Having lived so long in this area, I have long since run out of new places to visit in a day’s ride, so today’s run was mostly on roads I have travelled before, but none the worse for that.
Passing Dumfries, I took the A701 towards Moffat, but after a few miles turned westwards along the Water of Ae towards Ae Village, which was originally built by the Forestry Commission for workers in the Ae Forest. It sits on a hillside overlooking the valley.
After a few miles more, through the forest, there is a junction. Left takes you past Loch Ettrick and back towards civilisation, but right takes you along a single track road into some seriously remote country along the edge of the Lowther Hills, with just a few isolated hill farms.
You really wouldn’t want to break down up here: I didn’t see a single other vehicle. The road climbs into some high moorland, and after some miles you come over the brow of a hill to see a magnificent panoramic view westwards across Nithsdale. The photos don’t do it justice as they were taken against the sun.
Descending into the valley, I rode past Gatelawbridge and on to the A76 at Closeburn, then off again at Auldgirth, down to Duncow and then across to Amisfield. From there I rode down through the middle of Dumfries - a bit of a contrast from where I had been, and then homewards by the little-frequented Old Military Road.
Nowhere I hadn’t been before, apart from the Duncow-Amisfield bit, but a nice afternoon out all the same.
