Knock Hill 9th April

Alan, Alan McQ, Allan, Davie C, Dougie, Gus, Hugh, Jimmy, Rex

The grand weather continued for our Knock Hill walk i.e. blue skies, sunshine, but still a bit chilly in the shade, and so we didn’t waste any time in starting off. In fact, we were on our way from our usual parking spots in Largs by 9.50am as we assumed, rightly on this occasion, that we were all present. It was good to have Davie back with us and happy that he had chosen this walk to dip his toe in the water again!

Most progressed at a leisurely pace up the usual roads to Brisbane Mains Farm, now deserted, and up the track to our coffee spot where the odd layer or two was removed. Moving on up, the countryside looked good, if somewhat parched, but it was too hazy to make out much of Arran and the other hills in the distance. Underfoot was mainly dry, with only a couple of wee, wet bits to negotiate, which was surprising after all the recent dry weather. On approaching the hill itself there was the normal split with Alan McQ, Gus, Hugh, Jimmy and Rex going straight up whilst Davie and his minders took to the path round the outside. However, having gone about two-thirds of the way up, the smaller group came across Jimmy sitting beside the track starting to have his lunch. ‘Too cold up there’, he said, so the foursome sat down with him for their lunch. After all, it wasn’t as if they hadn’t been to the top before. Soon, the others came down and joined us for lunch overlooking the golf course and the firth, and in the sunshine, sheltered from any breeze.

Eventually it was time to move on down and across a very busy golf course, much busier than we have previously seem, no doubt due to Easter holidays and the good weather, and then down the road, past the boating pond and back to the town. Three hours for about seven miles were the stats.

FRT was taken at Drouthy Neebors where a pleasant hour was spent in the beer garden despite it still being a bit chilly in the sunshine.