Arrangements for 22 May

Meet at the car park in Catrine (near Peter's) at 10am.
The walk will be to Auchinleck House, Ochiltree, Dumfries House and then to Auchinleck. From there we will get the bus back to Catrine, so bring bus passes!

Smugglers' Trail 8 May

Alan, Allan, Davie C, Dougie, Gus, Hugh, Ian, Jimmy, Johnny, Kenny T, Malcolm, Robert

Many thanks to Malcolm and Anne for the coffee and bacon rolls. They were excellent!

Having eaten so well it was difficult to move off, but move off we did, to the castle, where our guide, Dave, gave us a half-hour tour. His knowledge of the history of the building was outstanding. Thanks to Dave, and, yet again, to Malcolm and Anne for organising this.
It must have been close to quarter to eleven by the time we actually started walking on what had so far proven to be a very cold morning. Once we got into the woods we were protected from the breeze and made good progress up the hill and down to the reservoir. At this point Kenny turned back, as Freya had gone far enough, and left the rest of us to make our way up to the Loans, past the ever-increasing new housing. By this time the temperature had picked up and the breeze did not seem an issue.
Breaking from tradition, we turned right here and took the road towards Troon until we found a path, just at the start of the houses, which took us on to Hunter Crescent. It was here that Robert, Alan and Gus met a former colleague, and they spent five minutes having a catch-up whilst the rest of us chilled (we should do this more often) and admired bungalow city. At the end of the road we took the path into Fullarton Woods and took our pieces at the benches, as per normal.
The journey from here up to Crosbie Kirk, down over the golf course and up the beach to Troon was straightforward with the elements being kind to us. It was quarter to two when we made our choice for FRT today, not our usual haunt, McKays, but the pub across the road, Girvans. We were well received and spent a convivial hour before getting the three o’clock bus back to Dundonald.
As usual the fitbits couldn’t agree on the exact distance, but it was between eight and eight and a half miles in a walking time, including our lunch break, of three hours. And, other than a few spots, the rains never came.
A most enjoyable day out of the house!

Captive audience

The scene from above

Up top

Captive audience right enough. We'll see you after the walk, Davie!

Now, what is that aroma?

Arrangements for 15 May

The Walk
Meet at the usual spot next to the Gogo Burn in Largs at 10am for the Knock Hill walk.

The Curry
Be at the Jewel in the Crown at 7 for 7.30pm.
Alan Stewart is organising. Those not present on 8th May should let him know asap as to whether they'll attend.

Durisdeer 1 May

Alan, Allan, Davie C, Davie Mc, Gus, Hugh, Ian, Jimmy, Malcolm, Rex

The forecast had not been that good for the Durisdeer area, but we travelled in hope and, unfortunately, were disappointed. The persistent, very light rain that we encountered at the parking spot was to remain with us until it relented just as the walk was finished. Such was the dreichness that we never saw the golf ball (or football) all day.

Anyway, we were well wrapped up in waterproofs as we set off just after ten past ten and headed up to Kettleton Bothy. As always, particularly as it was a mild day, this got a sweat going, and by the time we sat down for our coffee, we were wetter from the inside than the outside. Derval Davie took time to record our visit in the bothy’s book and was reminded not to make any errors with his apostrophe’s!

The next leg took us to the highest point of the day before we started the descent down the track above the reservoir. Before long, Davie Mc, Gus Hugh, Ian and Rex headed off down the slope towards the dam with the intent of crossing over and going across the fields to Morton Castle. Alan saw them going but decided, correctly, that they had cut off too early, so he led the rest down the track for a bit before leading his group safely over the burn and up the adjacent steep wee path. They could see the first group crossing over the dam and then heading down to join them. Gus apparently had fallen on his bum going down the slope. He had survived, but his umbrella was well and truly broken. On the walk down to the castle Holly had to be put on the lead as the fields were full of sheep, some with lambs and some ready to produce, and it was a feature of the day just how many sheep and lambs we saw.

On reaching Morton Castle, the rain seemed to get a wee bit heavier and, as it was coming straight down (no wind), it was difficult to get a dry spot for our lunch, but, eventually, nooks and crannies were found for shelter.

The walk along the road back to the cars, the dreariest part of the walk, was done at a very smart pace, meaning we arrived back at two o’clock. By going overland to the castle rather than walking round the road shaved a mile or so off the distance, and despite the gizmos offering different information, we settled on approximately nine miles in about three hours and fifty minutes. The area at the back of the church, where the Queensberry Marbles are housed, offered shelter to get changed out of very wet gear and into pleasantly dry stuff. As was said earlier, the rain had not been that heavy but had just been persistent meaning that wet weather gear had remained on for the whole walk. Biggest problem of the day was trying to get out of Durisdeer because, as the convoy moved off, it came to an abrupt stop as the driver at the front had stopped to pick rhubarb growing at the side of the road!

As we drove back to the Black Bull in Mauchline for FRT, and thanks again for the complimentary nibbles, the weather changed and the sun appeared, making for a satisfying end to a good day out, despite the weather.

Arrangements for 8th May

Smugglers' Trail
Meet at Malcolm's house in Dundonald at 9.30am for coffee and rolls before setting off on the trail.
Bring bus passes for return journey!