{"id":15707,"date":"2022-04-09T13:03:40","date_gmt":"2022-04-09T11:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/?p=20255"},"modified":"2022-04-14T10:15:42","modified_gmt":"2022-04-14T08:15:42","slug":"walk-grey-mares-tail-dumfries-and-galloway","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/walk-grey-mares-tail-dumfries-and-galloway\/","title":{"rendered":"Walk: Grey Mare\u2019s Tail, Dumfries and Galloway"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Donald Grieg\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 09 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

The Grey Mare\u2019s Tail Nature Reserve<\/a> lies on the eastern edge of Dumfries and Galloway, near the boundary with the Scottish Borders. Nearby Moffat<\/a>, 10 miles to the west, was the first \u2018Walkers are Welcome<\/a>\u2019 town in Scotland and makes the perfect base for year-round exploration of the peaks and valleys of the Southern Uplands.<\/p>\n

This easy-to-follow path from the car park 200m up the side of the Grey Mare\u2019s Tail waterfall to Loch Skeen at 500m is an excellent introduction to the Moffat Hills, especially in the colder months when the chances are you might have it all to yourself.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s full of geological, wildlife and archaeological interest and delivers superb views. Check the forecast before setting out and take care on the path \u2013 it\u2019s narrow in parts and the drops are precipitous. Sheep and feral goats graze the hillsides so dogs are best kept on leads.<\/p>\n

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The Outflow from Loch Skeen on Tail Burn above The Grey Mare\u2019s Tail\/Credit: Alamy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Grey Mare\u2019s Tail walk<\/h2>\n

2.7 miles | 2 hours | moderate<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Frozen falls<\/strong><\/p>\n

Park at the Grey Mare\u2019s Tail car park, where there is a small information trailer run by the National Trust for Scotland. Leave the parking area on the west side of Tail Burn, sticking to the main path for 50 metres to reach a wooden footbridge. On the eastern bank of the river, a viewpoint \u2013 built within the walls of an old sheepfold \u2013offers you a glimpse of the upper falls, as well as information about the surrounding Moffat Hills.<\/p>\n

The falls are iconic, especially for the ice climbers who come to scale them when the cascades freeze (the last time, in 2010, temperatures reached -22\u00b0C). To have a go yourself you need Mountain\u00a0Instructor accreditation, but the hillside path makes a good vantage point for watching the\u00a0climber\u2019s daring deeds.<\/p>\n

The view also inspired Sir Walter Scott to pen these lines:<\/p>\n

Where deep deep down\nand far within<\/i><\/p>\n

Toils with the rocks\nthe roaring linn<\/i><\/p>\n

Then issuing forth\none foamy wave<\/i><\/p>\n

And wheeling round\nthe giant\u2019s grave<\/i><\/p>\n

White as the snowy charger\u2019s tail<\/i><\/p>\n

Drives down the pass\nof Moffatdale.<\/i><\/p>\n

Behind the viewing area lies\u00a0a prehistoric bank popularly known as the Giant\u2019s Grave. Constructed around 2,000 years ago, it may once have served as a defence or a site for rituals. Climb the steps\u00a0next to the viewing area and follow the path as it ascends beyond the top of the waterfall.<\/p>\n

This is a great place to spot peregrine falcons swooping through the valley. A herd of wild mountain goats roams the hills, and can often be smelt before they are seen.<\/p>\n

After about half a mile and 25 minutes of climbing, the gradient relents, and you reach a series of pools and waterfalls.<\/p>\n

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A walker takes in the fascinating frozen landscape of Grey\u2019s Mare Tail waterfall in winter\/Credit: Alamy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

2. Tail Burn<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once the path rounds the hillside it enters the wide hanging valley of Tail Burn. Follow a good path along the right side of the burn. On your left is the rounded top of White Coomb and in front the rounded ridge of Mid Craig. To its right is the near-vertical wall of Lochcraig Head.<\/p>\n

3. Loch stop<\/strong><\/p>\n

After \u00bd mile, you reach the shore of hidden Loch Skene, whose dark waters are encircled by almost sheer cliffs. The loch contains a thriving population of vendace, Britain\u2019s rarest freshwater fish, which has all but died out in UK waters.<\/p>\n

Beyond this point, the landscape is largely pathless and much wilder. If you\u2019re carrying on into the hills you should have a map, compass, waterproofs and solid boots. Otherwise, the loch makes for a perfect picnic spot, with the added relief of a downhill return.<\/p>\n

4. New\u00a0<\/strong>perspective\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Once back across the river at the base of the gorge, a detour \u2013\u00a0less than one-mile return \u2013 veers off to the right. Flat at the first, the trail soon rises on well-graded steps to reach a barrier. Do not proceed beyond this as the slopes beyond are covered in scree and prone to collapsed. Return to the car park the way you came.<\/p>\n

Grey Mare\u2019s Tail map<\/h2>\n

Grey Mare\u2019s Tail walking route and map<\/a><\/p>\n

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By Donald Grieg Published: Saturday, 09 April 2022 at 12:00 am The Grey Mare\u2019s Tail Nature Reserve lies on the eastern edge of Dumfries and Galloway, near the boundary with the Scottish Borders. Nearby Moffat, 10 miles to the west, was the first \u2018Walkers are Welcome\u2019 town in Scotland and makes the perfect base for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":15708,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/04\/walk-grey-mares-tail-dumfries-and-galloway-scaled.jpg",2560,1704,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/04\/walk-grey-mares-tail-dumfries-and-galloway-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/04\/walk-grey-mares-tail-dumfries-and-galloway-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/04\/walk-grey-mares-tail-dumfries-and-galloway-768x511.jpg",768,511,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/04\/walk-grey-mares-tail-dumfries-and-galloway-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/04\/walk-grey-mares-tail-dumfries-and-galloway-1536x1022.jpg",1536,1022,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/04\/walk-grey-mares-tail-dumfries-and-galloway-2048x1363.jpg",2048,1363,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Donald Grieg Published: Saturday, 09 April 2022 at 12:00 am The Grey Mare\u2019s Tail Nature Reserve lies on the eastern edge of Dumfries and Galloway, near the boundary with the Scottish Borders. Nearby Moffat, 10 miles to the west, was the first \u2018Walkers are Welcome\u2019 town in Scotland and makes the perfect base for…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/15707"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}