Drigmorn, is 500 metres too far north.

Behind the house the track fords Green Burn. Turn right on the forest road beyond. It runs downvalley past Auchenleck to the walk start.