Gentle wooded country around Gatehouse of Fleet in Galloway, with a castle, Neolithic tombs and easy river walking
Galloway does a soft, green kind of scenery, and the Fleet Valley is a good example — fifty-nine square kilometres of wooded slopes, farmland and estuary around the old town of Gatehouse of Fleet. It is friendly walking ground, the sort of place a family can potter without needing hill skills or a big day out.
The stone tower of Cardoness Castle stands over the mouth of the valley, and up on the hillside above the water sit two fine Neolithic chambered tombs, Cairn Holy 1 and Cairn Holy 2, a short walk from the road with a long view down to the sea. There was a Roman presence here too; the Gatehouse-of-Fleet fortlet was built to watch over this corner of the coast.
Most of this is low and sheltered, so it works well in spring and autumn as well as summer. Wet, soft ground after rain is the main thing to plan around.
