| Start from the car park. The route is marked with yellow arrows. Go through the kissing gate at the end, cross the road then follow the path between the houses towards the A75 roundabout. This section was once the main drive to Kelton Mains, the principal house of the Estate prior to the construction of Threave House.
Where the route meets the road, walk along the top of the fenced off banking for about 100 metres before carefully crossing the road onto the farm track opposite. This leads you over the A75 and into a wood. From the path through the wood you will get good views of drumlins, small rounded hills formed during the last ice age which are common around Castle Douglas. During the winter months you may also see geese grazing on some of these hills and in nearby fields. Also, roe deer are common around the Estate, but are shy and easily disturbed. Watch for their white rumps as they bound away through the undergrowth, or listen for their barking, particularly heard at dusk.
From here the route follows the line of the disused railway, which carried steam trains between Castle Douglas and Kirkcudbright from 1864 to 1963. After the first stone bridge, there is a detour to the Castle and bird hides. Threave Castle was built around 1369 by the Third Earl of Douglas ‘Archibald the Grim’. This massive tower stands on an island in the River Dee, but can be reached during the summer by the ferry operated by Historic Scotland’s custodian. If you wish to take this detour, follow the blue arrows then retrace your steps and continue the estate walk at the point where you left it. The Lamb Island bird hide is a fabulous place to spot waterfowl at any time of the year. Also, large numbers of greylag and pink-footed geese can be seen grazing on fields on the Estate in winter. When these birds take off the result is truly spectacular and a classic winter sight here. Back on the estate walk, before the second stone bridge, turn right and go up some wooden steps onto the road. Turn left and continue onto the bridge over the A75. Alternatively you may wish to continue a further 0.75km (˝ mile) down the railway line to visit a bird hide on an island on the River Dee, but you will need to retrace your steps to rejoin the Estate Walk.
Beyond the bridge over the A75 the route is waymarked through woodland and farmland. Take care in crossing the minor road after the first footbridge, and in following the minor road back to the Gardens after the second footbridge.
For a map of the area click to view agree conditions on first page, on the second page in the top left box and type in NX7560 for the start point.
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