River City actor Iain Robertson is showcasing the region in the second edition of his hit “Rambles” series.
He is taking on the 214 mile long Southern Upland Way challenge which starts in the west at Portpatrick and includes parts of Galloway, Sanquhar and Beattock before crossing into the Borders at St Mary’s Loch and ending at Cockburnspath.
The new six-episode series began last night on BBC Scotland but will be repeated on Monday at 7pm and is also available on iPlayer.
Iain was joined at the start of his trek in Portpatrick by actor Joe McFadden and they walked to Castle Kennedy and its gardens.
The pair played the McLean brothers in the film, Small Faces, before appearing as the Di Lucca siblings in Holby City.
Iain, who stars as Stevie O’Hara in River City, stayed overnight at the Beehive Bothy and camped beside Loch Ken as he passed by Bargrennan and Dalry before heading to Benbrack.
He then paid a visit to the Crawick Multiverse near Sanquhar, and also stopped in at the town’s Nith Valley Embroidery.
In next Thursday’s second episode at 8.30pm, he is joined at Sanquhar by another actor friend, Howard Ward for the walk to Wanlockhead.
And on the way to Beattock he meets his chef neighbour, Christine Burke, holidaying in the area in her camper van and they visit the Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall near Moffat and the Devil’s Beef Tub.
A website to encourage more people to walk, cycle, run or ride the Southern Upland Way through the region has been launched by Dumfries and Galloway Council at: www.southernuplandway.org.
An interactive map on the website shows the locations and details of hotels, B&Bs, and campsites, food shops, places to get outdoor equipment, cafes, pubs, tourist attractions and the many fascinating historical sites along the route.
The first Iain Robertson Rambles was a two-parter and featured the West Highland Way.
