Loch Macaterick - Galloway Forest Park - Wild Camp

[LewesBushcraft]

Hi all. I'm looking for some advice on camping at Loch Macaterick, as it looks like a lovely spot, as far as google satellite view is concerned. Does anyone have any experience of camping at this loch? If so i'd appreciate any advice you might have for me in terms of reaching it. Thanks!

 

[demographic]

Hi all. I'm looking for some advice on camping at Loch Macaterick, as it looks like a lovely spot, as far as google satellite view is concerned. Does anyone have any experience of camping at this loch? If so i'd appreciate any advice you might have for me in terms of reaching it. Thanks!

No idea but I'm tagging onto this thread to find out.

 

[LewesBushcraft]

Just got back from a weekend in Galloway Forest Park. We parked at Loch Doon Castle and walked along Forest Drive to the foot bridge at Craigfion. From here we headed to Loch Macaterick along forestry tracks and through fire breaks to reach the loch shore. We were aiming for the beaches which face Macaterick but due to the terrain we didn't quite make it. It was incredibly wet under foot and the recent storms had knocked trees over left right and centre. Walking through the woods was a challenge to say the least and it was a struggle to find somewhere flat and dry enough for the 8 of us to make camp.

Due to predicted 50mph winds on the Sat we bailed out to Tunskeen Bothy. We took the most direct route which was off piste to say the least. The ground was very wet under foot and we had to dodge fallen trees and cross a stream to reach the track which leads to the bothy. We got there just in time as the weather turned on us. The winds picked up and snow blew in just as we arrived. The bothy was in good shape and we enjoyed listening to the wind rage outside as we sat eating haggis and drinking whiskey by the stove.

Sunday we headed out in much improved weather having left the bothy tidy and with a good stock of feather sticks, kindling and wood for the stove. We aimed to find a spot to camp somewhere along Forest Drive closer to the van. We tried 3 different areas along the sides of Whitespout Lane but the ground was either too wet to camp, too steep or a combination of the two. We eventually got back to the van and cut the trip short by one night.

Galloway Forest Park is a stunning part of the world and pretty well suited to wild camping, but it if we head back it will be in spring rather than winter! Some photos below.

 

[dwardo]

Lovely shots. Nice one.

 

[Paul_B]

Used to go up that way up to 4 times a year. Wet is the right word to describe the terrain. I don't think we found a dry time to visit. Lovely area and really quiet too. Personal favourite places include Loch Enoch and its white, sandy beaches, rigg of Jarkness, Clint of buses, etc. Great names.

There's a two day fell race up that way. It's not been run for many years. If you Google for it you'll probably find the route. It has a camp mid way. When I looked it up the route looked like a good 3 day walking route or 3 if you're very fast and light.

 

[Trig]

I camped on those beaches at Macaterick last june. Was looking for my pictures but i must not have taken any of the beach itself. It is a lovely spot, rather windy then also, and a bit wet, both underfoot and from above! Loads of space on the beach itself for bivvying, a few hammock spots in amongst the trees and a few tent spots just off the sand.

Got there by canoe though, which i think may actually be a harder slog than by foot. To be fair i didnt actually canoe much, it was mostly dragging it up streams and down firebreaks...


Not got any closeups of the beach, but the trees on the right of this picture is the thin peninsula reaching out towards the deer isle.
RIMG0049

Nice spot,just pity everywhere in galloway is so hard to travel across if you leave the tracks. Never seen tussocks so deep!