New gates and bridges across watercourses have been installed along the route of Core Path 181 which goes from Kirkandrews to Carrick. This now allows access along the shore westwards from Kirkandrews without having to detour up onto the road near the Coo Palace.
The route passes the Iron Age fort at Castle Haven then goes around Castle Haven Bay before following a rocky course along the shoreline to meet the track that comes down from the road towards the Bathing House at Barlocco Beach.
Please take care when walking along this route as it has not been navigable for many years. Even though there are now new gates to navigate walls and fences, it will take some time before a footpath route between the gates is established. The section around the north-west side of Castle Haven Bay is quite boggy but can be circumvented by staying in the landward field and following the track that leads down to the shore, as shown in the image above. The fields along the route are home to a variety of different types of cattle so be very careful when crossing the fields and keep dogs under close control.
I was hoping to lead our walking group from Kirkandrew to Carrick and back along core path 181 in the near future. After inspecting the start I was confused by the sight of two signposts (about 5 yards apart) at the start at Kirkandrew. A series of way-marks goes South towards Barnheugh and its intention is clear However, the signpost marked “core path 181 “in Kirkandrew points in almost exactly the same direction .
According to the OS map Landranger 83 to get to Carrick we should go down the steep slope and cross over by a bridge. A bridge can be seen from the signpost. Is it possible for you to confirm the correct path? At the moment we are going to stumble into somebodies garden!
Hi Douglas. Thanks for your query. I can confirm that Core Path 181 does go from Kirkandrews Kirk down to the footbridge across the Pulwhirrin Burn. It looks confusing just now because Dumfries & Galloway Council are in the process of re-routing the path so that it does not go through the middle of the garden of the house (Knockkennoch) next to the bridge. These works are due to start this week but I don’t know how long it is expected to take. In the meantime, you can carefully negotiate the slope down to the river bank and so to the footbridge. Regards, John Shields
Hi John
Thank you for your very useful information. I was Much and all as I would like to do this walk I might try starting/ending at the “Coo Palace” and not disturbing the garden works. I have been informed that there is a signpost at the Carrick end . If so, could you send me its national grid co-ordinates? This would help considerably.
Douglas
Hi Doug,
The start of the path is signposted for Core Path 181 at OS location NX 580 498. The Kirkandrews end of the path is still easily accessible.
Regards, John Shields