Dunure Culzean 19 July

Alan McQ, Alan S, Allan, Davie C, Davie Mc, Dougie, Gus, Ian, Kenny T, Malcolm, Peter

Across the grass

It was a fine, warm morning, but with the potential of rain and thunder arriving late afternoon, Sergeant Major McMeekin declared that we should set off ten minutes before ten, dismissing the notion that Peter might turn up. So, with a brisk step, we set off for Culzean, only to get a hundred yards from the cars before a plaintive cry was heard from the car park. Peter had arrived. Compassion is the Ooters’ middle name, at least when some of our members are elsewhere, so we waited for Peter to catch up and chastise us for leaving before the allotted hour. Davie was immediately demoted to Private, as, to a man, we all, remembering the motto, took no responsibility and blamed him for the discretion.

Peter describes his brick and slate collection

The route was one we have covered many times before and needs little description, but the wee climb up to the road has benefitted from the new set of steps. Those taking a short cut across the fields encountered some long, but dry, grass and, after forty minutes or so, we were ready to descend to the beach. Coffee was taken at the usual spot, but Allan, with one eye on the weather, decided to stroll on. The tide was receding and didn’t cause any issues as the rest soon caught up. Lunch was taken at our favourite spot on the benches overlooking the gardens, still closed for repairs.

Some pink flowers, just because they matched Davie's FRT shirt

When two scientists get together!!!

We retraced our footsteps back to the rocks for a juice stop, only for Peter to pose a question. ‘What was the name of that film, you know the one with a good story?’ ‘What was it about, Peter?’ ‘I can’t remember’. ‘Well, who was in it?’ ‘Can’t remember that either, but it was in colour’. That certainly narrowed it down! Peter then walked away on his own whilst the rest rested. We caught up with him as we crossed the fields and, by the time we emerged from them, Peter had remembered: Far From The Madding Crowd, 1967, directed by John Shlesinger, and starring Julie Christie, Terence Stamp, Alan Bates, Peter Finch and Prunella Ransome. (No, Peter didn’t remember all of this, Mr Google did).
The cars were reached four hours and twenty minutes after having set off, and the fitbits said about ten miles. FRT was taken outside at the Dunure Inn where nobody ordered a coffee! We had won a watch with the weather which had stayed fine and dry but, as we walked back to the cars, there was a spot of rain.