Bute 29 May

Allan, Davie C, Gus, Hugh, Iain, Ian, Malcolm, Rex, Robert

We travelled through heavy rain but when we arrived at Wemyss Bay it was dry, and since the forecast was for no rain on Bute until 3pm, we took the 10am ferry to Rothesay. En route, Davie had a plan, and it was a cunning plan. And not only did he have a plan, he had a map. Rather than do the scheduled walk i.e. Stage 1 of the West Island Way down at Kilchattan, he suggested taking in part of Stage 2 by starting at Rothesay, going up to Port Bannatyne, and then over to Ettrick Bay.

A vote was taken, and Robert declared that the Leavers (Stage 2) had beat the Remainers, although he was a bit vague as to the actual numbers and would not hear of a recount or another referendum. Anyway, by doing this walk we would start walking right away without the need to make a bus journey. Ironies of Ironies was that the Kilchattan bus was there waiting for us as we left the terminal and headed up to the left of the castle expecting to see a sign for the WIW. Although Davie’s map was comprehensive, its scale was not sufficient to discern the streets in Rothesay and how to get to where we wanted to be. So, we continued up past the Police Station and to the recreation ground, where we stopped to allow Davie to go in and ask the staff at the Leisure Centre reception for directions. We had a choice, either retrace our steps towards Rothesay and veer left, or continue on our current direction to Loch Fad and catch the WIW there. Now, the Ooters don’t like retracing their steps, or even admitting they’re lost, so we continued up past the hospital and the school before following a sign down a track to Loch Fad.
Once there, we were on relatively familiar territory as we had been there a number of years before and, as we crossed the loch at the dam and continued up the track, we found a marker to confirm we were indeed on the WIW. From here the route was well signposted, although you had to keep an eagle eye out for the signs, and by midday we were where we wanted to be in the first place i.e. Westland Road. (This detour had taken an hour and a quarter and probably added two and a half to three miles on to what we were going to do.)
The last time we reached this road it was at the end of our walk and we turned right down into Rothesay, but today, we turned left, and followed it up past the recycling centre and stayed on it until Robert spotted a sign indicating a right turn on to a grass track, This part of the walk proved to be very pleasant in the relatively warm temperature, and we followed the signs overland and past recently felled forests until we made a steepish descent down towards Port Bannatyne. We continued on the path, still following the signs, towards Kames beach and emerged on to the A844. A sign said turn left and it was 2 miles to Ettrick Bay, but it was one o’clock and we were in need of our lunch, especially those who hadn’t bought a coffee and a bun on the boat. Also, we took into account that if we had gone to Ettrick Bay, had lunch, and then walked back, we were risking a fairly long walk in the impending rain, It was a no-brainer, therefore, to turn right and walk down to the seats at the beach. Ettrick Bay could wait for another day.

A leisurely lunch was taken overlooking Kames Bay and the Cowal Peninsula and it was a thought to move on. Before we did though, Malcolm, fresh back from Crete, produced a bottle of Raki, distilled by the owner of the hotel he was in and reckoned to be amongst the best in the island, for us to try. Thoughtfully he had also brought a supply of shot glasses, so we sampled the spirit and were generally pleasantly surprised. We look forward to next week’s offering, Malcolm!
Gathering ourselves together we noticed down below us a bird’s nest complete with three eggs. We hazarded a guess that it was an oyster catcher’s nest but await verification from those amongst us who know about these things, Jimmy!

By this time the first slight signs of moisture in the air were present so we took the quickest route back to the ferry terminal which was to follow the coastal road, passing, as we did, a wee memorial to the young girl, who had been murdered last year, and the house she had been staying in. Very sad!
We made the terminal in good time for the 2.30pm ferry, just as the moisture was turning into a slight drizzle. All in all, though, we had got the best of the day weather-wise, had been on the go for just over three and a half hours, and had covered nine and a half miles.
Jings and crivvens! The Railway Bar at Wemyss Bay was busy when we got there and we couldn’t get seated, so we motored down to Largs and Drouthy Neebors for FRT. Rex was presented with a bottle of bubbly and a card to celebrate fifty years of marriage and he gratefully accepted thanking all the Ooters on behalf of himself and Barbara.
Despite our slightly inauspicious start, the day had turned out well, and as was said earlier, Ettrick Bay awaits another day.