Dalfram to Sorn 28 June 2017

11 Present: Jim, Jimmy, Peter, Davie C, Davie M, Bob, Rex, Kenny T, Ian, Malcolm, Dougie, Gus.

Having organised the cars at both ends, we set off from Dalfram about 5 to 10. It was not bright but at least it was dry, although, as we discovered to our cost, the overnight rain was going to make it very wet underfoot.

The first section across Aird's Moss was easy going with Davie M pointing out where John Lapraik's house stood. It was only after our coffee stop at the old brig over the Greenock Water that we started to encounter some deep grass.  No maintenance had been done on this section of the path although later on in the day we came across some young guys towards the Sorn end scything and strimming and uncovering the path.

It was remarked on the proliferation of wild orchids to be found; some light blue and others a very deep purple. Davie M managed to astound Bob by pointing out some Ragged Robin, a flower which Bob hadn't heard of. At one point on the path we came across a dose of gunnera (no, not the stuff you need antibiotics for). This was neck high or in Davie C's case …  By the way, has anybody seen Davie C since?

After we passed the guys working on the path, the walk became an absolute dawdle and we arrived back at the cars 3 hours and 55 minutes after we had left the cars.  Again although not a bright day the weather had been kind to us.

Some left early to attend a Kilmarnock Academy retirement presentation while the rest of us repaired  to the Black Bull in Mauchline for FRT. The barmaid supplied us with a huge plate of pizza which disappeared like snaw aff a dyke. Our thanks go to her.

Davie M mentioned that if Alan S wasn't present on the walks, the blog wasn't getting written up. As the blog constitutes the history of the Early Ooters he felt that this should be rectified and suggested that each of us take a turn at writing a description of the walk. Let's see what happens.

Sorn to Kingencleugh - Kenny R's photos

Sorn to Kingencleugh 24 February

Alan, Allan, Davie C, Davie Mc, Ian, Jim, Johnny, Kenny R, Kenny T, Malcolm, Paul, Peter, Robert

 The morning was cold with a light frost but disappointingly dull overhead as we met at Sorn. A decision was made to leave Blacksidend for better overhead and underfoot conditions and so we set off back up the main road before heading towards the war memorial at Catrine. I say we, but Peter who had joined us at Sorn, had left by his car saying he had business to attend to. As we paused at the memorial Peter reappeared and joined us for the walk up to the bridge at Howford where, as tradition dictatates, we took coffee whilst ‘admiring’ the graffiti on the bridge.

Having made our way down to the old bridge and up the road to our cut-off point for the Ballochmyle Viaduct, Peter suggested a different low-level route to the viaduct. Johnny, Kenny T and Jim joined him, whilst the rest took the easier path up to the structure. The main group waited, and waited, for Peter’s party, and eventually got fed up and decided to continue, but a few minutes later, compassion got the better of us and we stopped whilst Malcolm made contact by phone. They were only a few minutes away so we waited and let them catch up after their ‘interesting’ excursion. Peter then turned back to see to his business and we weren’t to see him again.

You tak the low road, we'll tak the high road!

Peter's deviation from the high road.  A fine view of the viaduct.

Deciding not to go all the way up to the Haugh, we made our way up to Kingencleugh, where, as tradition now also dictates, we took lunch on the railway steps. Making our way back to Howford by the path adjacent to the main road, we then retraced our steps back to Catrine. Having witnessed some dippers, Robert saw a wee bird with a yellow breast and asked its name. Not being satisfied by Hughie, Kenny sensibly said it was a grey wagtail. Robert was not convinced and so the discussion continued. Where is Jimmy when you need him anyway?
From Catrine we took the route up past the Voes and along the River Ayr walk back to Sorn. Almost exactly four hours from start to finish. We had encountered some short sleety rain at times but generally couldn’t complain about the conditions today.
FRT was taken at the Black Bull in Mauchline where Jim produced a picture of a grey wagtail on his phone, complete with yellow breast. Anyone for humble pie?

It was suggested that we would abandon next week’s walk if Jimmy was still no weel, in favour of us visiting him for the day. We would arrive at Jimmy’s about 9am and would be happy to accept his bacon rolls and coffee, although sliced sausage would be an option for some and Jim’s dietary requirements would need to be taken into account. We would settle for some nibbles and a few beers up to lunchtime when soup followed by pie and beans would suffice along with a couple of bottles of Jimmy’s best malt whisky. Aiming to leave about three o’clock, we were sure this would perk Jimmy up i.e. he would feel a thousand times better once we had left. We’re keeping our options open Jimmy, but maybe you’ll now have a miraculous recovery before next week. All the best!

