Maidens to Dunure 22 Sept 2010

'A tidey day'

Allan, Davie, Johnny, Peter, Ronnie and Robert met at the car park in Dunure and surveyed the overhead conditions. The weather forecast was poor with wall to wall rain threatened but it was almost dry with patches of blue sky at the time and it was agreed to undertake the walk as planned. Leaving Peter's car behind we travelled to Maidens and set off.
The tide was in!
'Did anyone check today's tide times? We'll be walking on soft sand.' No reply. Anyway, the first part of the walk was reasonably uneventful with just the odd stream to cross before we left the beach to head up towards Culzean. So far, so good weather wise, dull but warm and dry. Let it be known that we did not stop for coffee at our usual halt at the top of the cliff but continued into Culzean and headed for the coffee shop. We sat inside as the seats outside were still wet and there was now some moisture in the air. However by the time we had been fed and watered it was perfectly dry and was to remain so for the rest of the day. Not for the first time was the statement made 'We've won a watch with the weather!'
The route from Culzean along the beach provided us with obstacles; none of them insurmountable, but challenging nonetheless. The streams were wider and deeper, the burn at the caravan park was too deep to cross hence a wee detour into the caravan park, and there were rock outcrops we had to clamber over, one in particular being nasty due to the slippiness of the rocks. However, we are the Ooters and we made it beyond the last outcrop before stopping for lunch. By this time the sun was breaking through and we enjoyed the late summer weather before moving off. It has to be reported at this point that no cameras were brought today* as it was assumed that we would get a soaking and no-one wished to get their prized possessions wet.
Fifteen minutes took us from our lunch spot to the path up from the beach to the clifftops and it was a straightforward walk back to Dunure. Two things of note though. First, sloes were growing beside the footpath, Robert accumulated a nice wee crop. Second, the maize which we noted on our last visit poking through the plastic sheeting had ripened and been left to rot. 'Why fur?' Was the farmer paid to plant it? Was it a trial crop? Could the farmer not be bothered harvesting it? Maybe somebody has an answer.


'3 hours 40 minutes,' reported Davie as we reached the car park.
FRT, as usual on this walk, was taken at the Dunure Inn.

*In order to provide you, dear readers, with some photos, Davie, Holly & Kay nobly returned to Dunure on Saturday in brilliant sunshine!