Pinwherry is a scatter of houses, a former station and a bridge, nine miles south of Girvan where the A714 to Newton Stewart crosses the Stinchar and the Duisk Water comes in to join it. Nobody makes a special journey here, and that is fine — Pinwherry's value is as a junction, and once you understand the roads that meet here, the whole of inland Carrick opens up.
Pinwherry Castle
A ruined Kennedy tower house of the late 1500s stands in a field beside the river, an L-plan tower now roofless and gaunt. It is on private land, so view it from the road rather than crossing the fields — it photographs well from the bridge in low light.
The roads that meet here
- West down the Stinchar to Colmonell and Ballantrae — the quiet valley road.
- North-east to Barr, and from there the single-track climb over the Nick of the Balloch at around 1,280 feet, through the edge of Galloway Forest Park to Glentrool. This is the great one: the finest drive or ride in south Carrick, and not for the nervous or the wide.
- South to Barrhill and on over the moor to Newton Stewart.
- North back down the A714 to Girvan in fifteen minutes.
The railway
The Glasgow–Stranraer line runs just east of the village. Pinwherry had its own station until 1965; it closed, but Barrhill three miles on still has one, which matters if you are walking or cycling and want a train home.
Practical notes
There are no facilities at Pinwherry — no shop, no pub, no fuel. Barrhill has a shop and an inn; Girvan has everything. The roads inland are single track with passing places and used by farm and timber traffic, so drive accordingly, and be aware that mobile coverage through the valley is unreliable.
