Moffat walk was a huge success for church group
The Cambuslang Parish Church Walkers’ most recent trip took them to Moffat for a walk around the town.
The low level walkers started on Well Street from where they walked uphill through a tree lined path to Gallowhill Wood just below the summit of Gallowhill.
The weather was ideal, beautiful sunshine but not too hot. On the way they met a fisherman who was also an employee of The Forestry Commission who was able to provide the group with some fantastic information.
After Gallowhill and morning tea the group returned to the foot of the tree lined path near the beginning of the walk. From here, the path to Heatheryhaugh was the start of the circular walk back to Moffat.
This took the group through the beautiful, peaceful countryside that had been seen from above on Gallowhill.
Following lunch the route took them over some fields and up the last hill,the sun still smiling down on them through a gap in the stone dyke.
Engraved on the bolder which marked the gap was ‘Jenny’s View’ and what a view it was. Jenny, was obviously a woman who appreciated the finer, although perhaps the more simple, natural, things of life. The vista before the group was like a painting of fields of different hues of green turning to yellow and brown.
The high level group journeyed on from Moffat to the Grey Mare’s Tail car park for the more difficult challenge of the day.
Before you have had any time to warm up the steep path is before you. After about an hour the path reaches the shore of Loch Skeen from where the group crossed the river and started another climb up a grassy slope towards Firthybrig Head.
On reaching the penultimate summit of Firthybrig Head, the party had a choice of walking across some rough ground to the final hill or climbing another 200 feet to the top of Firthybrig Head, then following the ridge for some way before descending down to the base of the final hill, Lochcraig Head.
Having already climbed over 2,000 feet the group decided to take the rough ground. Fortunately there were no mishaps and the group sat in the warm autumn sunshine on a low wall to enjoy their lunch before the final climb.
Lochcraig Head was yet another steep, grassy slope however, the view from the top made all the hard work worth it. From this point there was a steep descent down to the level of the loch where of the ground was very boggy in places.
There was a path of sorts along the edge of the loch and soon the group were heading back down the rocky path past the Grey Mare’s Tail to the car park.
This had been a difficult walk and had taken longer than planned however, everyone agreed that it had been a most enjoyable walk.
For more information about the Walking Group, including full details of the programme of walks visit the Cambuslang Parish Church website at www. cambuslangparishchurch. org. uk/ look under Organisations, then select Walking Group.
Jenny was obviously a women who appreciated the finer, although perhaps the more simple, natural, things of life