Time To Reset – A Quiet Week in Southern Scotland

The last few weeks have felt pretty hectic. I’ve been from one end of the country to the other and here, there and everywhere in between, somehow racking up over 1000 miles in the process.

My parents take a trip to Scotland with my Grandad pretty regularly and as there was a spare room in the airbnb, I decided I’d tag along. Before I left I had some grand plans of heading further North for a few days and tackling some mountains, but once I got there, I realised just how much I needed to stop and let both my mind and body rest.

Location:

My family have been going to stay in the same area in Dumfries and Galloway for the last few years, in spring and autumn. Their last couple of trips, they’ve stayed in a cottage in the small village of Rockcliffe, just over the Scottish border, overlooking the Urr Estuary. On a clear day, you can see all the way across to cumbria. It’s such a beautiful location, with walks from the door, a sunset view and complete tranquility.

Walks:

We are spoilt with the amounts of paths and trails surrounding the cottage, but there is also a lot to explore just a short drive away. I was very lucky to be able to spend some quality time with both my mum and dad over the trip, something I’ve not had the chance to do in rather a long time.

Rockliffe to Kipford Loop: 5.5km 1 hour: We walked through the edge of the forest and then back along the coast. It was the only day we had any rain, but it was still a lovely walk and fairly flat.

Coast Path, Sandyhills to Rockcliffe: 7.2km, 2 hours: The four of us drove into Sandyhills and went for a short walk on the beach. From here, my dad drove my grandad home and I mum and I walked the coast path back. There were a few steep climbs, but the views were well worth it! There were some lovely looking dipping spots along the way, but the tide was a long way out, so I’ll save those for next time!

Mark Hill: 5.5km, 1 hour: Setting off early, we wanted to try and do this for sunrise. Unfortunately, the route we wanted to take was blocked by fallen trees from a previous storm, so we had to take a bit of a detour and it took longer than expected. Though the sunrise wasn’t spectacular, it was still a beautiful morning and there were lovely views from the top.

Grey Mare’s Tale: This walk didn’t quite work out as planned (due to the guide we were using being over 30 years old). But the walk up to the waterfalls and back down it still beautiful and well worth doing! We were trying to do a loop, but it seemed to path on from the waterfalls has been left to be reclaimed by nature, so after 20 mins or so of fighting the bracken and tripping over hidden branches and roots, we gave in and turned around.

*Times and distances from my watch at the end of each walk

Swim Spots:

Being on the coast, there are plenty of places to go for a dip, but I went on the hunt for some a little more out the way. With a little bit of googling, I found a great list on the wild swimming website with a selection of spots to explore!

– Grey Mare’s Tail Burn: There are several waterfalls and dipping spots all the way along the burn, the start of the trail from the car park is pretty steep, but the waterfall pools are definitely worth it! The one my dad and I dipped in was plenty big enough for a proper swim!

– Clatteringshaws: We stopped off at the visitors center for a coffee and for my grandad to stretch his legs, but the water just seemed too inviting to me so I took my second dip of the day here. There is the most beautiful backdrop and it was such a calming feeling.

There is a small beach in Rockcliffe itself and plenty of little coves all away along the coast path where you can go for a dip. Next time we come I’ll definitely be finding some more spots.

Reading List:

I decided to take this week as an opportunity to switch off from social media for a while, and instead I spent quality time with my family, played games, walked and devoured several books

– Memoirs of a Geisha: I found this book absolutely fascinating and devoured it in just two days. It’s something that’s been on my list for a while, and there was a huge selection of books on the shelf in the cottage, with this being one of them. I watched the film many years ago, but can’t remember a lot about it or how it compares to the book. But I was hooked on learning the ins and outs of this mysterious world.

– Adventure Revolution: The Life Changing Power of Choosing Challenge: I immediate felt a connection with Belinda Kirk, the author of this book and her story really resonated with me. It’s all about the transformational power of adventure and how it’s an essential part of our wellbeing. Belinda has run Explorers Connect, anon-profit organisation, for 13 years, encouraging over 30,000 ordinary people to engage in outdoor challenges. She also hosts Adventure Mind, a ground-breaking conference series that explores the link between adventure and wellbeing (I’ve already booked my ticket for November!).

– Extreme Lakeland: I had been sent this book quite a while ago, but brought it with me as I thought my grandad might find it interesting. Having grown up in Keswick and being a keen climber, he’s climbed many of the routes pictured and had stories about them all. It was fascinating hearing all his memories of his youth and the people he knew and about the time he borrowed a load of camping gear from George Fisher and decided to cycle to Wales at 16! It’s a beautiful book, full of incredible photos of the lake district and stories of the adventurers exploring it in all different ways.

This is an area of Scotland I’ve never explored before and haven’t really heard much about, but it’s a beautiful place with so much to offer and not far away at all from the North of England. It was the perfect location for a break to just switch off and reset.

Happy Adventuring x