FESTIVAL 2004 - Top That!
Conditions couldn't have been better for outdoor enthusiasts during the second annual Newton Stewart Walking Festival.

Too early for midges, clegs, bracken and grasses and too late for snow and ice, mid-May is a perfect time to take to the hills - if the weather keeps fine.

Historically May is Galloway's sunniest month - and the province didn't disappoint as an international band of walkers saw Galloway's countryside at its best as they tramped through woodland, across moorland and over mountains.

Warm spring sunshine tanned faces whilst a mild sea breeze tempered the heat enough to make it comfortable. Walkers from Ayrshire, Dumfriesshire, Northern England and Northern Ireland joined up with local Gallovidians to walk Galloway's highways and byways, or on no path at all when rough hiking was required.

Pride of place went to Bella Marshall from Stranraer - 79 and still as fit as a fiddle!

On the Saturday, members of the mountain rescue team led eighteen walkers to the summit of the Merrick the highest Corbett in Southern Scotland at 843 metres.

The ascent up the Gairland Burn path via lochs Valley, Neldricken and Enoch, proved to be a great success with the 18 walkers who were brave enough to take on the challenge, The descent was via Benyellary and Culsharg.

At the same time, a party of 25 led by local hill walker and Gazette journalist Stephen Norris, undertook the climb up the valley of the Gairland Burn, up and along the Rig of the Jarkness and then onto Craiglee, with extensive views of The Merrick, into the Silver Flow and across to Curleywee and Mulldonoch.

Galloway Mountain Rescue Team members brought up the rear of what at times became a very extended line over a testing wee route. Descent was made over the Trostran Burn and back via the Southern Upland Way. Both these walks started from Bruce's Stone car park in Glen Trool. Also on Saturday, Dr Peter Hopkins led a party through the ancient semi-natural woodland of Knockman Wood, visiting medieval settlements and prehistoric burial carins en route. Several peaople elected to do the town walk with Jim McLay, whilst Andrew Shankland conducted walkers on both days around the former lead mines at Blackcraig, visiting also the abandoned village and Bruntis Loch.

On the Sunday, there was the ever-popular walk around Loch Trool organised by Jim Hamilton and Dan Cadle, with various loops which allowed participants to choose the length of their route between five and eleven miles. Walks around the RSPB reserve at Wood of Cree with Paul Collin, the Bagbie Farm Walk at Carsluith with Joan Mitchell and a visit to Britain's Largest local reserve of Wigtown Bay completed this years programme.

Friday evening's presentation at the Crown Hotel opened the weekend's entertainment, whilst on the Saturday evening the visitor centre at Kirroughtree stayed open until 9pm with complimentary refreshments on offer to walkers reliving the day's events and comparing notes about the various walks.

Local organisers were delighted with the event, confident that this year's festival injury and accident free and enjoyed immensely by everyone, will provide for an even bigger event next year, when it is hoped to offer a bigger range of walks to suit anybody and everybody.

"This year's walking festival was blessed with truly glorious weather" said Tony Brotherton from Newton Stewart. "There's no doubt the sunshine convinced more people to join the ranks of those who had pre-booked - about 120 people enjoyed the variety of walks on offer. I'm delighted". Galloway Mountain Rescue Team anchored the entire weekend, and were pleased to report aching limbs and blisters were about as serious as things got.

Team member and Festival Committee member Ken McCubbin, said:
"We're delighted to have been associated with the festival. It's encouraging to see so many people taking part in this year's event. We felt that by introducing more challenging routes to the event we might attract more walkers. Our expectations have been realised, and the team are pleased to have been able to play a fairly major part in the programme".

Team Leader David Tyson was equally enthusiastic:
"As part of our commitment to Community Events and in an effort to raise our profile in the wider community, the walking festival was an ideal opportunity to engage with the walking fraternity. In that vein, we would like to thank the many walkers on the day who donated to our funds - obviously we hadn't tortured them too badly!".

Anyone interested in hill walking in general or wishing to find out more about the activities of Galloway MRT and how they can meet and support the team can contact them at http://www.gallowaymrt.org.uk