7 November The Fenwick Moor

Alan, Allan, Andy, Davie C, Davie Mc, Ian, Jimmy, Malcolm, Peter, Rex, Robert & Ronnie

Robert had an idea for a new walk, a vague idea of a route across the Fenwick Moor from Whitelee to Fenwick. But, as we all know, vague ideas are no use to Robert and he had to make sure. To this end he went to ‘recce’ the walk on Sunday. All went well until half way through he was confronted by a seemingly endless morass of wet peat and lank, tussocky moor grasses into which any semblance of a path melted. With thoughts of another Black Craig episode in mind, he decided to abandon this route and amend the plan for today. That’s why twelve of us gathered at the meeting place in Fenwick on another dull, damp and dreich Wednesday morning.

Now, despite protestations from Robert to the contrary, we suspect that he made an amendment to his amendment for we were not to start from Fenwick at all but to motor round to the hamlet of Waterside. At around the half-past-ten mark we were ready to leave the car park in Waterside.

We started off along the road for Ga’ston. This is a busy road and we were only too glad to be leaving it after a few hundred yards to take a minor road that came in on our left, a quiet road that would take us past Collarie Farm towards Craigends. Well, we thought that it was a quiet road but often we had to step aside on to the grass verge to let traffic past. Still it was considerably quieter than the Ga’ston one and it took us deep into the east Ayrshire countryside.

 ‘Is this no’ the road into Kiwi Lodge?’ asked one. The answer was affirmative. A few memories were recalled of the famous howf of the nineteen-sixties and seventies although the more innocent among us claimed never to have heard of the place. And, just for old time's sake we took a look at the private house that used to be the infamous Kiwi Lodge Hotel. Then we retraced the steps for fifty yards or so and took the farm track for Airtnoch Farm.

We thought that at last we had a road to ourselves but yet we had to step aside and let past first a lorry then a van then a tractor just finished spraying slurry. And we met the van on its return journey. So much for a quiet walk! (A quiet walk? With you lot around – Ed.) But we soldiered on.

Just inside the forest we came across a splendid new house complete with tennis court. Called on the map Craigendunton, we wondered who on earth would want to build such a splendid new house inside a conifer plantation? If it was for privacy, they certainly got that but if it was for the view, all they can see is a sea of the ubiquitous Norway spruce. Still we wonder for there was no-one there to ask and it looked as though there had been no-one there for a wee while. We walked on.

The road became rougher now that we were in the forest but it was still a road and it took us to the face of the dam that held back Craigendunton reservoir. This is in the keep of Kilmarnock Angling Club who stock it regularly and is familiar to Allan who has fished it and the surrounding lochs for many years. And, fortunately for us for now the rain was with us, the angling club have provided a shelter. An ancient, windowless, damp portacabin provided shelter for our elevenses/lunch while outside the rain fairly pelted down.

Yet, by the time we were ready to move on, the rain had gone. We stepped out of our howf into the damp air but the rain had gone. A new path has been constructed round the reservoir and this just called out to be explored. At the end of the path we could look up to where Robert was on Sunday. From where he stood he could barely see the reservoir across the boggy stretch let alone the new path. But we could see that the rough stuff extended barely fifty yards from the last of the Whitelee wind turbines. It would not take much effort to cross this. So Robert’s proposed walk has been suggested for one of these glorious April days when the warm spring sun chases cloud shadows across the moor and the breeze stirs the fresh green moor grasses. (Dream on – Ed.)

Today though our return journey was to be the reverse of the outward and we turned ourselves back to the portacabin, the reservoir dam and the new house at Craigendunton. There is a cave supposedly used by hunted Covenanters in the banks of the Calf Fauld Burn some hundred yards off the road and we turned our steps along the burn side in search of it. Jimmy found it carved into the rock fifteen feet up a crag face with a wet, slippery ascent to the mouth. It was too wet and too slippery for us today and an exploration of the cave must be left for another time. April?

When we left the cave and came back onto the track, the air was drying and the day was clearing somewhat, clearing enough to let us see the potential of the area. Away in the distance was Brown Carrick hill and a glimmer of light that showed the sea. Yes, we must do this walk on a better day. Back down through Airtnoch we came and back to tarmac at Kiwi Lodge. This tarmac brought us back to waterside just the late end of lunch time, just in time to enjoy FRT in the King’s Arms in Fenwick.