Last year, Lora and I set out on a journey that we never managed to complete. There was somewhere in Galloway I wanted to reach, but for one reason or another it didn’t happen and the destination ended up sitting on my unfinished list for almost a year. I don’t particularly like unfinished lists.

So, nearly a year later, Lora and I went back. This time the plan was to ride from Dalmellington through Carsphairn, St John’s Town of Dalry, New Galloway and down towards Gatehouse of Fleet before finally reaching the roads around Darngarroch and Cambret Hill. Then we’d turn north again and come home through Galloway Forest Park and Clatteringshaws.

It would eventually become a 98.7-mile ride through some of my favourite parts of southern Scotland. Surely this time we’d finish it.

Off We Go Again

Leaving Dalmellington on the A713, the first familiar views were across Loch Doon towards the Rhinns of Kells. This is a road Lora and I know rather well now, winding north through the hills towards Carsphairn, and it was a lovely way to begin what was going to be quite a long afternoon.

Beyond Carsphairn the A713 continues down through the countryside past the lochs and the Carsfad and Earlstoun dams towards St John’s Town of Dalry. It’s one of those roads where I could quite happily keep riding without any particular need to arrive anywhere. The scenery keeps changing, the road flows nicely and there is usually something worth looking at.

From St John’s I continued towards Ken Bridge and New Galloway, then joined the A762 alongside Loch Ken. By this point I was properly into the journey rather than simply riding towards it, and unlike the previous attempt, everything was going according to plan. So far.

Into Laurieston Forest

At Laurieston I turned away from the main roads and headed into the forest. This was where the ride began to feel much more remote, climbing gradually through miles of forestry towards Darngarroch.

There are parts of these roads where the landscape suddenly opens and you realise how far you’ve climbed. The views stretch away across the surrounding countryside and, in places, the ground disappears rather impressively beside the road. It’s beautiful, but you probably don’t want to spend too long staring at the scenery while you’re actually moving.

Eventually I stopped and got off Lora for a little while. After miles sitting behind the screen, it’s always nice to stand up, wander around and actually look at where I’ve ended up rather than simply ride through it.

Hello, Lora. 💞

There were reminders everywhere that this is still very much a working landscape too. Forestry, farms and even what appeared to be part of the wool production process all appeared along the way. That’s one of the things I enjoy about these rides. I’m not really travelling between tourist attractions; I’m just following roads through places where people actually live and work and seeing whatever happens to be there.

Down Towards Gatehouse

Eventually the road began dropping towards Gatehouse of Fleet and the B727. From there I joined the A75 briefly, passing Cardoness Castle before turning back onto the smaller roads. Or at least that was the idea. I missed the turn.

No great disaster. I turned around, found it and carried on through Skyreburn, where there was a teapot and some fungus because apparently those are important enough events to deserve their own chapter in one of my videos. 🌚

Then I missed another turn. This was going well.

The countryside around here is beautiful though, even if some of the agricultural aromas were fairly determined to make themselves known. There was one section where the smell of manure was absolutely horrendous. Scotland may look magnificent, but occasionally it smells like a farm. Because, well, it is one.

The Old Military Road

Eventually I found the Corse of Slakes Road and then the Old Military Road, which was one of the parts of this journey I’d really wanted to explore properly.

These old roads have a completely different feel from the larger routes. They’re narrower, rougher and often seem to follow the landscape rather than cutting through it. In places the surface wasn’t brilliant, but that was part of the attraction. Lora isn’t exactly the obvious motorcycle for poking around tiny old roads, but she manages perfectly well if I take my time.

There was also a hill climb which I may have cheated slightly by using 142 bhp rather than my legs. 🌚 Seems fair.

By now the sun was getting lower and the whole landscape was beginning to change. What had started as a pleasant afternoon ride was turning into one of those evenings where the light becomes as much a part of the journey as the road itself.

What a Sunset

The sunset from the higher ground was absolutely beautiful. The landscape opened towards the coast and the sky seemed to stretch forever, with the roads dropping away beneath it.