Sorn to Haugh 2 July

Allan, Davie C, Davie Mc, Gus, Jimmy, Malcolm, Paul, Peter, Rex, Robert

The War Memorial

The glorious sunshine of the last few days had gone leaving an overcast but warm morning as we met at Sorn Kirk. The route we took was the ‘high’ road i.e. we followed the road back towards Mauchline before cutting off to the left and making our way to the Catrine War Memorial where we took a few minutes to take in the view over Catrine and beyond. It was then down in to the town and across the river to join the River Ayr path. At this point Peter left us saying that he would see us later – but he never did.

Roy couldn't put Wayne's name on the team sheet but...

And then there were nine!

The route from here to the Howford Bridge is familiar to us and we were there in no time at all before settling down to coffee.  From there the path was followed down to the old bridge where the old road was taken up to the turn off for Ballochmyle Viaduct.  As we approached this engineering masterpiece we deviated down to the Fishers’ Tryst for a photo shoot. The viaduct is usually our lunch spot but it was too early today and we took the low path down by the river towards the Haugh. This brought back ‘happy’ memories for Paul who had had to negotiate this journey on a previous visit when the water level was much higher. The marks made by his finger nails are still visible on the rocky outcrop!

Haud yer belly in, Malcolm!

Jimmy, having spent some time researching the industrial archaeology of the area, was able to explain the tunnels and canals that were used in days gone by to supply water to power the mill at the Haugh and the sandstone cutting mill. See what we’ve been missing for the last number of weeks!

At the Haugh we turned left and continued up the road following it until we crossed the railway line and stopped for lunch just beyond. The sun was trying to break through at this point and, although the breeze was stiffening, it remained pleasantly warm.

Ryanair downgrades services from Prestwick

From here it was down to the Catrine House café and under the Howford Bridge once more before heading back to Catrine. This time the route to Sorn was past the Voes and Daldorch House School, at which point we took time to check out the works that were being done to renovate the weir system on the river, and onwards following the path back to our starting point.

The walk had taken us the best part of five hours and we were ready for FRT but, since our usual haunt at Poosie Nansie’s was closed after a motorist had mistaken it for a ‘Drive Thru’, we retreated to the Black Bull. This proved to be much more salubrious with the atmosphere being only slightly dulled by Andy’s demise at Wimbers. The banter turned to politics and became heated, to such an extent that Holly, who had been lying sleeping, woke up, looked at her master, decided she had heard it all before, and walked out of the pub. We all soon followed!

Another fine day out and, as a bonus, the walks for the next two weeks were decided i.e. Lochwinnoch and the Whangie.

The rain started as we left the pub!

Muirkirk(ish) to Sorn 30 April

Alan, Allan, Davie C, Gus, Jimmy, Johnny, Malcolm, Paul, Peter, Rex, Robert

A good turnout today

The beautiful weather of Tuesday had given way to a grey morning as we assembled at Sorn. After a brief discussion about where to start today’s walk i.e. at Kames or at our usual point off the Sorn Muirkirk road, it was agreed that the latter option would suffice and so it was from here we set off at about 10a.m. Although overcast, jackets were soon dispensed with as we made our way along this familiar part of the River Ayr Way. Passing through Airds Moss Nature Reserve, the bridge at Greenockmains was chosen for coffee and a blether

Soon we were off again with Jimmy and Malcolm in the van (no wonder they were so fresh and dry at the end of the walk!) and the next wee stop was at the wobbly bridge over the river. Jimmy decided to try it and Malcolm, not knowing any better, followed him holding his breath. It didn’t dawn on him that we weren’t going to cross the river at this point, and when it was pointed out, as he reached the far side, the air turned distinctly blue, accompanied by much laughter.

Two hours into the walk and the rain began to fall, lightly at this stage, but enough to encourage the retrieval of waterproofs from our rucksacks. However lunch was not to be denied us as we stopped under the shelter of trees just prior to the start of the boardwalk.

Here Jimmy was able to point out some tree creepers (birds not local inhabitants) and these along with oyster catchers and sandpipers made for a reasonable day out for the ornithologists. At this point it has to be explained  that it was the Lemon Pipers and not the Sandpipers who had the 1968 hit, Green Tambourine. By the way, our resident bird expert was rebuked for not being able to recognise empty birds’ eggs which had been found en-route. He has been told never to let us down in this way again and to go home and brush up on his knowledge. See if he cares!

Who's a silly boy then?

The rain was pretty heavy by the time we were negotiating the last stages of the walk as the path snaked its way up and down and round towards Sorn and because of this we took the easier option of returning to the cars by the main road rather than using the higher level path. Four hours for the walk wasn’t bad and we were glad that we hadn’t chosen the longer walk given the way the weather had turned out.

It was rather drookit ooters that huddled under the shelter at the car park to get dried off and changed before heading to Mauchline and FRT at Poosie Nansie’s.

