Greenock Cut 18 September

Alan, Allan, Billy, Davie C, Davie Mc, Gus, Hugh, Iain, Ian, Malcolm, Paul, Rex, Robert

The Killie crew, including Gus’s pal, Billy Whyte, had taken coffee across the road in the café before meeting up with the rest of us at the ticket office at Wemyss Bay in anticipation of the Kilchattan circular walk on Bute. However, we were informed that the 10 o’clock sailing was ‘aff’ due to 'technical issues' and that the next sailing would not be until 11.05 – too late for us. A quick decision was made to adjourn to Cornalees to do the Greenock Cut, but not before we had politely inquired if we could get our £3 back for the parking. Suffice it to say that the answer was not positive. (Had we checked Calmac’s website before we left, it would have made no difference as there had been no notification of that cancellation on it.)

We were ready to start at about 10.15 and went in the anti-clockwise direction on an overcast, but dry, morning. The walk has been described many times before, so suffice it to say that we took coffee at our usual spot half-way down the hill, and, just as someone said that we usually get rain on this walk, some very light rain began to fall, but only for a few minutes, time enough to put the rain jackets on, and then get them back off again.
The next stop was, again, at our customary lunch spot where a pleasant fifteen minutes was spent before moving off in ever brightening conditions. As we approached Cornalees we were passed by groups of girls going in the opposite direction and, as we do, we made conversation, only to find out that they were 6^th year pupils from Kilmarnock Academy setting off, maps in hand, to do an overnighter for their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. Back at the car park we met some of their leaders/teachers, but they had been relatively new to the school and didn’t know any of our KA guys.
Today’s numbers were two hours and fifty-five minutes for seven and a half miles.
A brisk walk in decent conditions followed by FRT (with chips) at Drouthy Neebors in Largs, and it was good to have Davie C back with us. It was even better to have a fit again Holly back!