The last leg into Whithorn

Accommodation, or lack of it, again raised its head.  For the next two stages there was no available accomodation.  Thus, instead I stayed in Girvan, commuting back and forth by bus.

Girvan harbour 

Leaving Girvan

On the way to Lendalfoot.

Lendalfoot, and Ailsa Craig - a 99 hectare island bird sanctuary, 16 kilometres from the mainland.

I really enjoyed the stage from Girvan to the village of Colmonell.  There was one interesting moment when I was trying to walk through a farm yard.  The only problem was that there was a mob of sheep yarded where I was meant to go.  I bailed up the Royal Mail driver who assured me that I would get to the village by returning to the road and following it to the end.  I kept bumping into her along the way, and in Colmonell she saw me numerous times as I wandered around, insisting that I take her phone number in case I got stuck and the bus didn't arrive.  I didn't need to call on her, but people are so kind.

The church in Colmonell - the village was named by St Colmon in 600 AD

This willow sculpture of a mermaid was made in 2022 by the Boarshead craft club in Colmonell.  It depicts the local legend of a mermaid who sat on a stone below the window of the infant heir to the castle, waking the child.   The desperate mother had the Stone broken into pieces and when the mermaid returned she placed a curse - 

"YE MAY THINK ON YOUR CRADLE,

I'LL THINK ON MY STANE,

AN' THERE'lL NEVER BE AN HEIR TO KNOCKDOLIAN AGAIN"

The infant died sometime later,  and the family became extinct.

The next day I returned to Colmonell to walk from there to Barrhill.  I enjoyed following the River Stanchar.  The path got progressively muddier, and boggier, but I pushed on, walking through forests and pasture and a pheasant farm.  However, I was stopped - by a locked gate and an electric fence!  I floundered around trying to find the path, thinking there might be a stile somewhere, but nothing.  

The path to Barrhill, before I turned around

I could have climbed the fence, but my limited farming education says that is a no-no.  Apart from anything else, I had no idea what might have been in the paddock, nor what obstacles I might find on the other side of the paddock, over a hill and out of sight.  I decided to be prudent and return to Colmonell, and bus back to Girvan. 

I met Howard, and his wife, who insisted that it was far to long to wait for a bus, returning in his car and few minutes later  to drive me to Ballantrae where I could catch an earlier bus.  The community in the village is evidently quite strong.  They have a lovely community hall, a community  garden, and lovely public toilets, which they purchased off the council because they were talking of demolishing them.  Howard gave me a little book of poems about the area as a gift from the village.

With the prospect of no accomodation,  and extremely long stages, one of 21 miles, I decided that the best course of action was to give in and catch the bus around to Whithorn, the destination for this particular pilgrimage.   Doing that also meant that I was able to see the museum which was closing that day.  I reserved three nights in the splendid, relatively new bunkhouse.  This too is a village with great community spirit.  I attended the first winter community lunch on the Friday,  along with most of the town - a very pleasant few hours.

Just some of the delightful buildings in Whithorn 

The bunkhouse

On one of the days I retraced my steps and walked into Whithorn from Mochrum, and the other day I walked to the coast and visited St Ninian's cave, and at the Isle of Whithorn, St Ninian's Chapel.  My picture went on the Whithorn Trust Facebook page, and people were recognising me as I moved about town.

On the way to St Ninian's Cave and the Isle of Whithorn

St Ninian's cave

St Ninian's Chapel 

The Isle of Whithorn

The way from Mochrum to Whithorn - the trees show the direction of the prevailing wind.

The church at Mochrum.  The whole (huge) cemetery has been inspected by specialists to check the tombstones safety.   The yellow tags are warning that those stones should not be touched!

Whithorn is recognised as being the cradle of Scottish Christianity.  It was St Ninian who brought Christianity to Scotland and established a Christian community in Whithorn.  Not a lot is known about him, but 397 is celebrated as the start of his mission to the people, then in the late 700's Whithorn became a pilgrimage destination as both kings and commoners believed in the power of St Ninian to cure illness and make miracles.   The venerable Bede in his book about the history of  the English Church and its people said of Ninan, who had been trained in Rome, that he was  a most reverend bishop and holy man of the nation of Britons.