Hills of Durisdeer
NS894037 Head to 1 right of the church onto the track signed Wald Path. In 200m a gate on the left is signed for Black Hill. Slant down to a footbridge and up a quad bike path onto the foot of the grassy ridgeline. Follow it up to the trig point on Black Hill.
NS894058 Bear 2 right to the slight rise over Greentrough Head, then downhill to join a fence arriving from the left. At Glenbo Hass (the Black Hill/Penbane col) bear right up the spur of Penbane. Its small cairn has a big view. Descend north-east to the Penbane/Turn Hill col (442m). Continue north up Turn Hill, stepping over the fence to a faint quad bike path. This leads along Turn Hill’s level summit, then descending right rejoins the fence. Follow the fence, now with a broken wall as well, up onto Well Hill.
NS913064 Turn right 3 through the summit gate, and descend steeply to left of a fence and wall – the wall has pink felsite rocks in it. The slope foot is the track through the Well Pass. Turn right towards Durisdeer, through a small metal gate between stone gateposts. In 50m a signpost indicates two possible shortcut routes back to Durisdeer, the good track of the former coach road on the left side of the valley, the invisible line of the former Roman road on the right.
4 NS915059 Assuming you’re not shortcutting back to Durisdeer, turn left near the signpost up the steep slope of Durisdeer Hill. A useful quad-bike path winds away from the wall, south-west, on a slight spurline which reduces the steepness while increasing the views down to Nithsdale. At the 500m contour turn directly uphill, south-east, to rejoin the wall along the top of Durisdeer Hill.
NS914051 Follow 5 the wall through the sharp dip of Kirkgrain Hass, to join a track ahead (back down right this is another return route to Durisdeer). The track follows the wall, and ends where the wall bends back left. Follow the wall over Little Scaw’d Law then along the top of Scaw’d Law (two summits, both 663m, with a slight dip between).
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NS922034 As the wall bears left, keep ahead, south, down to cross a small track. Keep ahead on smooth grass, to join a branch track as it passes through a fence gate. Stay on this wide track down south-east for 500m, then fork right on a smaller track. At the high point of this, bear off right to the small quartz-containing cairn of Glenleith Fell.
NS922023 Descend 7 east of south to rejoin the track. This is grassy as it winds down the south-west flank. It slants down left across the steep lower slope of the hill, with Kettleton house seen below.
Shortcut down rough slopes to the house if you like, or follow the track all the way down to the slope foot. There it bends right, past side tracks on the left, to pass the shuttered-up house. The track continues north, passing Kettleton Byre (bothy) in a narrow pass. The track descends in the narrow Glenaggart, then runs through fields to meet the lane below Durisdeer.