Erskine Bridge to Clydebank 3 October

Alan, Allan, Davie C, Dougie, Ian (just for the beer), Jim, Johnny, Kenny R, Malcolm, Paul, Rex

Nine of us met at the garden centre below the Erskine Bridge for a coffee and scone/cake before our walk to Clydebank. It was a thought to move out of the centre, resplendent in Christmas decorations, but we are a walking group, aren’t we?

It was mild with an overcast sky as we set off over the bridge before cutting down to join the cycle path adjacent to the Forth & Clyde Canal. It was here that we met up with Kenny who had parked at Clydebank and had walked up to meet us. The stretch down to the Beardmore Monument was straightforward and although we had some slight rain at times, it was not a problem at all. Another half an hour and we were at the shopping centre and our lunch venue, McMonagles (no apostrophe!). All agreed that it was a very fine fish supper with all but Johnny being satisfied with the smaller pensioner’s version, and the fact that we had some fine warm dry weather in which to eat them at the picnic benches was a bonus. Mind you, we had to keep a close eye on our food as the local starling population was not shy at coming forward.
It was just after one o’clock that we set off for the return journey. Sorry, Kenny, but we forgot that your car was in the car park and that you were leaving us here, as most of us walked away without saying cheerio.
Again, we met some slight intermittent drizzle, but we made good time and were soon at the base of the bridge, taking a few minutes to watch workmen who were engaged in tunnelling under the Clyde for a new gas pipe You think that you are nearly finished at this point but there is still a long haul up and over the bridge before the cars can be reached. The walk back from Clydebank had taken an hour and a half and we were back at the garden centre at two thirty-five.
FRT was taken in the Brown Bull in Lochwinnoch where we were joined by Ian who couldn’t make the walk.
We had been lucky with the weather and the nine miles we had covered was an ample sufficiency. A good day out!