Alan, Allan, Davie, Ian, Jimmy, Johnny, Malcolm, Paul, Peter, Rex & Robert
Our first walk of the New Year could have been better; it could hardly have been wetter. Yet the morning started promisingly enough with our inland members waking to a keen frost and clear sky, a clear sky that extended to the coast. When we gathered in Allan’s in Irvine the sun had risen and was filling the landscape with a warming light. All of us had hopes for a decent day for a favourite walk.
We were pleasantly surprised to see Rex waiting for us in Allan’s, his recovery from surgery coming sooner than expected. But there was no Robert this morning. He was awaiting the arrival of the roof man for the second time this winter. And Ronnie was working. That left ten of us to car share to Portencross for what we expected to be a pleasant short walk to start our New Year.
It was on the high ground of the Ardrossan bypass that we saw the weather coming in; a great dark-grey swathe of rain-bearing cloud approaching from the north-west. By the time we reached the car park of Portencross the first rain hit. And there was a wind with it, a cold wind, and a wind that churned the sea and sent green rollers breaking against the rocks by the car park and throwing spray to join the rain. We donned waterproofs from the start, fully expecting to cast them off after the shower had passed and the sun had returned.
We set off into the weather taking an anticlockwise route round the circuit, the, now hail salted, wind driven rain stinging into exposed flesh. This was not a time for hanging about. Heads tilted into the weather, we walked on. A car tooted at us and, as we lifted heads into the weather, we recognised the missing Robert who had come to join us after all. It wasn’t a time for hanging about so we walked on quickly enough to build up the heat but slowly enough to let Robert catch us up. When a field of geese was seen opposite the Ardneil road-end we still walked on, even the birders, for though the hail had gone, the wind-driven freezing rain still stung into faces. It was not a time for hanging about even for a field full of geese. We would wait until the shower passed before we stopped. We walked on
In the lea of Goldenberry we lost the wind; unfortunately not so the rain, though this had eased to a steady drumming on the jacket hoods. Robert caught up with us as we turned from Thirdpart towards the main A78. Then all eleven of us walked on. And walked on. There was no point in stopping until the rain went.
Out on to the main road we went. Then onto Hunterston old drive. Past our usual coffee stop we went – we would have coffee when the rain went. Past Hunterston Castle we went – no stop to examine Latin inscriptions today. We walked on in the rain. We would stop when the rain went.
On to Hunterston Power Station road we walked. It was there that we noticed Paul was leaking. A white excrescence - that’s a good word, Davie – oozed from his black waterproofs and trickled down his arms and legs. Since none of us could identify the white ‘stuff’, Paul was given a wide berth for the rest of the day just in case it was catching for there’s no saying how bad ‘white excrescence’ can become. And we’re all at a delicate age now.
Still we walked on in the rain. Even the shelduck and the wee broon birds in the sheltered bay couldn’t tempt anybody to stop. We walked on in the rain. We did stop briefly; very briefly, in a bus shelter at the power station for Peter was now beginning to squelch, his waterproofing having succumbed to the constant downpour. While compassion is the Ooters watchword and we sympathised with the dripping Peter, there wasn’t a lot could be done at that time. He would have to thole the wet for the next mile or so back to the cars. We walked on in the rain.
From the raised beach we could see the brighter weather coming, again from the north-west. Arran began to appear and the rain began to ease. By the time we reached Portencross it had gone and the day was brightening. The wet Peter made a direct line for the cars through the hamlet. The rest of us though paid our usual visit to see the castle. Some would have had coffee/lunch at the castle but the consensus was that we join Peter at the cars, change into drier gear and have lunch sitting in the comfort of the cars. Well, we did say we would stop when the rain went.
This was rather inauspicious start to the year. Still, in the words of the fabulous D:Ream ‘♫Things can only get better♫’.
FRT Was taken in the Laurieston in Ardrossan for the Merrick in Seamill has lost its attraction now.
Our first walk of the New Year could have been better; it could hardly have been wetter. Yet the morning started promisingly enough with our inland members waking to a keen frost and clear sky, a clear sky that extended to the coast. When we gathered in Allan’s in Irvine the sun had risen and was filling the landscape with a warming light. All of us had hopes for a decent day for a favourite walk.
We were pleasantly surprised to see Rex waiting for us in Allan’s, his recovery from surgery coming sooner than expected. But there was no Robert this morning. He was awaiting the arrival of the roof man for the second time this winter. And Ronnie was working. That left ten of us to car share to Portencross for what we expected to be a pleasant short walk to start our New Year.
It was on the high ground of the Ardrossan bypass that we saw the weather coming in; a great dark-grey swathe of rain-bearing cloud approaching from the north-west. By the time we reached the car park of Portencross the first rain hit. And there was a wind with it, a cold wind, and a wind that churned the sea and sent green rollers breaking against the rocks by the car park and throwing spray to join the rain. We donned waterproofs from the start, fully expecting to cast them off after the shower had passed and the sun had returned.
We set off into the weather taking an anticlockwise route round the circuit, the, now hail salted, wind driven rain stinging into exposed flesh. This was not a time for hanging about. Heads tilted into the weather, we walked on. A car tooted at us and, as we lifted heads into the weather, we recognised the missing Robert who had come to join us after all. It wasn’t a time for hanging about so we walked on quickly enough to build up the heat but slowly enough to let Robert catch us up. When a field of geese was seen opposite the Ardneil road-end we still walked on, even the birders, for though the hail had gone, the wind-driven freezing rain still stung into faces. It was not a time for hanging about even for a field full of geese. We would wait until the shower passed before we stopped. We walked on
In the lea of Goldenberry we lost the wind; unfortunately not so the rain, though this had eased to a steady drumming on the jacket hoods. Robert caught up with us as we turned from Thirdpart towards the main A78. Then all eleven of us walked on. And walked on. There was no point in stopping until the rain went.
Out on to the main road we went. Then onto Hunterston old drive. Past our usual coffee stop we went – we would have coffee when the rain went. Past Hunterston Castle we went – no stop to examine Latin inscriptions today. We walked on in the rain. We would stop when the rain went.
On to Hunterston Power Station road we walked. It was there that we noticed Paul was leaking. A white excrescence - that’s a good word, Davie – oozed from his black waterproofs and trickled down his arms and legs. Since none of us could identify the white ‘stuff’, Paul was given a wide berth for the rest of the day just in case it was catching for there’s no saying how bad ‘white excrescence’ can become. And we’re all at a delicate age now.
Still we walked on in the rain. Even the shelduck and the wee broon birds in the sheltered bay couldn’t tempt anybody to stop. We walked on in the rain. We did stop briefly; very briefly, in a bus shelter at the power station for Peter was now beginning to squelch, his waterproofing having succumbed to the constant downpour. While compassion is the Ooters watchword and we sympathised with the dripping Peter, there wasn’t a lot could be done at that time. He would have to thole the wet for the next mile or so back to the cars. We walked on in the rain.
From the raised beach we could see the brighter weather coming, again from the north-west. Arran began to appear and the rain began to ease. By the time we reached Portencross it had gone and the day was brightening. The wet Peter made a direct line for the cars through the hamlet. The rest of us though paid our usual visit to see the castle. Some would have had coffee/lunch at the castle but the consensus was that we join Peter at the cars, change into drier gear and have lunch sitting in the comfort of the cars. Well, we did say we would stop when the rain went.
This was rather inauspicious start to the year. Still, in the words of the fabulous D:Ream ‘♫Things can only get better♫’.
FRT Was taken in the Laurieston in Ardrossan for the Merrick in Seamill has lost its attraction now.
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