Auchencairn is situated in the south-eastern corner  of the bowl of the Nith valley, and faces north and west. The land forms the rim of the bowl, rising steeply from about 100  to 300 metres in the space of less than two kilometres

The lower part of the farm consists of a narrow drained valley with the Pothouse burn running rapidly along its eastern side. This is also the most westerly side of the farm.

The hillside rises steeply upward from here to an intermediate shelf-like area where the main farm buildings are located in a copse of trees. The buildings are surrounded by fields extending to an average area of about four hectares. These fields are bounded by stone walls. The land consists of shale like rock covered with a thin layer of soil about ten to twelve centimetres deep.

To the east of this area, the farm again rises steeply to a plateau which forms the rim of the Nith valley. The land here is relatively flat and rolling, rising gradually to the highest part of the farm, known as the Great Hill,or Auchencairn Height, at 353 metres. This region forms the bulk of the farm covering an area of about eight hundred hectares, and apart from a stone boundary wall is unfenced. Here was the famous Scottish heather interspersed with short mountain grasses.

This high land was always known to the family and to those who worked on the farm as “The Hill” as opposed to the lower enclosed ground, which we called “The Inbye”. This latter area being sub-divided into lesser fields each of which was individually named. Many of the names had a logical explanation but there were a number with strange names such as the “witch walls” and the “blind walls” that we never did understand.

This lower ground would originally have been covered with trees, such as oak, ash, beech and sundry types of scrub and bracken. However over hundreds of years the land had been progressively cleared and put down to pasture, mostly fine grasses and wild clovers. Many trees, however remained on the steeper and rougher areas and along the edge of the watercourses.

The rolling hills, grassy fields bounded by solid stone walls, and copses of trees combined to create an effect of great beauty which was particularly  enjoyed in Spring, when the new growth appeared in dozens of shades of green, or in Autumn with the trees a mass of reds and golds.

There is evidence of the area having been farmed for hundreds of years. Some two hundred metres from the present farm buildings, the remains of earlier dwellings can be seen. The present farmstead, however is thought to date from about two hundred and fifty years ago. How it was dated to this time I never knew, but my grandfather was interested in these things and may have obtained advice  that this was so.