Drumwhirn Cairn

Nearest town:
Newton Stewart (4km SE)
OS reference:
NX39356884
OS sheet:
83
Latitude:
54° 59' 17.04 N
Longitude:
4° 30' 40.19 W
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Images

Image of Drumwhirn Cairn (Cairn) by markj99

Stone Robbed Hollow in E Arc of Drumwhirn Cairn.

Image credit: Mark Johnstone
markj99
markj99 Feb 13, 2025
Image of Drumwhirn Cairn (Cairn) by markj99

Stone Robbed Hollow in W Arc of Drumwhirn Cairn.

Image credit: Mark Johnstone
markj99
markj99 Feb 13, 2025

Articles

Drumwhirn Cairn

markj99
markj99 Feb 13, 2025

Visited 08.02.25

This is an improvement on my previous route to Drumwhirn Cairn: Take the A75 turn off to Newton Stewart at the large roundabout. Follow the town centre to the end of Victoria Street & bear left across the Cree Bridge. Turn L about 50 yards from the end of the bridge into Minnigaff. After 0.5 mile you will see a war memorial on your R.
Take the next L turn after 100 yards. This is a narrow country lane headed to Cree Woods. Follow this lane past Minigaff Parish Church, Boreland Wood and Boreland Farm. Around 0.5 mile after Boreland Farm a green lane protected by a deer gate starts at NX 39089 68355 on the R. There is room to park up in a passing place at NX 39082 68352. Open the deer gate and walk N up the muddy green lane for c. 300 yards to reach a Y junction. Take the left boggy path into the forest for c. 70 yards to reach a gateway. Walk NE up the field for c. 100 yards then bear N up the slope for c. 250 yards heading for the visible stony cairn. My walking route is viewable on Drumwhirn Cairn.

The path to Drumwhirn Cairn is boggy in places so wellies are essential in all but dry summer conditions.

Drumwhirn Cairn

markj99
markj99 Jul 12, 2020

Visited 11.07.20



Directions: Take the A75 turn off to Newton Stewart at the large roundabout. Follow the town centre to the end of Victoria Street & bear left across the Cree Bridge. Turn L about 50 yards from the end of the bridge into Minnigaff. After 0.5 mile you will see a war memorial on your R.
Take the next L turn after 100 yards. This is a narrow country lane headed to Cree Woods. Follow this lane past Minigaff Parish Church, Boreland Wood and Boreland Farm. Around 0.5 mile after Boreland Farm a green lane protected by a deer gate starts at NX 39089 68355 on the R. There is limited parking here so I chose to go onto Barclye Wood Parking (NX 38604 69482) around 0.5 miles along the lane.

Having walked back to the green lane I found the gate immovable so I had to climb the high style beside the gate. Follow the green lane uphill for 300 yards, bearing R at a fork then reach another deer gate 150 yards later. I opened this gate with some difficulty (it was heavy and stiff) and followed the field perimeter NE for around 150 yards to another deer gate. Look L to see Drumwhirn Cairn, a significant pile of stones in the adjacent field around 300 yards away. After another deer gate workout there is a stream to cross on stepping stones before reaching the field. Drumwhirn Cairn is impressive on approach however closer inspection shows significant stone robbing. The summit has been excavated leaving a dirt filled hollow behind.

Drumwhirn Cairn is on a highpoint with extensive views all round. It is around 30 metres across and 5 metres high. It must have been spectacular before Man started messing with it.

Further details of Drumwhirn Cairn can be found at Canmore ID 62929 (go to Links).

Drumwhirn Cairn & Barclye Cairn are close together so they can easily be achieved in the same trip.

Sites within 20km of Drumwhirn Cairn

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