The carrot cake that Peter promised us on the last outing was the temptation to gather at his house for a short local walk before leaving for Mosset. Six of us plus Peter himself got stuck into the cake and very much appreciated it.
Peter had plans. Davie suggested a short walk but Peter still had plans. We thought we were heading for Sorn especially when we took a route by the voes. The voes looked continental today and the photographer was busy with the camera. Wee look forward to seeing the pictures. We still thought we were heading for Sorn when we turned up the river. No Salmon leapt the weir and no heron fished the calmer waters of the dam so we walked on, still heading upstream toward Sorn.
Peter's plans didn't include a walk up the river to Sorn, though. At the entrance to Daldorch School, we turned away from the river and came up through the school to the Sorn road. We turned right. We weren't for Sorn at all.
We came into the scheme. The scheme in Catrine is typical of our council housing schemes today - nice properties beside rundown ones, neglected gardens and boarded-up houses. This is another sad comment on our society. (Hey, you grumpy auld so-and-so, get on with describing the walk!)
Peter showed us the field where he was born. All right, it was an open space where the house once stood but we prefer to think Peter was born in a field. Johnny suggested that the house was demolished because that's what they do when a heinous crime is committed there. Peter was not amused.
A path brought us down to the Institute and back to the River Ayr Way. The rest of the walk is so familiar that it requires little in the way of description. We were to follow the river to the Haugh. The newcomers found this an interesting section of the walk and the usual landmarks were pointed out. Howford’s bridges elicited the same reaction from the newcomers as they have done on many occasions from the rest of us; the sandstone overhang high above the river was ventured on to by some though the sensible kept to firmer footing; the cup and ring markings were examined and debate ensued over their authenticity; the Fisher’s Tryst was visited; Ballochmyle's big brig was examined and it's statistics were quoted. This was an education for the newcomers.
The only change to the usual route came at the viaduct. We would normally take the high path but Jimmy fancied taking the low path for it is a long time since he had been this way and many in the company hadn’t been at all. Therefore, the low path was taken. This brought us to the side of the river.
There came a point on the route where the sandstone cliff came right to the river’s edge and the only way forward was by a narrow ledge four feet above the level of the water. This looked green and slippery. Though Peter and Jimmy strode on like heroes before us, it was with some apprehension that most ventured on to the ledge and it was only by careful scrambling and not a little trepidation that got us across it, though the stalwart pair saw no problem.
Once on the more secure ground, it was an easy walk to the top of the valley and Kingencluech. Peecetime was called in a wee stand of mature conifers by the side of the main road and we took our time over this reflecting on the scenery of the gorge.
After the peece, we found ourselves back at Howford. A band of ramblers was seated along the bridge having lunch. Our blether stopped to talk to them. There were twelve women and three men, all of our age or older, from ‘The Three Toons’. They had walked from Mauchline to Catrine and down the river. After lunch, they were to walk down the river to the Haugh and back to Mauchline. We left them to enjoy their lunch and walked on.
Peter had us up the brae to see the new cafe before dropping us back into the river valley where we retraced our steps upriver to Catrine.
The Royal Bar provided FRT today.
Peter had plans. Davie suggested a short walk but Peter still had plans. We thought we were heading for Sorn especially when we took a route by the voes. The voes looked continental today and the photographer was busy with the camera. Wee look forward to seeing the pictures. We still thought we were heading for Sorn when we turned up the river. No Salmon leapt the weir and no heron fished the calmer waters of the dam so we walked on, still heading upstream toward Sorn.
Peter's plans didn't include a walk up the river to Sorn, though. At the entrance to Daldorch School, we turned away from the river and came up through the school to the Sorn road. We turned right. We weren't for Sorn at all.
We came into the scheme. The scheme in Catrine is typical of our council housing schemes today - nice properties beside rundown ones, neglected gardens and boarded-up houses. This is another sad comment on our society. (Hey, you grumpy auld so-and-so, get on with describing the walk!)
Peter showed us the field where he was born. All right, it was an open space where the house once stood but we prefer to think Peter was born in a field. Johnny suggested that the house was demolished because that's what they do when a heinous crime is committed there. Peter was not amused.
A path brought us down to the Institute and back to the River Ayr Way. The rest of the walk is so familiar that it requires little in the way of description. We were to follow the river to the Haugh. The newcomers found this an interesting section of the walk and the usual landmarks were pointed out. Howford’s bridges elicited the same reaction from the newcomers as they have done on many occasions from the rest of us; the sandstone overhang high above the river was ventured on to by some though the sensible kept to firmer footing; the cup and ring markings were examined and debate ensued over their authenticity; the Fisher’s Tryst was visited; Ballochmyle's big brig was examined and it's statistics were quoted. This was an education for the newcomers.
The only change to the usual route came at the viaduct. We would normally take the high path but Jimmy fancied taking the low path for it is a long time since he had been this way and many in the company hadn’t been at all. Therefore, the low path was taken. This brought us to the side of the river.
There came a point on the route where the sandstone cliff came right to the river’s edge and the only way forward was by a narrow ledge four feet above the level of the water. This looked green and slippery. Though Peter and Jimmy strode on like heroes before us, it was with some apprehension that most ventured on to the ledge and it was only by careful scrambling and not a little trepidation that got us across it, though the stalwart pair saw no problem.
Once on the more secure ground, it was an easy walk to the top of the valley and Kingencluech. Peecetime was called in a wee stand of mature conifers by the side of the main road and we took our time over this reflecting on the scenery of the gorge.
After the peece, we found ourselves back at Howford. A band of ramblers was seated along the bridge having lunch. Our blether stopped to talk to them. There were twelve women and three men, all of our age or older, from ‘The Three Toons’. They had walked from Mauchline to Catrine and down the river. After lunch, they were to walk down the river to the Haugh and back to Mauchline. We left them to enjoy their lunch and walked on.
Peter had us up the brae to see the new cafe before dropping us back into the river valley where we retraced our steps upriver to Catrine.
The Royal Bar provided FRT today.
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