Cumnock Circular 1 December

Alan, Allan, Billy, Davie C, Gus, Hugh, Iain, Jimmy, Malcolm, Paul, Robert

It was chucking it down as we assembled at Knockroon and so, for the second week running, we decided to do a Cumnock circular walk rather than try Corsencon. Davie Mc arrived as we were about to leave, but only to say he was going to do a wee walk by himself (and the dog) as his back was still bothering him.

Jimmy led us up Rigg Road in ever-brightening conditions, with blue skies beginning to make an appearance, towards Lugar, but, as we approached the village, we took a left and followed the track up to the loch adjacent to the former brickworks. Coffee was called for here.

Who forgot their flippers? At least the water washed the muck off the boots

So far, so good, as the overhead conditions were now perfect and underfoot had been OK even after yesterday’s rain, but the next leg along the old railway line towards Cronberry was water-logged. No matter, we trudged on and eventually it got drier, although by this time a number of the company had wet feet. The railway line split here with the left-hand option getting us to tarmac and a walk up to the main A70, but since many feet were already wet, Jimmy took us along the right-hand route down to the Bellow Water and then up towards Braehead and down into Lugar.

At the Bellow water next to Cronberry

Crossing over the Lugar at the footbridge (a hundred metres or so upstream the Bellow Water joins Glenmuir Water to form the Lugar) we took an immediate left and headed for the Viaduct over the Glenmuir Water, passed below it, and took lunch on the grassy slope beside the water whilst admiring the bridge.

Lunch at the viaduct

Moving on, we crossed a couple of fields inhabited with sheep, a largish proportion of which walked with limps, before heading up a track, passing more limping sheep, and heading over the fields before joining a farm track and heading for Longmore Farm and on to Glenmuir Water Road. From here it was tarmac and pavement down past Logan and then into Cumnock and back up to the cars.

The weather had turned out fine after the first twenty minutes and Corsencon could probably have been done, but we weren’t to know how things would turn out. In any case, it was decided to put the hill on the backburner until at least the spring. Nine miles had been covered today in three and three-quarter hours, a good, if tiring, day out. FRT was taken in the Black Bull in Mauchline.