Arrangements for 7 September

Tinto Hill. Meet at Davie's in Darvel at 9 am for a quick get away.

Maybole to Kirkoswald 24 August

Alan, Allan, Davie C, Davie Mc, Dougie, Gus, Ian, Kenny R, Kenny T, Malcolm, Paul, Rex

It was a perfect morning for a walk as we met at the Green in Maybole i.e. blue skies, warm, but not roasting, and no forecast of rain. So, in shirt sleeves from the off, we made our way out of Maybole (thanks to Allan who thankfully could remember the correct route) and headed towards Kildoon Hill. By this time our new recruit, Dougie Muir, had managed to introduce himself to all the guys and fitted seamlessly into the body of the kirk. Good to have you on board, Dougie!

Ian's brother played cricket with Dougie

As we were about a third of the way up the hill Gus succumbed to an Achilles tendon injury and decided to return to Maybole. (Thankfully he had his car with him and we met up again at Kirkoswald). At the top we yet again ignored the chance to go up to Fergusson’s Monument and went straight on, but only for a short distance as coffee was called for.
The path down to the tarmac was now overgrown by whins (or gorse, let’s not go there again) so we took to the field and made the road in no time at all. Turning left and then right we made good progress until we left the track to take the swampy, muddy track at the Greenwell. Soon we had passed the cairn and were enjoying the view down to Dailly and over to Barony Hill (a walk we have done on several occasions). Turning right we made tarmac again without incident.

Looking down into Dailly

Dougie manages this one without incident

Tradition was destroyed as we took lunch, not back at Kirkoswald, but beside this road. The temperature was perfect, there was no wind, and no midges. We could have sat there all day! However, needs must, and we had an appointment with Gus, so we set off to the end of the road before turning right and the left, heading for the path down to the village. The last time we took this path it was badly overgrown with nettles, brambles and all sorts of stuff, but it was nothing to this time. After a few minutes the wise majority climbed the fence into the adjacent field and had a much easier time making the bottom of the hill before Allan, Malcolm and Paul, who had decided to finish what they had started, appeared shaken, stirred and stung. It was reported to your scribe that, on climbing the aforementioned fence, Dougie decide to show his acrobatic skills in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics where the ‘one metre barbed wire fence vault into nettles’ will make its first appearance. Eat your heart out, Max Whitlock!

Heading for Kirkoswald with Arran in the background

We made Souter’s in Kirkoswald at ten to two, just in time for the bus, but decided to have FRT there and take the next one. A very pleasant hour was spent in the late summer sunshine.

Notes
1.      For a fuller description of the route see the blogs of 26 Jan 2011 and 1 Aug 2015 and/or google Maybole Walks.
2.      For those who made up the rear guard going up the hill, the current world snooker champion is Mark Selby.

 

Arrangements for 31 August

We are walking from Kaimes to Glenbuck via Cairn Table. Meet at the parking area at Glenbuck Loch at 10 am, where a mathematician will work out the transport arrangements.

17 Aug, Kilmarnock to Irvine, some photos

Due to today's blistering pace I didn't manage to capture much of the walk, just the feeding stations at each end.

Arrangements for 24 August

Maybole to Kirkoswald
Meet at the Green in Maybole (adjacent to station) at 10.00am. Bring bus passes for return journey from Kirkoswald.

Bute 10 August

Alan, Allan, Davie C, Davie Mc, Gus, Kenny R, Rex, Robert

The decision was that we would do the Kilchattan circular walk and hence we took the bus (which helpfully had waited for the ferry this time) to the bottom of the island. It was dreich when we got off the bus so wet weather gear was donned from the start. The route followed the path beyond Kilchattan along the coast with the rain making the many stones on the path worth a watch due their slippiness. Nonetheless good progress was made to Glencallum Bay where we took the path up off the beach and followed it to where we overlooked Loch na Leighe.

The main body stopped here for lunch

Coffee/lunch was called for in the lea of the hill but Allan and Robert decided to press on to St Blane’s for theirs, as the effects of the coffee and scones at Wemyss Bay hadn’t worn off, and, in any case, Allan was soaking from the inside and decided to make his change of shirt a bit further on.

