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Start: Sweetheart Abbey remains car park, New Abbey. Grid ref. NX 964 663
(S/E) From the car park entrance turn left to walk past the Abbey to enter the Commonwealth churchyard. Here you need to walk to the top North-East corner, you can use either way.
(1) Find a footpath at the Eastern side of the graveyard, in the wall indicated by a yellow arrow. Go ahead then at the end, walk through an old kissing gate then down steps to reach a field where you turn right. You are now walking handrailing a wall on your right hand side.
(2) When you see a gate and wooden signpost on your right indicating "New Abbey Circular walk" turn right. Walk in-between fences to reach a football field where you keep straight along its right side. (South-East) Keep straight past the cafe and Clubhouse to reach the Main Street (A710) where you turn right on the pavement past St Mary's Catholic Church.
When you see a wooden waypost on your left, carefully cross the road to walk on the footpath across the wall toward "Cuffel Circular". Reach a junction with "Kindar Coach House" on the right and look for the wooden signpost with the yellow arrow ahead of you.
(3) Walk toward it. Do not walk up the paved road but enter some woods, past a church on your left.
Walk up some steps into a wall and as you reach a tiny open area keep right into the trees. Find another flight of steps to reach a "canal" (Mill Lade) where you turn left (Wooden Waymarker toward Criffel). Reach a track where you turn left then straight away right at the wooden signpost. Walk ahead through the gate, it is normal.
You now walk on a wide track. On your right, you can see the monument at the top of the hill. At the Y junction keep straight ahead following the yellow arrow.
(4) After 600m or so, keep following the yellow arrow left across Glen Burn. Then through the gate.
''As the track bends, you will find a signpost where you can take a detour to visit Loch Kindar which you can see in the background."
(5) Here we are going to carry on along the track toward Knockendoch. Go through the gate then at the Y-junction with the wooden signpost keep on your right hand toward Mid Glen. A little further ahead, ignore the gate and keep on the single track uphill. Cross the gate and keep straight ahead North-West (you can see a wooden signpost ahead of you).
(6) Walk through the gate to reach a track where you turn right to cross the bridge over Glen Burn (stream)then turn left. Cross two gates straight ahead and carry on along the riverside. The route is straightforward all the way to the top of the hill and Waterloo Monument.
Along the way, you are going to cross another gate and start to leave the Burn behind to go uphill into the woods. Cross another stile and carry on up. There are quite a lot of steps (rocks) and they are steep so as you walk up take a breath as you look backward and enjoy the view coming along.
(7) At the top of the hill the reward is the Waterloo monument!
For the ones who can, walk up the tiny spiral staircase to the top of the tower to get a magnificent 360-degree view !!! You have views of the Abbey down in the village.
(7) After enjoying, walk behind the tower and take the second footpath on your left. The path goes downhill for around 670m to reach a T-junction at the bottom. Turn right following the yellow arrow. Here, enjoy a walk into the pine trees but stay aware of the slippery roots. Walk straight until reaching a lane where you turn right. This is a quiet lane. Along the way, you can see the monument on your right-hand side.
(8) Join a paved road past white houses. Then be really careful of machinery as you walk through the Townhead Sawmill.
(9) At the road junction keep straight ahead but you can see on your left there is New Abbey Corn Mill to visit at the bottom of steps. Walk down if you wish to have a look (fee apply) otherwise keep straight toward the Best to join the Main Street (The Square A710). Walk through the village (shop available) walk back to Sweetheart Abbey.
Then turn left to walk past the coffee shop and Abbey towards the car park. (S/E)
Association / Club / Walk leader
Visorando Member
Easy 
Tourism professional
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