WALKING & BIKING ADVENTURES IN GALLOWAY
Galloway has a growing reputation as one the best regions on the planet for biking and walking adventures
Many of us at the distillery were lucky to grow up in Galloway. The opportunities for adventures in our wild hills, vast forests and unspoilt coastlines were unlimited, which is also why we returned to build our distillery here to tap into the beauty and abundance of nature. We've always said Galloway has all of Scotland's best bits in one place, and it's been amazing to see our region continue to become ever more recognised for being one of the best places on the planet for biking and walking and more.
This feature, explores our legendary purpose built 7 Stanes mountain bike trails, an internationally renowned bike event, the 100s of miles of cycling to be had on and off road, our celebrated walking and running events and one of our region’s top hiking routes. From beginners to experts, competitors to spectators, read on to discover why Galloway can be your adventure destination this Spring.
The bike trails are in a league of their own, from gentle family routes to technically challenging single track for the pros. Plus it boasts a bike shop and cafe, play park and lots of great walking trails too. Find out more
What to expect? The event is almost entirely off road on some of the best gravel trails there are, the race begins and ends in the beautiful town of Gatehouse, then through the Galloway Forest Park, truly one of the country’s most beautiful areas. With a festival village including music, food, drinks and other local vendors expected it promises to be a great day out for spectators, and of course if you have the mettle, then get yourself signed up!
How about a cycling holiday in Galloway?
Galloway Cycling offer unique and customized cycling vacation along the West Coast of South Scotland and the Galloway Highlands. Organized accommodation, bag transfer and bike hire. In short these guys are your one stop shop to exploring Galloway by bike. Distilleries, trails, gravel, castles they’ve got it covered. Check out the link below for a list of all the great road and gravel holidays they offer.
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WALKING IN GALLOWAY
Newton Stewart Walking Festival
Often described as Scotland's best kept secret, Galloway is a wonderfully unspoilt landscape with an endless variety of routes for walkers to enjoy. Walkfest offers almost 30 routes over 7 days, with transport and guides included, as well as a programme of evening social events.
This year they are running their 20th Newton Stewart Walking Festival. To celebrate, they are offering two multi-day challenges. Our Ring of Fire challenge is a three day route of strenuous and very strenuous walks while our Southern Upland Way challenge is a 4 day route of moderate and moderate plus walks. Find out more here.
A one page summary of the full programme for the 2024 Newton Stewart Walking Festival can be found here. A paper copy of this one page programme can also be picked up from Stewart R Cunningham Outdoor Centre in Newton Stewart.
Bruce's Crown 24 hour Hill Race
This is the first time this event has been run since 2006 and is being organised by Nicky Spinks, British Hill Runner supported by the Galloway Mountain Rescue Team. The event will start and finish at Caldons, Glentrool, Newton Stewart. Teams of four will navigate their way round the Galloway hills over the southern peaks of Lamachan to Cairngarroch, then Rhinns of Kells to finally cut across to the the Awful Hand range, finishing up on the highest Peak The Merrick before descending to the finish. The "perfect" route is measured at 46 miles with 4600m of ascent. Teams have 24 hours to complete the race.
We're delighted to be supporting the event and all profits of the race will go to Galloway Mountain Rescue Team. If you are feeling fit entires are open until Friday 29 March 2024 and further detail about the event can be found at Bruce's Crown (brucescrown.co.uk)
The Merrick - Recommended Hiking Trail
In our opinion, the best hill walk in Galloway. The highest summit in our region and just shy of a Monroe but equally rewarding it has magnificent panoramic views across the Galloway forests and out to the West coast islands. There are also some great options for a longer loop which takes you through an area called Loch Valley, which has white sandy beaches, and also you can visit The Grey Man of Merrick rock formation. Our friends at local accommodation Coo Palace have create an excellent guide to follow for all routes. Enjoy!
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