Bute 23rd September

Alan, Alan McQ, Allan, Davie C, Dougie, Gus, Hugh, Paul, Rex, Robert

After some heavy overnight rain, we were blessed with a beautiful late September morning for our trip to Rothesay on the 10.05 ferry from Wemyss Bay. Whilst onboard we decided that there would be two walks today, both involving taking the bus towards Kilchattan Bay. The ferry arrived on time, and the bus came on schedule taking us in and out of the Mount Stuart grounds (your scribe thinking that it took a different route in and out than before) before the driver obliged us by stopping at the WW1 war memorial. Six of us got off there whilst Alan McQ, Gus, Paul and Rex continued to the Kingarth Hotel.

 

From the memorial the six followed the track for a short distance until it met up with the West Island Way and this was the path we were to follow from there. Given the recent rain there were some wet bits to contend with, especially in the more sheltered sections, but nothing serious, and with the lovely overhead conditions, progress was good, and the going got better the further we walked. 

 

Having stopped for coffee, it wasn’t too long before Loch Ascog appeared on our right and at Lochend we hit tarmac again. On reaching the mainish road (B881) we had the option to follow the WIW down to Loch Fad but in order to save some aching limbs we stuck to the road down into Rothesay. On the way we passed the Leisure Centre, the same Centre that Davie had entered in May 2019 (was it really that long ago?) to get directions as to how to get out of Rothesay on a walk he had planned for Ettrick Bay. The receptionist was little help, and we did an alternative walk, still enjoyable. Reaching the castle, we took lunch in the sunshine before adjourning to the Taverna Bar, where Robert was reacquainted with his doppelganger, to await the others.

The six had been in the bar for about forty -five minutes when, at about quarter past two the four arrived having walked from the hotel in Kingarth along the road and to follow the WIW, eventually following in the steps of the six. However, they did take the path down to Loch Fad and came back into Rothesay using the road we have taken often in the past. The longer walk had been a tad over eight miles whilst the shorter had been five miles and a bit.

The four did not have time for a second pint before catching the three o’clock ferry, but some took advantage onboard to catch up. This had been a grand day out with the weather making all the difference and with the Firth of Clyde and surroundings looking at its best.