Loch Ken Ranger Service Patrols
Loch Ken in Dumfries and Galloway is 9 miles long and has an east and west bank. It stretches from the village of new Galloway at the northern end where it is fed by the Water of Ken, to the barrage at the southern end by the village of Glenlochar and exits as the river Dee flowing to the sea at Kirkcudbright a further 10 miles.
I’ve been volunteering for the ranger service for a year now and was recently offered a more formal role as seasonal ranger to work with the permanent post holder. One of the many and varied tasks is have a presence around the Loch and this is achieved amongst other things by both boat and land patrols. It’s my first day land patrolling solo and I’m heading down the west bank, the first couple of miles of which are managed by the local angling association.
I touch base via WhatsApp with the ranger group to let them know where I’m heading, put my Loch Ken Ranger Service decals on the car, pack my kit of things I may need, and off we go. It’s mid Sunday afternoon and we had met two groups of anglers on Friday, camping here for the weekend, as I pass the first lay-by, I can see that their cars have gone, so I pull in to check the site for any rubbish left behind, any unextinguished fires etc, but fair play the site is spotless. Moving on I see the second trio are packing to leave, they have cleared the site of some of their rubbish but are struggling to fit it all into the public bin, I offer them an extra bag and as the bin is full and take the rubbish with me. As they drive away, I can see the campfire which was on the shoreline is still alight, often fires appear to be out but a small breeze and they soon come back to life, however a few buckets of water from the loch, removing the unburnt logs and the fire is extinguished.
A mile further down the road I meet with a holidaymaker, camper van door open, cup of tea in hand and a great view of the loch, he had cycled up the Raiders road, a 10mile forest drive through the Galloway Forest to Clatteringshaws Loch, a feeder reservoir for one of the hydroelectric schemes that flow into Loch Ken. He is loving the peace and quiet, we chat for a while and he thanks me for dropping by, giving him some advice about where to launch his kayak, where to pitch up and how to get to his next destination Loch Doon. Soon after the road bends away from the shoreline for five miles past Mossdale until I turn towards Ken Dee marshes, a lovely quiet part of the loch, off the beaten track and home to a large nature reserve. A further three miles and I’m crossing the bridge just beyond the barrage that marks the end of the Loch and I’m heading back up the western side on the A713, tourist route to Ayr. Whilst the eastern side is tight to the road with only small amounts of accessible shoreline and flanked mainly by forest, the western side is more open with fields and food plains and passes the villages of Crossmichael and Parton. There are a number of places that I pass where locals access the loch and these are regularly checked for hazards to wildlife, rubbish and campfires but today we’re heading for the public slipway just beyond the Loch Ken Holiday Park. It’s early July and weather though not great is warm today and this can be a popular spot for boat launches, and other craft with people wanting to enjoy the views and the water. Today however is unusually quiet, there is no one here, the waterline is high limiting anywhere sit by the waters edge so whilst I’m here I check the biosecurity station (this facility enables craft users to cleanse their equipment to prevent the transfer of invasive species to and from the loch). I move on to the next lay-by at Glenlaggan where there is a marina and from here views of the loch can be stunning. I can see there are water skiers in the Loch’s high-speed zone, but again the shoreline is quiet. A little further up the road I pass the Galloway Activity Centre where our boat is moored, and then two more miles and I’m home. I check back in to log off and with nothing unusual to report I put the rubbish in the bin and I’m done. You never know who or what you may encounter on a land patrol but today is quiet and we will be out again later in the week when the long summer holiday for Scottish schools has begun.
Loch Ken Ranger Patrols – part 2
It’s Sunday again and I’m going out again on patrol this time on the boat, so on the loch not around it. You get a completely different perspective from the water and the focus of what we’re doing changes slightly, I say we as boat patrols are undertaken in pairs as a minimum due to the increased water safety risk, the difficulties of launching and mooring the boat and of driving and spotting at the same time. We’re still looking at the shoreline to ensure day trippers, picknickers and anyone camping or angling is aware of the potential rising water levels and are acting responsibly (as defined by the Scottish outdoor access code).
The loch and surrounding land is complex in its various ownerships and all the land is privately owned therefore anyone fishing or launching a powered craft do so with the landowner’s permission and often they charge a modest sum for the privilege. Any craft with an engine over 6 horsepower must be registered and insured and there are approved places to launch. So, on the water we’re checking boat registrations, that the speed limits of the loch are being adhered to and hopefully encouraging visitors to use the bio security stations recently installed to prevent their crafts from transferring unwanted wildlife into or from the loch.
I’m out today with Leanne, she’s the head ranger and captains the boat, I’m hoping to gain my power boat license soon so with the help of volunteers we will be able to increase the volume of boat patrols as the summer comes into full force. At the moment it’s great to learn about the loch, its depths, currents and obstacles as there are lots of rocks and shallow areas that need to be avoided. One current piece of work we’re beginning is to map the loch and identify such hazards, repositioning marker bouy’s where needed and considering where additional markers need to be.
