At last a nice day for a ride today, after three or four wet weeks, so I set off for Dumfries and headed north up the A76. Passing through Thornhill, I turned right at Carronbridge for the Dalveen Pass. On the way, I made a detour to visit one of my favourite villages: Durisdeer. It is amazingly unspoiled, and is nestled in a beautiful position at the foot of the Lowther Hills.
Back to the main road, I headed into the Dalveen Pass. While the pass is not all that long, the road runs high up on the side of the steep valley, making it very dramatic.
Emerging from the top of the pass, the road crosses a few miles of moorland until it reaches Elvanfoot, beside the M74. I turned left at Elvanfoot for the one-time lead mining villages of Leadhills and Wanlockhead. Wanlockhead is the highest village in Scotland.
After Wanlockhead, I entered the Mennock Pass, which is long and winding, descending for mile after mile down to Nithsdale.In my opinion it’s more scenic than Dalveen. I passed a couple of people panning for gold in the burn, which is sometimes successful.
The pass ends at Mennock, where I rejoined the A76 and headed south for Dumfries and eventually home. An excellent afternoon out.