Notes from the naturalist: Though the weather was somewhat against us today, nature was in full springtime display. Marsh Marigolds decked the wetter areas by the riverside, bluebells were bursting in the wooded areas, lesser stitchwort was coming into flower, butterburr was in full flower,the spurge in the wet areas still held yellow and a full bank of primroses tumbled down the glen of the Windy Burn. Birdlife included Heron (many), Buzzard, Swallows and House Martins skimming the surface of the water for newly-hatched insects, two different pairs of Common Sandpiper, Pheasant, Treecreeper, Lapwing, Whaup (Curlew) and Oystercatcher. Butterfies were not so common withe only a few Peacock worth the noting. But mammals hid themselves from the weather (or from us) today.

PS the egg shell was definitely Pheasant. Am I forgiven?

5 February Sorn to The Haugh and back

Alan, Allan, Davie C, Davie Mc, Gus, Malcolm, Jimmy, Johnnie, Paul, Peter, Rex, Robert & Ronnie

Nature, it would seem, smiles on the Ooters. Despite the wet and windy winter, we have been blessed by reasonable weather for our Wednesday outings; in fact we haven’t had a wet Wednesday walk since the turn of the year. And, despite dire warnings from the Met Office of heavy rain and storm force winds for today, this was another walk that seems to prove that Nature smiles on the Ooters. It would also seem that none of us is afraid of a little rain and wind for regardless of the forecast, thirteen of us gathered in Sorn for our re-arranged walk – even if we had to wait for the tardy one from Cumnock. And the sun shone on us as we set off up the Mauchline road a little after our scheduled departure time of ten.

Sorn Castle looked a picture this morning perched on its rock above the River Ayr and bathed in warm morning sunlight. And this self-same morning sunlight was with us as we turned off the Mauchline road on to a byway that took us past Hillhead Farm to the Catrine War Memorial. It was interesting to note that among the names engraved there were two Italian ones, two Catrine folk of Italian extraction who fought in the Italian forces in WW1. Then we left the War memorial and dropped down the Chapel Brae into Catrine itself.

What a pleasant surprise awaited us in Catrine. Peter had arranged with his brother Edward that we could have coffee in his new café/restaurant. Though the café is not open to the public yet, Edward made us most welcome for it gave him a chance to try out his systems. We thank Edward for his hospitality and Peter for arranging this.

After coffee we found ourselves on the River Ayr Way. We would stay on it for a good while now. Over the ‘timmer brig’ we came, along past the sewage works, up the steps (Or what’s left of them!) and under the Howford Brig. Amazement and wonder spread though the group as we examined the graffiti on the span of the new brig – amazement as to how somebody had the nerve to climb up there and wonder as to why the so-and-sos wanted to do this in the first place.

There was no such graffiti on the old brig though, only a dirty great hole where some organisation or other was laying pipes. But we hadn’t time to look into this hole for long, we moved on up the slope away from the river again.

Again we turned off tarmac and came onto Lady Alexander’s Walk along the sandstone cliffs above the river. Somebody expressed an interest in seeing the cup and ring markings carved into the living rock and a group of us set off in search of these. Jimmy was for into the field but Davie Mc knew a better way. So we struggled up slippery banks, down into glaury holes, underneath branches and over dead tree stumps until we eventually got to the markings. Supposedly bronze-age markings, our pseudo-archaeologist disputes their authenticity but his argument is too long for these scribblings so you will need to ask him yourself. Jimmy was right; the best way to get to the markings is through the field and this is the way we came back to the River Ayr path.

While Peter and Jimmy went to show Ronnie the Fisherman’s Tryst, the rest of us walked on to a lunch spot underneath the span of the Ballochmyle viaduct. Some were for turning back at this point but Davie Mc suggested that it was only ten minutes to the path for Kingencleugh and it would be a better route back. We walked on. 

The company to the front missed the path for Kingencleugh and before we could correct their error, we found ourselves at The Haugh. Now we had a choice of two equally long routes back – right to Mauchline or left to Braehead Farm and Catrine house. Whichever we chose, we would be on tarmac for a while now. We opted for the left and climbed out of the valley onto the higher ground by the farm. A great bank of snowdrops below the farm house cheered us on the ascent from the valley to the higher ground around the farm. And it was on this higher ground that, for the first time today, the sun went and rain could be seen coming in from the south.

But the threat of rain didn’t worry us too much. We walked on past Turnerhill and Merkland. Then we found the River Ayr Way again at Catrine House tearoom. Now we would retrace our steps back to Catrine. Allan, who has not been fully fit since before Christmas, was suffering from distance and speed today so he opted to stop in Peter’s place while the rest of us walked on. And walk on we did, past the Voes over the river, under Daldorch and back to Sorn in double quick time.

