Muirkirk to Wanlockhead Drove Road Show path on map
Start location: Muirkirk ( NS 695 270 )
End location: Wanlockhead ( NS 873 128 )
Geographical area: Arran and Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway
Path type: Drove Road
Path distance: 32km
Accessibility info: Suitable for pedestrians
Route Description
This old drove road goes south from Muirkirk past Kames and up the Garpel Water, crossing it by the bridge at NS698245, to the col (410m) between Wardlaw Hill and Stony Hill. Continuing southeast then east, the grassy path (boggy in places) enters the forest at NS722206. Follow a boggy path through the forestry to meet a forest track at NS727204. Go left, and then follow the signed forest road to Fingland, where there is a choice to either head southwards to Sanquhar (28km in total) or to continue to Wanlockhead.
If the latter, from Fingland pass Blackgannoch and the line of the old drove road goes east rising up the slopes on the south side of Spango Water. After 1.5km, at NS769172, leave the rough track to follow the grassy path heading for a gate (NS776171) in the drystane dyke to the east. Follow the path and gain the track on the north side of Shiel Hill at a height of almost 430m. Continue along the south side of Lamb Knowe, passing three substantial cairns with information boards about the geology of the area, and descend to Spango Bridge on the B740 between Sanquhar and Crawfordjohn.
Follow the road northeast of Spango Bridge for 400m, then go southeast towards Clackleith. Historically, the route followed the Wanlock Water to Duntercleuch, but a longer alternative (perhaps preferable to those on bikes) is the track which can be followed through the forest round the west and south of Duntercleuch Rig (joining the Southern Upland Way at NS831157) to descend to Duntercleuch. Thence continue up the Wanlock Water to Wanlockhead.
OS Landranger 71 (Lanark & Upper Nithsdale area)
Heritage Information
This old drove road and cart-track was a boon to communication in its day. Heading south from Muirkirk, droves could get all the way to Sanquhar (leaving this route at Fingland) or going by Blackgannoch and Spango could reach Wanlockhead. Hailed as a great new road in the Old Statistical Account (1793), the improved stretch from Muirkirk to Sanquhar formed part of a longer route linking Glasgow with Dumfries.
Earlier, in the seventeenth century, this old route is said to have proved valuable to the Covenanters. Two of James Renwick's safe houses, Auchtitench and Friarminnan, lie relatively close by and it was at Blackgannoch that 200 radical Covenanters met then afterwards made the Sanquhar Protestation of 28th May 1685.
Looking at place-name evidence, Drove Haas is marked on the current OS Explorer map, southwest of Lamb Knowe and just south of the former drove road. The drove road here uses a relatively short and narrow pass between Straw Mote (Lamb Knowe) and Drove Haas, this is labelled Deil's Barn Door. This particularly characterful place-name also occurs at NS871094 on another right of way approaching Wanlockhead. This latter location's Deil's Barn Door is said to be described in the mid-19th century OS Name Book as "a small hollow...very much exposed to the high winds, which makes it very dangerous for travellers, more especially when snow is drifting"; it seems possible that a similar difficulty on this old route may have led to its so naming too.
