Mull of Galloway
November 12, 2024
SHORT WALK
Wig Sands Circular Walk
A walk along the shore at Wig Bay to a sandy beach with views across Loch Ryan returning along a path leading to Kirkcolm and back to the car park.
Begin along the track that runs parallel to the coastline. The fields on your left were used as a World War 2 airfield and concrete platforms can still be seen. Hundreds of flying boats were stationed and maintained here and towed into the sea on slipways.
As you look out across Loch Ryan towards Cairnryan you are very likely to catch sight of one of the ferries that run from the shoreline opposite to cross the Irish Sea.
An old wartime lookout building, and seat marks the turning point where the coast heads north once more. This area is a popular with bird watchers all year round. Out on the right here is a narrow spit known as the The Scar which is important for ground nesting birds in early summer and in the bay large flocks of moulting eider ducks can often be seen while the song of the skylark fills the air. In the winter the bay provides shelter and food for over wintering birds and is a good spot to see ducks, divers and grebes as well as pale-bellied brent geese from Arctic Canada.
The walk continues along the sandy shoreline which is a great place to discover a wide variety of seashells including native oyster, variegated scallop, razor shell and the delicate Chinese hat limpet shell. On a clear day the view north out of Loch Ryan frames the iconic island of Ailsa Craig further up the Ayrshire coastline. The distinctive microgranite quarried on Ailsa Craig is famously used for making curling stones and speckled pebbles transported from the island by ice-age glaciers can be found on the shore. After passing a small pond and crossing a burn a fingerpost is reached; turn left here onto a path that heads inland. The more adventurous may wish to explore further along the coast where woodland reaches down to the shore and red sandstone outcrops are revealed.
After crossing a footbridge (Tunnock’s Bridge) it becomes a tarred lane (Fisher’s Lane), soon lined with fine old deciduous trees that are part of the Corsewall Estate.
The primary school is located where the track meets the main road. Cross the road and turn left along the pavement on the far side. Carefully continue along the roadside back to the car park at the start.
| Start / Finish | Wig Bay car park, around 1km south of Kirkcolm on the A718. |
|---|---|
| OS Explorer Maps | 309 Stranraer & the Rhins |
| Distance | 2 Miles / 3.2 km |
| Terrain | Easy on surfaced or sandy flat paths with a short section on roadside. |
| Supplies | Pub in Kirkcolm |
| Public Transport | 408 bus from Stranraer to Kirkcolm |
| Cycling | This route is suitable for mountain bikes. |