I stopped to take it in and get some footage rather than simply riding straight through. Sometimes that’s the best part of these journeys. You set out with a particular destination in mind, but something completely unplanned ends up becoming one of the things you remember most.

From the high ground I eventually began the descent towards the sea, with the evening light following me down. The unfinished journey from the previous year was finally beginning to feel very finished.

Which Way?

There was still the small matter of getting home. I reached Creetown and the Old Military Road before briefly joining the A75 again. Somewhere along the way I managed to miss another turn, making it number three for the day. Apparently getting almost 100 miles around Galloway wasn’t difficult enough without occasionally pretending I didn’t know where I was going.

Eventually I found the turn I wanted and headed back into Galloway Forest Park. That changed the ride completely again. The larger roads and coastal landscape disappeared behind me and I was back among the mountains, forests and lochs on the A712. What a road. 💞

Back Into the Mountains

The A712 took me beneath Cairnsmore of Fleet, standing at 711 metres, with Millfore at 602 metres appearing further along the route. By now the light was fading quickly enough that I switched the camera into its night setting.

It wasn’t properly dark yet. Instead everything had entered that strange period of perpetual twilight where there is still light in the sky but the landscape itself begins disappearing into shadow.

Black Craig appeared further along, followed by Clatteringshaws Dam and the loch. I’d spent the afternoon travelling through completely different landscapes, from the familiar hills around Carsphairn to Loch Ken, forest roads, the coast, old military roads and now back into the heart of Galloway again. And I still had quite a way to go.

The Wee Beasties Arrive

As darkness settled in, another Scottish summer phenomenon made itself increasingly obvious. Insects. Lots of them.

By the time I was approaching Carsphairn my visor was absolutely covered. I stopped after one particularly enthusiastic half-mile because I could barely see through the remains of the wee beasties splattered across it. Poor creatures. At least it was quick.

After a clean I could actually see again, which is generally considered useful when riding a motorcycle at night. Carsphairn was visible in the distance and the big dark shape of the mountain rose behind it. There was even a star appearing in the sky. Very pretty.

Not as pretty as Lora though.

The road was also beginning to feel slightly slippery as the temperature dropped towards the dew point, so there was no reason to hurry. I was only about fourteen miles from home now and after everything we’d ridden through that afternoon, the last thing I wanted was to do something stupid near the end.

Finally Finished

Eventually the lights of Dalmellington appeared and Lora and I rolled back into the village. This time we’d done it.

Almost a year after setting out on a journey we never completed, we’d gone back and finished what we’d started. Along the way we’d covered just under 100 miles, climbed and descended thousands of feet, followed some brilliant roads, missed three turns, ridden from the hills almost down to sea level, watched a magnificent sunset and then crossed Galloway Forest Park again in the twilight.

It wasn’t some enormous expedition to the other side of the world. It was four hours spent exploring my own part of Scotland with a motorcycle I love. But there was something satisfying about finally putting a tick beside something that had been sitting unfinished for nearly a year. A ghost from a past journey dealt with and, remarkably, I hadn’t forgotten anything either. 🙏

Adventure Details

Date filmed: 9 July 2026
Location: Galloway and Galloway Forest Park
Bike: 1998 Kawasaki ZX-9R C1 “Lora”
Route: Dalmellington to Darngarroch and Cambret Hill, returning via Clatteringshaws
Ride distance: 98.70 miles
Walking distance: 0.1 miles
Ride time: Approximately 2 hours 45 minutes
Total time out: Approximately 4 hours
Ascent: 4,685 ft
Descent: 4,606 ft
Highest point: 1,132 ft
Lowest point: 20 ft
Difficulty: Easy, although with poor road surfaces in places
Total cost: Approximately £2.50, two cans of energy drink and one litre of water
Items forgotten: Aye, nowt this time 🙏

Main camera: DJI Osmo Action 4, 4K 25fps, Wide Angle, RockSteady
Edited in: Adobe Premiere Pro 2026