A very healthy turnout of Ooters
assembled at the fishery carpark at Glenbuck on a dry, fresh morning. There was
a chill to the wind so little time was spent blethering before the group split
into two to go their separate ways. Your scribe, Dougie, Jim, Jimmy, Malcolm
and Peter would do a low-level walk leaving the other eight to do the Hareshaw
Hill walk.
The ‘Walking In More Pleasant Surroundings’ group set off round the
loch in a clockwise direction, taking about fifty minutes to complete this
section at a steady saunter. As expected, underfoot conditions were not the
best in places, but, by and large, the going was easy. The next section consisted
of joining the River Ayr Walk and walking towards Muirkirk. Small sections of
this track very definitely wet and those with gaiters had chosen wisely. Peter bemoaned
the fact that his boots were letting in – time to splash out, Peter! We stopped
for coffee at what remains of an old bridge over the burn (river) and were
entertained by the efforts of a couple of farmers and their dogs who, across
the main road, were trying to herd reluctant sheep into a pen. Marching on, we continued until a fence across the path signalled our turning point. Retracing our steps, we were back at Glenbuck at one o’clock, having covered six miles, and, having studied Bill Shankly’s memorial and the ‘sculpture’ which marks the start of the River Ayr Way, we made our way down the wooden hide for a leisurely lunch.
Making our way back up the carpark, we got changed quickly and were just about to settle into the cars to await the rest when Holly appeared, closely followed by the guys. Their walk had taken about three hours and forty-five minutes and had been nine miles in length.
As we made our way to the Empire Bar in Muirkirk, light rain began to fall, but we had got the best of the day and thoroughly enjoyed the FRT, complemented with Alan's cakes and biscuits (many thanks, Alan!). The wisecracking was up (or down) to its usual standard.
A good day out!
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