Kenmure Castle, the most famous of the Glenkens castles, stands just south of New Galloway and has been touched by much of Scottish history. It was a Balliol stronghold in the wars of independence and was a refuge for Mary Queen of Scots on her flight from Scotland and was sacked by her enemies. It was sacked again by Cromwell for supporting the Royal cause and after the Jacobite uprising the 6th Viscount Kenmure was beheaded in the Tower of London for backing the rebels. Robert Burns predictably was a guest on his way to Kirkcudbright.

Regular readers of the Gazette will know that I wrote a series of articles on Air Crashes in the Glenkens (issues 89, 95, 100 and 112). As these were well received, I thought that you might like to read about a few nearby air crashes, mostly in the Stewartry.

In commemoration of the near completion of John Paterson’s splendid new house at Barskeoch, I intend to look at some placenames recorded on the Plan of the Enclosures of Earlstoun and Barskeoch belonging to John Newal Esq. This map was drawn by James Gregg in 1779 and is available on the National Library of Scotland website.

Thinking back over our first operational year at the community woodland, it has certainly been action packed! A little over a year ago we commenced work, firstly felling the diseased larch and created a site for the yard and shed. Stone was then laid and the shed went up in March thanks to funding from South of Scotland Enterprise. We took on staff, Andy and Phoenix, who have proved to be a great asset, running the woodfuel enterprise, alongside the many tasks they undertake in the woodland.

What a year it has been for the Loch Ken Trust!
Our Annual General Meeting was held in November, and it was great to reflect on all our achievements throughout 2022.

In a world of consultations, feedback deadlines and community engagement, trees can sometimes be seen as a bewildering topic. The Fantastic Forest Festival is a chance to approach the question of tree cover from new perspectives.

The Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere’s plans for a sustainable office space at St John’s Town of Dalry are gaining momentum.

If so, could 2023 be the year to make it happen?

There is currently an exciting opportunity for residents of the Glenkens looking to set up as childminders.

Following the recent consultation for closure of Carsphairn Primary, Dumfries & Galloway Council's Learning and Education Directorate is recommending that the Education Committee vote on 28 March to continue the current mothballed status for up to two years.

Community Push to Revive Glenkens Sports MUGA community bid is being made to bring a sports pitch back to life.

The concept of rewilding seems to be everywhere. With its potential to address the twin crises of global heating and biodiversity loss, that’s understandable.

There is more development proposed in the Upper Urr catchment in the next ten years than was undertaken in the last 50.

When I came to live in the beautiful Glenkens, six years ago, I was quite unprepared for the speed and scale of local land use change, and the affect this would have on my ability to set up in business.

For some, peatlands may not seem the most attractive of places. However, at the Crichton Carbon Centre we’re passionate about these 'squadgy' landscapes, the life they support, and the climate benefits they provide.

We asked Tom Clark, Forest Manager for Czernin-Kinsky, a Dalry-based commercial forestry company, to give us an insight into how current changes to the forest sector.

An Australian mining company's prospecting for metal minerals across Galloway has raised serious concerns of toxic pollution, radioactive release, ecological damage and the destruction of historically and culturally important sites and protected habitats in the Glenkens.

The land use of the Glenkens and wider Galloway is undergoing change at a pace and scale that has not been seen since the creation of the Forest Park.

Are you aware of what is happening in the Glenkens? Before long, every hilltop between Dalmellington in the northwest, Sanquhar in the northeast and Parton in the south will be covered with giant wind turbines.

The current approach to land use in rural Scotland is unbelievably outdated. It is centralised in government departments and agencies.