Bute 10 July

Alan, Allan, Andy, Davie C, Ian, Jimmy, Johnny, Paul, Rex, Robert, Ronnie

Who is that guy in the background?

The last few days had seen the temperatures soar so it was with some relief that the morning dawned a bit cooler as we contemplated the walk over a coffee in the café opposite Wemyss Bay station. The travel plan was similar to a few weeks earlier i.e. the 10.15am ferry followed by the bus down to the War Memorial where we would start by walking up the track adjacent to the memorial until we reached the West Island Way. Turning left we retraced our steps from 5^th June up to the old trig point where coffee was taken. By this time the weather was scorching and hats, sun cream and shorts were the order of the day (more of this later).

The WIW was then followed down to Stravanan Bay where lunch was called for on the beach beside the golf course. The views of Arran were disappointingly obscured by a haze but, nonetheless, it was an idyllic place for a break.  

St Blane's

Still following the WIW we crossed the golf course and went past the microlight landing strip until we reached the road (Plan Road) where we turned right and followed it until we reached the path up to the ruins of St Blane’s Medieval Church. Drinks were taken here and shade was keenly sought out.

Alan announced that we had only about another 4 or 5 km to go so the spirits were raised in the expectation of an easy end to the walk. How wrong we were!

A man's gotta do ...

We rejoined the WIW at St Blane’s and headed right, towards the coast, passing by the lochan (Loch na Leighe). When the cliffs were reached the path got a lot more difficult underfoot given the rocky nature of the terrain and care had to be taken with every step. The views of the Cumbraes  and beyond were superb (does Davie Mc have copyright on this word?) but weariness was setting in as we longed to reach Kilchattan to catch our bus. Every headland we came to we hoped it would be the last, but we were disappointed on many occasions until, eventually, we reached our destination with several minutes to spare.

Now, where is Kilcahttan?

Here, sun glasses had to put back on as Ian changed into his tropical shirt. He denied waiting for the bus to Kingston but admitted getting excited about the cruise to Wemyss Bay. Has he ever told anyone about the cruise he took?

However the drama wasn’t over for the day. Since the eleven of us had boarded the bus at Kilchattan and another four at Kingarth, it was half full by the time it reached Mount Stuart. Here a large queue had gathered as the driver frantically phoned his supervisor whilst counting the number of potential passengers. The lad did well because he got them all on, some of us young ooters giving up our seats to more senior citizens, and we reached Rothesay with 2 minutes to spare for the 4.45 ferry. Now, some of us thought that the plan was not to rush for the boat but have FRT in the Taverna and get a later sail back. Robert had other thoughts though as he rushed off, like a man possessed, towards the ferry with Johnny in tow. What else could the rest of us do but forget the motto and chase after them, for no other reason than Robert was one of the drivers? It was a weary group who reached Wemyss Bay and settled in to the Station Bar.

All’s well that ended well!

Another full and satisfying day out on the beautiful (in weather like this) Costa Clyde!

It's a wonder he's let out in the morning!

One last note! The Inverkip chimney is coming down on Sunday 28^th at 10.00am, allegedly. Another one bites the dust!

P.S.The answer to this week’s quiz question was ‘Clifton’.

If you weren’t there, you could try and decide what the question was.

Also, a challenge for Davie Mc, the King of the Short Shorts!

Name the bodies associated with the legs! Please note that answers like Shergar, Muffin the Mule, Danny la Rue, a kitchen table and Dolly the sheep will not be accepted, although they may bear a striking similarity.

The Tiller Boys