Circular - Gatehouse of Fleet to Sandgreen and Cream of Galloway
Start: Centre of Gatehouse DG7 2HS
Distance: 10 miles
Duration: 1.5-2.5 hours
This is a wonderful ride through beautiful deciduous, bluebell woods on an off-road route to Sandgreen and/or Carrick beaches and the Cream o’ Galloway. The surface is fairly smooth so it is suitable for touring, mountain, gravel and/or trail bikes, but not road bikes. It’s a fairly flat route with a nice downhill to the beach and uphill from it taking in a possible cheese and/or icecream from the Ethical Dairy.
Miles Route
0.0 Cycle up the High Street.
0.3 At clocktower turn right into Ann Street.
0.4 Fork right into Cally Woods and proceed through wooden gates to top of track.
0.7 At junction with Cally Avenue turn right. Follow this past the Cally Hotel, down under the bridge and past Laundry Cottage. All this woodland area is part of the Designed landscape of Cally.
1.7 Keep to the road passing Cally Mains Farm.
2.2 You pass Cally Mains Farm on your left with the farmhouse on your right. Continue straight ahead at every junction. Go through the gate and continue downhill to the caravan park. The avenue of mature trees once took carriages from Cally house to the beach.
3.7 Go straight ahead through Sandgreen caravan park to the beach (for a rest) or turn left along the site roadway past the reception and out along a small road towards Carrick.
4.5 The road turns at a right angle to the left. You could detour here to the right along a track to Carrick Shore and beach and then return to this point. Otherwise keep to the road and continue up the hill.
5.7 Optionally turn right to follow the side road to Cream o’ Galloway - which adds 0.5 miles there and 0.5 miles back to this point. If not going to Cream o’ Galloway continue straight ahead, and continue through Girthon. You could enjoy the tranquility of the old Girthon Kirk and cemetery on your right.
6.9 At the National Cycle Route 7 sign post, turn left along a cycle track into Cally Woods
7.2 Turn left along the track (you could take a short diversion right to the Temple, an 18th century folly close by) and return again.
7.3 At the T-junction turn right following National Cycle Route 7 along the track through the beautiful Cally Woods.
8.1 Turn right onto the small road you were on earlier, following the same route back past Cally hotel and along Cally Avenue.
9.1 Turn left along the track following NCN 7 route to High Street, and back to the start.
Places of Interest
Cally Hotel. Built in 1765 for James Murray of Broughton, this imposing mansion in its designed landscape was sold to the Forestry Commission in 1933, when it became a hotel.
The Designed Landscape of Cally contains many interesting features including Cally Gardens, the Temple, the Old School and a unique sunken dyke.
Cream o’ Galloway. Cream o’ Galloway has much to offer the visitor including walks, café, ice cream and cheese making.
Girthon Kirk was the local parish church until a new church was built in Gatehouse in 1817.
Cally Gardens occupies what was the walled garden of the former Cally House (now Cally Hotel). Cally Gardens and Specialist Plant Centre is a treasure trove of exotic and rare hardy plants gathered from around the globe.
Click below to download a pdf sheet for the route.