Also with us today is Chris, he’s just started volunteering, has a background of studying conservation and ecology and is looking to gain some practical experience; the trust is always keen to hear from anyone who is interested in volunteering and wants to get involved.
We keep the boat moored at Galloway Activity Centre on the eastern bank, it is a kind of rib with a solid hub and a 30hp engine, the temperature is always cooler on the loch than the shore so with buoyancy aids and jumpers on we cast off and weave our way through the wobbly water park out into open water. Most of the visitor ‘action’ takes place form here southwards on this bank, the western side is mainly the preserve of anglers, occasionally swimmers and kayakers.
It’s still quiet around the loch as the weather is dull and the summer holidays are not yet in full swing, this gives us the opportunity for some maintenance and we’re almost finished working on refreshing the speed signs around the loch. There is a 10mph limit for powered craft other than around the holiday park and public slipway where the limit is 6mph. There is also a high-speed zone, where water sports can take place, this is a one mile stretch in the middle section of the loch, centred around the marina at Laggan. Today we’re collecting another volunteer, Guy who’s head of technical matters, he’s at the public slipway and has made a double-sided speed sign, with concrete base, so it’s an effort to load it into the boat along with spade, pruning saw and big hammer. We are able to beach the boat on the far side and with a team effort, cut back some of the undergrowth, dig a hole for the post and locate the sign. A quick photo similar to that of the first moon landing and we’re away. As we drop Guy back to shore we see Andy a local lad who’s just launched his boat but is struggling to start the outboard motor, we watch him back to shore and he’s off to find a few spanners to rectify the problem. There’s also a group of lads setting up to fish from the public slipway so we advise them fishing is not allowed here but offer information about other nearby fishing spots and advise where they can obtain a permit and we carry on down the loch. We’ll check on them on our way back and Leanne contacts the owner of the holiday park to advise that they may have visitors seeking permits soon.
Beyond the holiday park which today has very few visitors enjoying the bank or the water the loch narrows and winds for a couple of miles towards Crossmichael where the majority of locally based fishing boats are moored. As it’s mid afternoon and we cannot see any other craft in the distance we turn back for home. Chris is still with us soaking up the scenery and giving ballast to the front of the boat, we try to help him understand the layout of the loch, the wildlife that can be seen, which today has been little more than two herons, two flocks of Canada Geese, some ducks and a regular sight and the odd crow annoying the Red Kites.
We’re passing the public slipway again and clearly the group of lads had hoped we were on a one way trip, we have a bit of friendly chat as they pull in their lines and nets and head off to the fishing pegs up the loch and see Andy still struggling to start his craft, but he needs no help and so we move on.
Next we’re passing through the high-speed zone, there are two boats here, one with a young wakeboarder and the other with a donut, we give them plenty of room so as not to create additional wake, the boat occupants wave and we leave them to rescue their youngster who has just bombed.
Rounding the second of the islands we come back to within sight of the activity centre, it’s almost closing time there so is an easy navigation to the mooring. We tie the boat to the jetty, refill with fuel and disembark. We talk about plans for the coming week, patrols, some possible boat maintenance and thank Chris for joining us. As the weather looks to improve and the holiday season begins in earnest, we’ll be out on the loch again soon.
Blog Post 3 Biosecurity
What is Bio security?
Is it something you pass through at the airport?
Well not quite, but it is important and does aim to keep a check on which wildlife and plant life are being brought to or taken from the loch. There are a number of invasive species (non native and therefore largely unwanted) that we are trying to stem the spread and distribution of. The main culprits at Loch Ken are the North American Signal Crayfish and Japanese Knotweed, Giant Hogweed, and American Skunk Cabbage.
Thanks to Galloway Fisheries Trust, biosecurity stations have been set up around Loch Ken to help control the spread of these plants, including at the Galloway Activity Centre, Crossmichael Marina, Loch Ken Holiday Park, and Boat O’Rhone.
You may not have noticed them as they are dark green in colour and look similar to the grit bins seen on remote roads.
They are a simple concept, in each bin is a pump containing a biocide to wash your boat/ kayak/ fishing equipment along with details of the invasive species and guidance on how to use the equipment.
Here we have a short video of Local Loch users Doug Hall and Nicole Walters demonstrating how easy the system is to use. You can see the bio security station in the background. Please feel free to use them whenever you come to or leave the loch.
On the Loch Ken Trust website is a further article named, “Looking after our ecosystem”, which gives details of our local initiatives. For more detailed information you can visit the Scottish invasive species initiative for full guidance on how to help manage bio security better.
https://www.invasivespecies.scot/biosecurity#:~:text=Everyone%20can%20follow%20a%20basic%20biosecurity%20routine%2C%20as,matter%2C%20small%20organisms%2C%20soil%2C%20seeds%20etc.%20and%20remove.
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