Dunskey Glen
July 29, 2020Lowther Hill
July 27, 2022SHORT WALK
Caves of Kilhern
Get out onto remote moorland with panoramic views and visit the chambered cairn known as the Caves of Kilhern.
From New Luce village hall leave the village along road towards Glenluce. You will follow this road for over a mile with the sound of the Water of Luce down to your right. When you get to Cruise farm you will see the sign for the Southern Upland Way leading you up a farm track on the left.
This track very soon brings you out onto Kilhern Moss. While walking through the heather you will get views across the whole of the area. You will see Meadow Pipit and Curlew around the cairns and hut circles that cover the moor. The track becomes a path that leads straight towards the ruins of Kilhern Farm. Here you will follow the Southern Upland Way to the left and soon come to the Caves of Kilhern.
The caves are a few hundred metres from the path off to the right. Most of the site simply looks like piles of stones but the one chamber that still has a cap stone shows what the rest must once have been like. Built over 2000 years ago it would have been a burial place for people living in the nearby settlements. The views from the site are spectacular so stop for a while and admire them. Then return to the track and head down the hill towards the road.
As you come to the road it is worth taking a short detour by turning left and going along the road for a few hundred yards. You will soon come to a small gorge and waterfall called the Loups of Barnshangan. This stream is the Cross Water of Luce and you will follow it as you return down the road, past the Southern Upland Way and back to New Luce.
Start / finish | New Luce |
---|---|
OS Explorer Maps | Explorer 310 - Glenluce & Kirkcowan |
Distance | 8.5km / 5.3 miles |
Total Ascent | 80 metres / 260 feet |
Information Shelter | Information Shelter in the village at New Luce |
Supplies | Small shop in New Luce |
Public Transport | Bus to New Luce three times a week |
Cycling | This route is suitable for mountain bikes |