18 May Irvine Byways

Allan, Alan, Jimmy, Malcolm

May, it would seem, is a month of choice for Ooters holidays; two had just returned, one was returning this very day, one was still on holiday, one was leaving today and one was preparing to leave on Saturday. Given this, and that two were tending to infirm better halves, one was floored with sciatica and two were up to their necks in building projects, it was a depleted band of four that met in Allan’s in Irvine this morning.
The intention was to travel to Cornalees for a favourite walk on the Greenock Cut. But the gathering cloud and the depressing forecast for Renfrewshire had Allan suggesting a more local walk; at least we wouldn’t have too far to travel after a soaking. There were no dissenters and we set off from Allan’s place for a walk on the byroads around Irvine.
We left Allan’s around 9:30 and came by paths and pavements to the old Lawthorn Farm, now a pub and Indian restaurant. An old road, now more a public footpath, took us past the nature reserve of Lawthorn Plantation. Here we found the tarmac that we were to stay on for most of the day. We turned right on the old Glasgow Road. But we weren’t on this busy road for long for almost immediately we turned right again on to a minor road. This took us by High Armsheugh and Millburnside to the bridge on the Annick Water near Annick lodge.
Not a lot could be seen on this section of the walk. The highlights were the robin spotted by Jimmy on the ash twig overhanging the roadside sheugh and barely four feet away from us and the buzzard being mobbed by the magpie and crow. But, these incidents apart, the walk had been uneventful so far.
The sky was still overcast but at least the rain had stayed away. It was recalled that the last time we came by Annick Lodge Bridge we stopped for lunch. But the ground today was saturated by the month’s rain and a better place was sought for the peece. Just beyond Overton Farm we found the place and sat on an old tree stump for lunch.
Dundonald Hill with its mast had been visible to us for quite a while but now at the highest point of our walk, a mere 55m above the sea, a more distant summit appeared in the south, a summit that Jimmy said was Cairnsmore of Carsphairn. In the absence of somebody to contradict him (where’s Davie when he’s needed?) we had to take his word. But this meant that even under the heavy sky visibility was extensive.

We had been lucky with the weather so far but as we entered Springside the first heavy spots hit causing Jimmy and Malcolm, who had so far walked without them, to don waterproofs. But the shower didn’t last long and nor was it particularly heavy and by the time we had turned on to the footpath along the old Kilmarnock railway it had gone and jackets came off again. The old railway disappeared near Capringstone but the path continues down the riverside as part of the Irvine New Town Trail. We continued with it as it followed the river below the houses of Dreghorn, Greenwood Academy, the Long Drive and the Irvine bypass.
When we came round the Menzies Hotel to the Annick Road Allan offered us a choice; we could follow the Town Trail to the harbour and either walk back from there or take the bus back, or we could just walk back through the town. Malcolm helped make the decision by suggesting that if we went through the town we would be able to visit the Porthead Tavern on the way. ‘Nough said, we turned towards the town centre and found ourselves ensconce in the Porthead taking an early FRT.
We had been lucky with the rain again. While we were relaxed in the warmth and dry of the Porthead, the weather gods did their worst to try and wash Irvine off the map. When we came out of the pub it was still chucking down and the street was awash. We waited inside until the monsoon had done its stuff and dry returned. Then we turned along the Glasgow Vennel and followed Bank Street back to Allan’s place.

Not the walk we had intended but a fair stretch of the legs nevertheless. And in relative dry forbye.