Allan, Davie C, Dougie, Graham, Gus, Hugh, Jimmy, Johnny,
Paul
After the recent storm (Storm Floris) it was a nice calm, dry
morning as we met at Knockroon. Jimmy would normally have taken us up Rigg Road
for today’s walk, but since he deemed part of the path to be too wet, he led us
down to Woodroad Park where he pointed out where the swimming pool once was and
the remains of the bandstand where the late queen attended in 1956 to meet her
lieges. Passing under the railway viaduct, we started on the Broom Braes
Woodland Walk noticing that work was taking place to upgrade the path. Having
got so far along, the stone chippings surface ran out and we were onto a long
section which had been dug out ready for the chippings. Given the recent rain,
parts were muddy and slippy, particularly on the downhill sections where wooden
steps had been torn out, hopefully in preparation for new ones. Care had to be
taken but, glad to say, nobody landed on their backsides, and all made it out
of the wood and on to open fields. Jimmy’s initial route from here was quickly
curtailed and we turned left and followed a track which eventually emerged at
the entrance to Lugar. Walking up through the village, we admired the housing
and crossed over the A70 to the wee gardens that take you down to the outlet
which was ‘the original source of Lugar’s water supply’. Being twenty past
eleven, we took coffee at the benches there.
Walking over the wooden bridge, we immediately turned left to
follow the path towards Lugar viaduct (over Glenmuir Water), which we went
under on another muddy, slippy path, and on to open fields again. We took time
to look back and admire the viaduct and to look at the stone rockface across
the water which Jimmy tells us contains Lugarite, a rock only found here and at
a site in Chile. Moving on through a field of sheep we found the track which
took us up to fields of cows which we crossed next to the boundary wall and
headed for Longmore Farm but took a left before it and followed the road down
past Knocknaib Farm and on to Glenmuir Water Road. As we did so we admired the
skill and strength of electricity workers who were climbing poles to sort the
lines.
From here it was a walk down the road to Logan and on to the
A70, which we crossed and headed back into Cumnock and back to the cars at
Knockroon. Seven and a half miles in three hours and thirty-five minutes were
today’s figures although, for some, it seemed longer. There had been enough wee,
steep climbs to get the heart racing and it was good to sit down at the cars,
get changed and have lunch. FRT was taken at the Black Bull in Mauchline where,
yet again, sausage rolls were the order of the day. Thanks again folks!
A most pleasant time was spent here, and some discussion took
place about the proposed Ooters’ logo. It was decided to have the logo
embroidered in gold thread onto navy blue polo shirts. The next step will be to
source a supplier and to get the Ooters to provide sizes needed. Prices will
also need to be ascertained.
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