Murrays Monument Walk

This circular walk climbs to Murray's Monument in the Galloway Forest Park near Newton Stewart.
The monument stands above the A712, known as the Queen’s Way, a scenic route between Newton Stewart and New Galloway. From a parking area beside the road you follow a waymarked path uphill through heather and grassland to reach the summit.... The climb is modest but offers a steady ascent with widening views as you gain height.
At the top you can walk around the stone monument, which commemorates Alexander Murray, a local scholar of the early 19th century. From here there are fine views across the surrounding hills, moorland and forestry, with the rugged Galloway landscape stretching in most directions on a clear day. After enjoying the outlook you return along the same path to the start point, making this a straightforward and rewarding short hill outing in the region.
You can extend the walk by visiting the Grey Mare's Tail waterfall which lies just to the north east.

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Nearby Routes

Grey Mare's Tail Galloway Forest Park Southern Upland Way Newton Stewart Riverside Walk

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Murray's Monument. Alexander Murray was a local shepherd boy who, in the 1800s, taught himelf to read and study, eventually becoming Professor of Oriental Languages at Edinburgh University. An impressive career and, by any standards, a very impressive monument. Note: The monument was erected in 1835 in memory of Alexander Murray (1775-1813), a Scottish linguist and professor of oriental languages. He was born very near to the site of the monument, in a cottage called Dunkitterick Cottage, now set up as a memorial to him.

The monument was built by William Hume, James Thomson, and Robert Hume to designs by an eminent Edinburgh lawyer called John Parker. It stands to around eighty feet tall, and its prominent position high up on the hill side gives you great views back down the valley to the East.

Path to Murray's Monument

Murray's Monument Car Park

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Murrays Monument Walk.gpx