These massive 12 ft, 37 ton sandstone arches made by international land artist Andy Goldsworthy stride the hilltops of this beautiful 1347 hectare site in the wilds of the Southern Uplands of Dumfries and Galloway. Here you can leave the 21st Century behind, yet be only 7 miles from the pretty village of Moniaive with its excellent tea house and restaurant.
Visitors can choose from a series of walks to any of the arches striding the hilltops, or follow the Dalwhat water walk through the glen, collecting texts from letterboxes to make up a Renga (circular) poem written by artist Alec Finlay.
The routes with maps, described on the information panel by the car park, offer a variety of walks depending on levels of fitness, time and experience.
The highest arch sits on top of Colt Hill at 598m, offering spectacular views of the surrounding countryside and a sightline of the other arches. This 6 mile walk from the car park takes the visitor along a paved forestry road for most of the way. It is an easy and enjoyable way of seeing the landscape and the wildlife. This route meets up with the famous Southern Upland way just before the peak.
Rugged walking, across the hilltops from arch to arch offers the experienced walker a challenging hike across 10 miles of rugged terrain, but don't forget your map(Explorer map OS 328) and compass!
The Byre with its arch striding right through it and its grassy meadow, offers a perfect picnic place and time to contemplate the human history of the area – the people who made a living from farming the land.
Lookout for red squirrels, roe and red deer, birds of prey, woodland birds, Atlantic salmon or simply enjoy the sounds of the many burns rushing into the Dalwhat water.
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