11th Dec 2015 - Glentrool drive about

It was seriously freezing today so a nice drive was the ticket ... Glentrool continuing on to the Straiton Road through the Glentrool forest with 'Awful Hand' range of hills following us until turning off at Rowantree Hill and onto the 'Nick of the Ballach' with the Carrick Hills in glorious view. Reaching 'Balloch' (sheep country)  continued uphill by the 'Pilot' to 'Shawknowe' and turned for the stunning conservation village of 'Straiton' - it was like something straight from a postcard as we descended down Cawin glen and into the town.  Continued south over the Carrick Moor (love Scotland's muirs!) before completing a circle at the Bell Monument then back to Glentrool and Newton Stewart.
The weather was all over the place - FREEZING at all times, sunny (not often), sleet, rained and blew a gale in areas. It was fabulous!

Enjoy this selection of photos and I believe I actually have them in sequential order.

       from stunning South West Scotland

5th Dec 2015 - Storm Desmond and around NS

Hello loved ones,

UPDATE: Storm Desmond is wreaking havoc all over the UK now with the exception of the far south and east of England.

Storm Desmond is causing major flooding, wind damage and evacuations in various areas.

A walk was in order to see if the River Cree had broken its banks. It hasn't - yet.  A stroll in the rain and wind along the river just a wee way from the town centre near the King George V suspension bridge with the area also known as the Cree Mills walk.

It is now early afternoon on Saturday as I write and more wind and rain is expected up until early Sunday morning.  

from stormy, wet Scotland

1st Dec 2015-Stranraer, beyond the moors,GlenluceAbbey,

It's officially the first day of winter today (for those back home in Oz it's officially the first day of summer) but I reckon most of you think that's old hat and a bit of a joke. As far as I'm concerned its been summer since September.
Went to Stranraer for some shopping and came back NE of Stranraer over the Balker Moor, Braid Fell and Drumadryland. I LOVE the Scottish 'muirs', there is something breathtakingly beautiful in their bleakness but in spring and summer their transformation is stunning. Great swathes of purple and white heather going on for as far as the eye can see is an assault on one's visual senses. Earlier in the year I missed the event by weeks. I need to be here in June/July. But the never-ending vista of yellow canola fields made up for it in May.   

Driving through the plateau moorland, River Luce was a constant companion. Left the moorland at New Luce (again enjoying New Luce Abbey) and back along the A75 where  stunning vistas of the Galloway Hills covered in snow.

The day's light gave inconsistent photo quality. I can't be bothered spoiling my sight seeing with fiddling about with manual settings on the camera - whatever "intelligent auto" comes up with is it!

leaving Stranraer and heading up to the 'muirs'

looking across the moor to the snow clad hills

old military buildings on the moor

               

              

                   

                   

                   

                   

leaving the plateau moorland now

back at New Luce

 

and back on to the A75 and home, enjoying the snow clad Galloway Hills all the way

and back to Newton Stewart

        From cold SW Scotland!