Aldouran Glen – Carved Animals and a Hillfort above Loch Ryan
About 2.5 miles on foot.
Aldouran Glen is a small wooded glen at Leswalt, on the Rhins of Galloway a few miles north-west of Stranraer.
Its name means the glen of the otter. An art trail made for children leads from a wetland garden into the wood, where there are carved animals, small waterfalls, a hide for watching red squirrels and an old hillfort with a view over Loch Ryan.
- Time
- About an hour: 4 km (two and a half miles) from the wetland garden through the wood, on soft paths with two or three steep stretches.
- The path
- Unsurfaced, soft paths, narrow and slippery in places and very muddy for much of the year. Steep down from the car park and up to the hillfort after the bridge over the burn, with steps.
- Where to start
- The small car park at Aldouran Wetland Garden, Leswalt, where the Art Trail starts. The Woodland Trust also has a free car park for four cars at the western entrance to the wood.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. The paths are muddy for much of the year and at their worst from mid October to March, when the steep stretches down to the burn and up to the hillfort need care.
- Dogs
- Welcome.
- Children
- Made for children, with carvings to find and a squirrel hide. Hold hands on the steep stretches and at the burn.
- Toilets
- At the wetland garden, and in Leswalt Memorial Hall, which has an accessible toilet.
- Before you set out
- There is a burn and a pond beside the paths.
The walk
Aldouran means the glen of the otter. The Art Trail begins at Aldouran Wetland Garden, where a boardwalk crosses the pond, and goes on into the wood. It was made for children and families, and there are carved animals to find along the way. In the glen the paths follow the burn, or stream, with views of its small waterfalls.
Some of the trees here are very old. Steps and a bridge over the burn lead to the northern part of the wood. An ancient hillfort stands on the rise there, and from it you look out over Loch Ryan. Red squirrels come to the feeders in front of the hide, so stop there quietly for a while.
The trail is 4 km, two and a half miles, and takes an hour. The paths in the wood are soft and unsurfaced, narrow and slippery in places, with two or three steep stretches, so wear boots.
If it rains
The wood gives shelter, but the soft paths are slippery when wet, most of all on the steep stretches. The wetland garden's boardwalk is the firm part.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by nigel ETHERIDGE via Google