Jimmy’s report on our wander round Cumnock

 Robert,Jimmy,Davy Mc,Davy C,Rex,Alan,and Hugh.

Two things we learnt from today’s outing: Firstly, what wealth of history we have in our county: And, secondly, how proud Jimmy is of his local area. We did this walk because the forecast for the Lowther hills was poor and we followed the alternative arrangement.

As we stood in the usual car park in Cumnock we were approached by a woman who told us we couldn’t park there as they were about to resurface it. So, we moved on, following Jimmy to a quiet car park in Woodroad Park for a wee ramble in the Cumnock area. While boots were donned and rucksacks arranged Jimmy regaled us with tales of Cumnock outdoor swimming pool. It seems that at one time this was a popular venue, not only for locals but for celebrity swimmers as well including Olympic champions Anita Lonsbrough and Johnny Weissmuller of Tarzan fame. There is no sign of there ever have been a swimming pool there now.

We walked through the park, climbed past Templand farm and out on to Rigg Road. Turning right here we moved on towards Lugar. At the entrance to what appeared to be abandoned factories we halted to let the slowies catch up. Then we walked through what Jimmy told us was the original iron works of Lugar, then the headquarters of NCB Ayrshire followed by the offices of Cumnock and doon Valley District council. Now it is a collection of small factories and works.

               At the end of this seeming dereliction was a narrow lane which we took and followed it to Brickwork Loch and an old railway. Since some tongues were hanging out for the lack of coffee, we halted in an abandoned signal box for re-caffeination. But the midges were annoying some and coffee stop was shorter than it might have been and we were soon on the move again. Tarmac was found just to the north of Cronberry an d we held to this for a while. 

We came down the busy A70 into the village of Lugar. We might have walked on but the bold Jimmy had us stopped the farm of Bello Mill where we were told the story of one William Murdoch. As we stood there the lady of the house came out. A very pleasant woman of our own vintage, she was delighted that we were interested in Murdoch and allowed us to go through the farm to view the original mill. When we came back up to the farm she asked us to sign the visitor’s book that has been kept t the farm since 1913. We were only too happy to do so. Our thanks go to the lady whose name we forgot to get. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Murdoch

The next stop was at The Spoot, a natural spring where the folk of Lugar got their water before it was piped in in the 1930’s. A lot of work has been done here to make this an attractive picnic area with flower beds and seating. And all done during lock-down by a group of volunteers. Hats off to them for they have done a great job. 

We left tarmac for a while again. Crossing the bridge, we followed the river upstream, under the viaduct and down to another lovely wee picnic spot by the side of the Glenmuir Water. This is where we chose to have lunch. And, for a change, it was a relaxed lunch sitting on boulders and looking over the water to an immense vertical rock face topped by trees barely clinging to the earth above it. This was the Black Rocks.

Thoroughly refreshed, we continued to follow the river upstream, giving the bull and his harem a wide enough berth, to the ruins of Barlonachan farm where we picked up the old farm track. As we climbed up the side of the valley with the track, it was mentioned that it was a superb setting for a farm. What wasn’t quite so superb was the track we followed for it was showing the signs of tractor us and was covered in oozy mud. But, climbing a style into a field got us out of the glaur and it was only a couple of fields before we found a more solid farm road and eventually tarmac again. This we followed back into Cumnock.

From the high ground to the east of the town, Jimmy pointed out, across the valley, the site of a covenanter’s monument. And another was mentioned when we found the old cemetery on Barhill. This was to Rev. Alexander Peden who was brought here from his grave in Auchinleck six weeks after his burial to be hanged on the public gibbet in Cumnock, Thanks to the intervention of the Earl of Dumfries, this was never carried out but Peden was buried at the foot of the Gibbet as a common criminal.

We turned right at the old cemetery and came back into the valley of the Lugar, crossed the Rifleman’s brig and came back into the Woodroad Park. This had been a different walk from the planned one but it brought back memories for Davie Mc and was new territory for most.

Davie’s version of events 

Seven of us met at the carpark at Cumnock swimming pool although our stay there was short-lived owing to its imminent re-surfacing. Consequently we moved the cars to the carpark at the foot of the Woodroad Park.

The proposed walk to the Lowthers had been cancelled for reasons unknown to your scribe and Jimmy was appointed Chief Injun for the day and he already had plans as to which way we would go. This was to be a day of reminiscing for Derval Davie (the ooter formerly known as Cumnock Davie) as will be revealed.

First we walked up past the site of the old open air pool. Davie informed the company that for many years he did not partake of alcohol on a Saturday night so that he could be fresh and fit for an early morning swim on the Sunday. Nobody believed the bit about the alcohol.

We proceeded up through the park and under the Templand Viaduct onto the rough road which meets up with the Auchinleck - Lugar. Here Davie recalled his first dalliance with the opposite sex on one of the pit bings which proliferate in this area. He became positively misty-eyed about it.

At Lugar, instead of going down the Peasie Brae Jimmy took us in to what remains of Lugar Iron Works which spread over a considerable area but is now sadly home to weeds and all sorts of rubbish. Another memory was brought to Davie’s mind of when he worked at the briquette works for the summer before heading off to university. Anything you want to know about briquettes, Davie’s yer man.

Jimmy had us cut through the old works and soon we were on an old railway line heading towards Cronberry. A stop was called for at the old signal box but the conditions were ripe for midges so we didn’t taigle too long.
At this point Davie pointed out his Alma Mater ie Cronberry Primary School which he attended only for P1 in 1953/4. He had to confess he got the belt (in P1) for peeing through the playground railings after being shopped by a wee lassie. Davie C told us he got the belt on his very first day in P1 for standing on top of the desk.

As we headed up past where Cronberry Rows used to be, Davie discovered that only he and Jimmy had ever heard of William Murdoch the inventor of gas lighting who “lit up the world”. Consequently Jimmy determined to show the ignoramuses the place where Murdoch conducted his experiments. On entering Bello Mill Farm we were met by an extremely pleasant lady who allowed us to go down to the ruins of the old Bello Mill. Unfortunately because the Lugar Water was in spate we couldn’t go down to the water’s edge and along to the cave where Murdoch experimented with lighting coal gas. Maybe another day. Davie told us incidentally that Muirkirk was the first town to have gas lighting but the last to be connected to the Natural Gas Grid. On our return to Bello Mill Farm the lady (Mrs Craig) met us again with a visitors’ book. It was a massive tome and the first signature was dated 1913!

Down the road we had a look at Lugar Boswell Thistle’s ground which was looking very spruce indeed. Jimmy informed the company that they were the first team to adopt the 2-3-5 formation which was universally adopted and lasted till the sixties.

Further down the road Jimmy showed us a lovely wee garden at the Spout, re- created by the locals before we crossed the bridge at Hollowsholm and turned left up to the viaduct  before dropping down to the river to have a spot of well-earned lunch. This is a most picturesque spot as the accompanying photos show.

Carrying on we eventually ended up coming down into Logan and before long heading down Bank Glen and back into the  Woodroad Park. The walk had taken just over 4 hours and although it had smirred occasionally and some of the going had been wet and glaury, on the whole this was an enjoyable walk and thanks are due to the Chief Injun, Jimmy.

More about Lugar on the Cumnock History Group site
http://www.cumnockhistorygroup.org/gallery-presentations.html  Life in Lugar at the bottom. You can click past the boring bits to the old photos! (Kay)