Portencross 13 December

Allan, Davie Mc, Dougie, Gus, Ian, Jim, Kenny T, Malcolm, Paul, Rex, Robert

Ten little, or not so little, Ooters all in a row

We were kitted out for some wild weather as we set off on the familiar Portencross circular from the carpark at the castle. Moving in a clockwise direction we had just passed the castle when the rain and hail arrived and accompanied us all along the track until we met the road leading to the power station. Fortunately, the weather had been coming from behind our shoulders, so we had been shielded from the very worst. From the road it was to remain dry, except for a light five-minute shower, for the rest of the walk. The pace was lively as we tried to keep warm but, by the time coffee was called for at the shore, the weather had improved to such an extent that people were complaining of too many layers.

Preparing for coffee

We didn’t delay long, and layers, wisely, were not removed as we made for the bridle path, the main road, and then back in to the smallholdings. There was a suggestion that we should take lunch at the abandoned shed, a place we have eaten at before, but it was decided that it would be more sensible to continue straight back to the cars, get changed, and eat in the comfort of the vehicles.
Dandy Davie said two hours and twenty-five minutes for our seven-mile circuit. The weather, although cold, had been much kinder than anticipated, and all benefited from the exercise.
FRT was taken at the Kings Arms in West Kilbride (for Rex’s benefit I’ll repeat: WEST KILBRIDE*), where a good hour was spent discussing, amongst other things, our fiscal strategy for next year i.e. how much money we would put in the kitty, and whether it would be a flat charge for everyone, or a sliding scale, depending on whether individuals were consuming alcoholic or soft drinks. It was agreed that a flat charge of £7 (bring the right money as no change will be given**) will be introduced in January.
*It should have been Fairlie simple to get there.
** To make it easier for our kitty man.