18 November Irvine to Ardrossan

Nine Ooters met at Johnny's in Irvine for the now legendary coffee and scones. Missing today were Jimmy (an old knee injury) and Rex (attending to building work). Since the weather forecast was dire with heavy rain scheduled to move in during late morning and lasting for the best part of the next 36 hours, a prompt start was made at 9.30am with Johnny leading us down into the town centre before following the path across Irvine Moor and onwards towards the site of the old Ravenspark Hospital ( The Poors' House aka The Pares' Hoose, as the locals refer to it). Building at the new 'Ravenspark Village' stopped months ago when the company went bust and there is little sign of works being resumed any time soon.
The walk then continued towards the Recycling Centre at Bartonholm and from there across to the outskirts of Kilwinning where we proceeded on the walkway/cycle track skirting the industrial estate that borders the Kilwinning bypass. The pace was brisk as usual but after the shenanigans of last week the group stayed together with the unusual sight of the gang stopping en masse when a one of our esteemed colleagues had to make a pit stop. (We'll see how long this will last - remember the motto!). Robert kept using the word 'compassion' - a word not normally in the Ooters' vocabulary.
As we traversed the hinterland between Kilwinning and Stevenston the first of today's wildlife was spotted, first a deer, then a buzzard and then a kestrel, allegedly. Our resident naturalist being missing today meant that it was up to the rest of us to make up what we didn't know. Robert helpfully stopped to alert a local nature lover, at least he had a pair of binoculars, as to the wonderful sights to be seen. 'I've been here before', was the stoic reply. Despite calls for coffee, we marched on past Ardeer and into Stevenston, past the Auchenharvie Golf Centre, noting some coots, swans and mallards in a pond, and back on to the main road for the stretch up to the the boundary with Saltcoats. So far the weather had remained kind, dry but with a wee edge to the wind at times.
On the Stevenston/Saltcoats border we crossed over a wooden railway bridge which looked well past its sell by date and stopped beside the water's edge for coffee/lunch. The border guards insisted on bribes being paid to enter Saltcoats. After some discussion we decided to take their bribes and continued into the Costa Clyde. A few spots of rain hastened our progress but thankfully they came to nothing as we walked along the shorefront between Saltcoats and Ardrossan, avoiding the occasional soaking as the waves broke over the sea wall.
Without any ceremony the bus stop was reached by 12.50 and the big blue no 11 bus arrived to take us back to Irvine cross. This route took us past two schools until recently home to two of the Ooters ( Auchenharvie and Irvine Royal) and through Pennyburn whose quality of building was scorned by the assembled company. Busses have come a long way in recent years - this one had come down from Kilmarnock this morning - no seriously, relatively comfortable and quiet with closed circuit television. It is sometimes amazing what you can see from the top of a bus that you miss when on the ground. We saw ... well...er... some lesser spotted jakeys at the front of the bus. No doubt they would have settled at the back had we not bagged these seats first.
Soon we were back in Irvine and made our way without delay up to Johnny's as the rain was just starting to fall gently. We certainly had won a watch today with the weather. Our host provided beer, crisps and sausage rolls ( 8 for £1 in Aldi's) and as usual the crack was good. Eventually we left just after 3 o'clock wishing Ian well on his Caribbean cruise. However thanks also go to Alan for the wee Black Label to celebrate the birth of his second grandchild, Emma, who, with her mum, is doing well.

This had been a day where finishing the walk before the rains came was a priority. It was part of the Ayrshire Coastal walk but to be honest we did not really meet the coast until leaving Stevenston. Peter suggested that the route was null and void and the walk would need to be redone. Gaun yersel’, Peter!

One for the diary - the annual Christmas walk along the canal path in Glasgow followed by a meal at the Ashoka will be on December 16th.