Allan, Davie C, Davie Mc, Dougie, Hugh, Jimmy, Johnny, Kenny R, Malcolm, Paul, Rex, Robert
After all the recent rain it was a relief to meet on a fine autumn morning at Failford for our walk to Stair. Soon after beginning we noticed signs warning of tree-felling due to larch trees having to be taken out because of disease, and it was a bit of a surprise to see how many trees had already been cut down on what was difficult terrain. No matter, missing out the opportunity to visit Peden’s pulpit, we made good progress up and down the many wee hills on the first part of the trail before we came to the steps down to the riverside path. Nobody took this option today given the height of the river (nothing to do with us getting older of course) so we continued to the style at Daldorch which indicated the diversion from the landslip further up. It was deemed too dangerous to tackle this today, so all took the diversion. We stopped at the entrance to Daldorch for a quick coffee and at this point Derval Davie said he would walk back from here and get us back at the style as Isla would not cope with the traffic on the road. Johnny decided to tag along with him whilst the rest walked down to the dam at Stair, a twenty-minute saunter.
Lunch was taken in very pleasant conditions whilst the torrent roared over the dam, and with no Isla to scavenge, we ate all our pieces ourselves.
The return journey starts with the walk back up to Daldorch (it gets steeper every time we do this walk) and, as we approached the wee windmill, we could see the other two down at the style. They had, in fact, turned right at the style and had gone up as far as the wooden bridge for their lunch and had only got back to the style shortly before the main group had reappeared.
Normally we take the optional, shorter, easier, high path towards the end of the walk, and as we are creatures of habit we did so again today. Progressing alongside the timber cutting, we eventually came to the cut-off down towards Failford, but we were stymied as the heavy machinery on site had created a river of soft mud, mud we were unable to cross. Even our most intrepid members agreed that we should turn back and make for the path we had come up earlier in the day. It was a five-minute walk back to this path and the detour probably coat us about fifteen or twenty minutes in total, but more importantly gave us another sharp wee hill to climb just before the steps down to journey’s end.
Just about nine miles in a total in three and three-quarter hours were today’s numbers and we looked forward to FRT at the Black Bull in Mauchline where we were treated to two large plates of sausage rolls. Thanks again to the bar maid for the gesture. We will be back!
Our man? in Spain
The cheaper version
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