27 November 2019 Dunure to Culzean swan pond and back

With Alan, Davie Mc, Jim, Jimmy, Ian Iain, Gus, Kenny R, Hugh, Dougie, Billy, Rex, Paul and Malcolm.

Nae man can tether time or tide

Despite a broken down lorry causing a massive traffic jam on th A77 just before the Whitletts roundabout, we all managed to set off just after 10 o'clock. The rain of Tuesday had completely disappeared and we started our walk in glorious sunshine,  the weather remaining good for the rest of the day. The problem today was going to be the tide - would it allow us to pass the rocks just before Croy shore? Paul and Davie reminisced about the time a few years back when only Peter and Holly managed to skirt around the rocks, the rest of us opting to scramble through brambles and clamber over barbed wire fences and then having to walk back down the road to meet Peter an hour later waiting for us still playing  with a stick with Holly!
Unfortunately our worst fears were confirmed as we descended from the fields onto the shore. The tide was right in, making passage around the rocks impossible. However the intrepid Davie made it over the rocks, eventually getting down onto the sand on the other side
"Well, if that fat b* can make it, I can do it" seemed to be the general opinion and before long we were all safely on the other side. Holly of course simply waded through the water nonchalantly.
With the tide being very high, it was a somewhat uncomfortable trek to the castle, having to cross over stony ground and wade through squelchy seaweed, but eventually we reached the small park at the swan pond where lunch was taken. The day was still and some of the autumn colours still remained, so it was a very enjoyable half hour or so.
After lunch we set off and completed the circumnavigation (that's a guid word, intit!?) of the pond before heading through the gardens up to the book shop with Gus buying a few (for Rita's Christmas, Gus?)
The return journey took us down the steep steps back to Segganwell Cottage before setting off along the beach again, the way being a bit easier now the tide had changed, although it has to be said, by not all that much. No climbing was necessary to negotiate the rocks although we had to be careful as they were very slippery.
By now, the legs were beginning to ache and when we reached the fields, we decided to have a short-cut across them rather than skirt the edges. However the leading pack were given a scolding by a woman (the farmer's wife?) for doing so but all behaved perfectly. Good job Davie wasn't at the front then.
We arrived back at the cars five and a quarter hours after we had set out, having covered a distance of just under 11 and a half miles.We drove round to the Maybole Arms again and enjoyed a good hour's FRT and banter. It's not often we have to drive home in the dark after a day's walking but that was the case today.

November 27 - Dunure to Culzean

Arrangements for Wed 4 December

Meet in Glenbuck at 10 am for a walk round the loch, up Hareshaw Hill and then return via the old opencast. Do not park in the usual place; instead drive right up to where the old village was where there's now plenty of parking space.

20 November 2019: Hurlford to Darvel

Rex, Allan, Johnny, Jimmy, Jim, Kenny T, Davie M, Billy, Robert, Gus, Hugh, Ian, Malcolm, Paul

We gathered at Hurlford Bowling Club in Crookedholm for a walk which, if the blog is to be believed (can there be any doubt -Ed.), the Ooters have only done twice before. There have, of course, been other variations on the Hurlford-Darvel theme .

We followed the River Irvine upstream to Grougar, where we had our first schism.  Roughly half the group opted for the scenic route, through the fields close to the riverbank whilst the other half chose to stick to the tarmac.Your scribe was part of the former group  and upon rejoining the road this group, caring and compassionate to a fault, waited for their colleagues.  When it dawned upon them that their comrades had already passed through (Holly disappearing into the distance being the clue) the latter were cursed for their lack of empathy.

They might have been few in number, but the geese in the field adjoining Loudoun Kirk made one hell of a racket when they spotted us.  In such a way was Rome forewarned of the Gallic attack in 390 BC. There might have been a few more geese on the Capitoline Hill though.

We met up in the churchyard of Loudoun Kirk. Coffee was taken and Billy generously provided some stronger stuff.  There was once an idyllic settlement at Loudon Kirk which provided accommodation for estate workers. Later, this became home for miners employed by Baird in Hurlford.  Facilities were rather limited and the last person had moved out by 1960.

When we set off, Gus formed a one-man schism as he chose to stick to the high road heading towards Loudoun Academy whilst the rest of us took the boggier route past Ladyton Loch.  Something to do with his shoes. We met up in Galston and here three of our number chose to call it a day.  Not really a schism.  Robert's knee had become painful and Allan and Johnny accompanied him on the bus back to Crookedhame.

From Galston the survivors continued along the Irvine Valley trail to Newmilns and then onwards towards Darvel.  We paused for lunch at the dam - or where the dam was before it was washed away. The remaining structure provided comfortable seating.  This was a relatively busy path and it seemed that just about everyone we passed knew Gus (or George, to give him his Darvel name) or Billy. Ance a lang tooner, aye a lang tooner.

Darvel was soon reached and FRT was taken at the Black Bull where we received the usual warm welcome. A pleasant hour flew by and all that remained was the bus journey back to our departure point.

The weather had been on our side too. In all, a good day out.

A distance walked of 9 miles was the consensus.

Hurlford to Darvel 20 November

Allan, Billy, Davie Mc, Gus, Hugh, Ian, Jim, Jimmy, Johnny, Kenny T, Malcolm, Paul, Rex, Robert

We assembled at Hurlford Bowling Club car park on a chilly, overcast morning for our walk to Darvel. So desperate were we to get started and get warmed up that we set off five minutes early (we are the Early Ooters after all) only to immediately stop as Kenny and Jim arrived. No matter, a few minutes later we were on the Grougar walk making our way to Loudoun Kirk. As usual these days, some deviated down to the riverside path whilst the rest remained on tarmac. The tarmacers arrived at the kirkyard first and settled down to coffee but, when Davie arrived with the rest five minutes later, he suggested making it an early lunch as there were not opportunities to sit down for lunch later.

By this time Robert was in pain from his knee and said he would go no further than Galston and, when Galston was reached at about midday*, Johnny was of the same opinion as he was not feeling great. Allan, Johnny and Robert, therefore, called a halt to proceedings and took the bus back to Hurlford whilst the rest, as far as your scribe knows, followed the path up to Darvel and on to the Black Bull for FRT.

*We had taken the shorter muddier route to Galston, leaving Gus, who was in his shoes, to take the road up to Loudoun Academy and down in to Galston from there. No doubt he managed to rejoin the guys.