Failford to Stair 29 June

Allan, Davie C, Davie Mc, Dougie, Iain, Jimmy, Paul, Robert

There had been some rain as we travelled to Failford but, by the time we were ready to set off, it had dried up and was to remain dry and bright for the rest of the day. Heading for Stair on the River Ayr Gorge Walk, we took time to venture up to Peden’s Pulpit where Derval Davie aka daredevil Davie, just had to climb the steps to the top. Mind you he had Isla to accompany/hinder him.

Having retraced our steps and re-joined the path to Stair, Davie, Jimmy, and Iain went down the steps to the lower route and met up with the rest at the bench where coffee was taken. Moving on, the next split came at Daldorch when Allan, Killie Davie and Paul took the diversion across the field to the road whilst the rest continued along the riverside path. The three had forgotten that the diversion was quite a hilly wee road but nonetheless they arrived at the lunch spot beside the weir at Stair a few minutes after the main group who reported that the path was very overgrown, and the landslip section was a bit muddy and slippy. Davie’s feet were wet, due to grass being soaking wet, and he was in trainers, as he can’t still use his boots because of his sair fit.

It was quarter past twelve when we set off on the return leg. This time only Davie and Jimmy took the riverside path as Isla is still very nervous about roads and traffic, but we all met up again when the bigger group re-joined the path at Daldorch. We stayed high on our way back, no-one went down the steps, and we continued high further on before we descended to re-join the main path just before Failford. Here we met a demob happy Alan McQ who had come to join us for FRT.

We had covered between seven and a half and eight miles, we think, in three hours and fifty minutes and had been rewarded with surprisingly good weather. FRT was taken in the beer garden at the Failford Inn where walks were plotted for the next few weeks.