While Johnnie returned to Catrine for Allan, the rest of us made directly for Poosie Nancy’s in Mauchline for FRT.

Once again Nature has smiled on the Ooters – another dry Wednesday walk despite the horrendous forecast from the Met Office

Muirkirk to Sorn 24 March 2010

Distance 13.8 km

16 April Blacksidened 3

Peter's house in Catrine was the gathering place today. We were reduced to six for Johnny was still on holiday and Rex was doting on his relatively new granddaughter.

The day was beginning to cloud over after a night of frost and a cold easterly was felt even in the bottom of the valley. After coffee and cake - it was delicious, Peter - we left Peter’s and took an indirect route through a wood to the war memorial at the top of the brae. Peter was warned about brambles (see Blacksidend 1, 19/04/06) but this time there was no shrubbery to fight through for we followed tarmac toward Sorn, walking directly into the wind. This was to be the case for most of the outward journey. As is usual of late, we split into two groups, the fast two at the front and the sensible to the rear. There were to be a few miles of tarmac before we came together again.
At Hillhead Farm, cattle, still in the winter shed, were being fed on silage and Paul thought that this would make a good picture only to discover camera problems. His camera was to stay in the rucksack for the day. Jimmy took the picture for him.
Still, we followed tarmac. Down to the Mauchline-Sorn road, towards Sorn, up the Galston road and turned east along a minor road that would take us closer to the hill. Pheasant had been heard and seen all along the route and, at Blairmulloch, Jimmy spotted a hen lying by boulders on a burn bank. It took the rest some minutes to find her such was her camouflage. During these minutes the fast pair disappeared out of sight. They were spotted taking the service road for Blackside Farm for they knew where they were going. The rest followed.
The house that was being built the last time we were here was still being built. Though it was several feet higher, it was far from complete. The chap building it single-handedly made comment about ‘Planning’ but this wasn’t picked up on for we were walking smartly now to try to catch the fast pair. They were found resting at the cattle grid just beyond the trees and a coffee break was called by the slow. We would stay together now for the best part of the rest of the day. Curlew called across the moor and a pair of lapwing displayed over the field in front of us. Whaups and peesies, Jimmy called them. But whatever you call them these birds are highly evocative of the Scottish moors and it is always a delight to hear and see them.
A pair of barking spaniels greeted us at Blacksidend farm and an aged Belgian shepherd escorted us through the steading. Then the dry farm road deteriorated into a wet muddy track. But this was only to be followed for a hundred metres or so before we came through a field gate and on to the open hillside. The hill was wet after a winter of exceptionally rainy weather but the climb was short and the top was dry. Dry, it may have been, but here we found the strength of the easterly and we were glad to cocoon ourselves in the shelter of the hollow cairn on the top for an early lunch.
As we sat for the peece, Paul, being a wireless ham himself, was able to give us the reason for the wireless mast on the cairn. It is used for competitions. Though we couldn’t quite grasp the concept of wireless competitions, we could see the reason for the mast being at this particular point. The day was hazier than the last couple of times we were here but the view was extensive in almost three hundred and sixty degrees and encompassed most of the county. The mast would be available to almost any ham anywhere in Ayrshire.
Also, as we sat, Robert was looking at the cairn on Wedder Hill barely a mile away. Jimmy was the only one of the group to have been on this top, having come over it with his bike. (Remember, Jimmy is a cyclist/masochist/feckin’ idiot*). So, peece finished, we set off through the sphaggy bogs to Wedder Hill. Holly disgraced herself. Having no stick to chase, she thought it fun to chase other things. Davie is fluent in three languages but we felt that he was now inventing a new one for he was using words that none of us had heard before as he tried to get Holly back. And we sympathised. Then, with the dog and Davie back under control, we moved on. We reached the cairn on Wedder, looked at the view and retraced our steps through the sphaggy bogs to Blacksidend. Holly was on her lead in abject disgrace.
The way back was the reverse of the way forwards, at least as far as Brocklar Farm. Here we turned left then almost immediately right on the minor road for Sorn. A car tooted. The driver was a friend of Peter and Robert and the group stopped for a blether. Davie and Jimmy sauntered on. They waited for the others on the bench on the path above Sorn but only three arrived for Peter decided that he would rather walk through the village. We met him again near the old graveyard. We were now to follow the River Ayr Way back to Catrine
The walk down the river from Sorn to Catrine is always a pleasure. Today was no exception and those for whom this was the first time here, delighted in this part of the walk. As they did at the voes for the sun made the place look almost continental. And swans, on the water and on a nest on the island, completed an idyllic scene far from the popular view of Catrine.
A pint in the Royal Bar in Catrine completed a superb day.

* delete as you think appropriate