We teamed up again at the remains of St Blane’s and pondered which way to proceed i.e. go down to the road and follow it to Kingarth or go over the hill back to Kilchattan. Over the hill was decided, so on we went following the signposts until we were almost at the top of Suidhe Chatain. The path skirted the top (on a better day we might have gone to the summit) and then descended steeply and, in places, treacherously, given the conditions, down in to Kilchattan. We arrived at the bus stop at 2.10pm and the bus was due at….2.11pm. Ya Beauty! Good timing, good planning or just a fluke? No matter, we were glad we didn’t have to hang about.

Hats off to Gus

Starting the descent

We made the 3pm ferry, the walk having taken two hours and forty minutes (somehow it seemed longer) and took FRT at the Station Bar in Wemyss Bay. We adjudged the walk to be about 10K but the route plan said 8K. Long enough on yet another wet August Wednesday. However, the banter, as always, was good.

Arrangements for 17 August

Meet at Alan Stewart's house in Kilmarnock at 10am for coffee and rolls. Thereafter we will walk to Irvine - route to be decided on the day and will be determined by conditions. The walk will finish at Johnny's so no need for a packed lunch.

Bute 11 August

by David M

New arrangements for Wed 10th

Glen App track closed. New walk will be on Bute -Alan Stewart to lead. Meet around 9.15 a.m. for coffee , then depart on the 9.45 boat.

Not Windy Standard 3 August

Allan, Davie C, Davie Mc, Gus, Ian, Jim, Jimmy, Kenny T, Malcolm, Robert

There was a surprisingly good turnout given the awful forecast and, as we assembled just beyond the waterworks, the consensus of opinion was that it would daft to attempt the hill today, given the prospect of high winds and heavy rain. It was decided that a walk around the reservoir would suffice and so we set off up the path towards the dam.

Heading up the far side of the reservoir

Having climbed the steps, the main party went left to do the walk in a clockwise direction, but two renegades, who for the sake of argument we will call Allan and Malcolm, went right, saying that they wanted to keep their feet dry on the better path and that they would return by the same route. After about forty minutes the righteous brothers came across timber felling towards the top of the loch and, having been advised to avoid the heavy machinery by friendly workers, proceeded on where they met eightsome reelers coming towards them, or so they thought.

Perhaps we could have just gone to Wetherspoon's

The rain had been steady but not pelting and there was an idea to extend the walk by walking down the road, which leads to Windy Standard, for a mile or so (not sure if this was a Jimmy mile!). Deciding that they were wet enough, our two dissenters turned and headed back to have lunch at the cars whilst the others made their way into the unknown. After about fifteen minutes, who should join A & M? but Holly. It was surmised that, since the rain was getting heavier, the decision to extend the walk was given up as a bad joke and that the guys were also heading back to the cars. This proved to be correct, and the company reassembled at the starting point and tried to get dried off and changed into dry clothes without getting any wetter. We were back at the cars in about an hour and a half – is this a record?
Having taken lunch, we headed off to the Sun in Cumnock for FRT. ‘Under new management’ said the sign, so we didn’t know what to expect. ‘A pint of Kronenbourg, please’. ‘We’ve run out’.  ‘OK, a pint of Guinness, then’. ‘We’ve run out of that too’. Having found something that hadn’t run out, we sat down for a blether whilst some of our company concentrated on watching some vintage athletics on the telly. When it came to the second round we asked if coffee was available. The reply was ‘Yes, but it’s no very guid!’ Kenny and Malcolm can testify to that fact. At least it was wet.
If nothing else, we got oot the hoose, took some exercise, and had some laughs.

 

Arrangements for 10 August

Glenapp to Ballantrae
Meet at the car park next to the school at the shorefront in Ballantrae at 10.30a.m. Bus leaves for Glenapp at 10.49a.m.
(Previous bus was 8.07a.m.)
If poor forecast, alternative will be decided on the Tuesday evening by Robert and Davie Mc and Ooters phoned thereafter.