Biggest courgette I have ever grown. August 2011

When does a courgette become a marrow?

Cunninghame Ramblers to Sanquhar and the "Crags" August 2011

Today's walk start.



Leader giving walk details.



Double click to see a colourful frog.

Coffee break under the trees.

Lunch overlooking the "Crags"

Back on the S.U.W.

Weather improves as we look down on Sanquhar.

Today's happy walkers.

"Walk Leader"

Today I joined Cunninghame ramblers on their mid week walk from Sanquhar to an area known as the crags for an 8 mile grade "B" ramble.12 of us gathered at the start in the constant rain with no breaks in the clouds but we are a hardy lot so it was on with the waterproofs and off we went. First of all a road walk before entering a track up the side of the Euchan Water past the falls and out onto moorland. Climbing up Cloud Hill (451M) was a wee bit dreich in the rain with very soft underfoot conditions. Once on the summit we dropped down a bit to see the crags which are a range of hills spanning some 4 miles down the glen. The rain went off so it was an ideal spot to have lunch before rejoining the S.U.W. to follow the Whin Burn back down towards Sanquhar. Fortunately we had a nice breeze blowing which allowed us to dry off a bit before arriving back at the cars. Super walk in difficult conditions especially in the tussocks and bogs. Good fun was had by all and a vote of thanks was given to the leader who had recced the walk last week in better conditions.

Wigtownshire ramblers. Cairnsmore of Carsphairn. August 2011

Double click for a Peacock Butterfly.

We saw lots of fungi today.



One of the steep climbs.



We came up this slope!!

A side view of Beninner (710M)

Beninner summit with Cairnsmore in the background.

Lunch break.

Goat's head on the end of Clennoch Bothy.

This rambler had a wee accident.(see me for details!!!)

Oh where did you get those hats.

Summit of Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (797M)

Today's walk leader.

Today Saturday August 27 I joined my mother group Wigtownshire Ramblers for a climb up to Cairnsmore of Carsphairn from the Water of Ken side which was a wee bit different to say the least. 17 walkers left the start on a fairly clear sunny morning and made our way up forest tracks to the Moorbrock holiday cottages before climbing up the paths round Green Hill . Up until now it had been fairly gentle climbing, this is where all that was to change our leader pointed out Beninner Hill which was damn near sheer so off we all went over a stream and then the real stuff began. Not too bad for the first 300 metres until we met the scree so it developed into a scramble on all fours using the grassy route trying to avoid the rocks. All safely up we were rewarded with the most amazing views of the surrounding hills including two of the four striding arches in the distance.Details of these arches can be found in the web page "Goldsworthys striding arches". This will form part of a walk to be done hopefully next Spring.Dropping down we found a sheltered spot for lunch before the final ascent to Cairnsmore of Carsphairn with its trig point on the summit. From here we took a steep way down to Clennoch Bothy through some tussocks and bogs much to the delight of the group, there were one or two wee falls here but nothing too serious. At the bothy we admired the work that has been done to keep this place clean and watertight so full marks to the person or persons responsible.Now we were back onto good solid tracks which took us the 4 miles back to the start. A long day but a most enjoyable one spent in the Galloway Hills with some good old tough climbs to be rewarded with wonderful clear views from the summits. Thanks to our leader who as usual did not disappoint us in his choice of route maybe not the most conventional but without doubt the most challenging. Thanks to all who took part and I look forward to seeing you all again in the not too distant future.

Visit to Dundee and Perth. Friday August 26 2011

These "Gordons "fair get about.

Royal Research Ship Discovery.

She is berthed here in Dundee.

The museum.

The Tay rail bridge with the pillars of the one that fell down.

"Desperate Dan" well it is the home of D.C.Thomson.

The Caird hall.

Dundonians are very clever to be able to read upside down.

This has to be the poshest Ladbrokes in the country!

Perth grandson was the main reason for our visit.

Anne and I had to collect our grandson from Perth to bring him to Ayr for the weekend so armed with the trusty bus passes we decided to make a day of it and incorporate a visit to Dundee to see the Royal Research ship "Discovery" which is berthed near to the city centre.I always promised myself a visit here since I retired 2 years ago and it is only now I have found the time to do it. It was very interesting with lots of information about it  available on their web page. We had a very pleasant walk up the river Tay towards the rail bridge where we had our lunch break on a bench overlooking the water. None of these fancy resturants for us. A visit through the city with the usual visit to M&S we made our way to the bus station to catch our bus to Perth. That was entertaining to say the least we had a wonderful thunder and lightning storm on the main road alongside the river fairly brightened up the journey. (boom boom). Picked the wee one up from his nursery and started on our way home via Glasgow to Ayr. A most successful day out and thanks again to the Scottish Government for their help in financing our wee trips yet again.

Elite walking group. North Sannox to Lochranza. August 2011

Children's pony trekking

Fallen Stones

Laggan Cottage

Now we started to climb.

Typical Arran view with the mountains as a backdrop.

Double click to view the distillery.

This deer was on the golf course.

This was the local football park!

Today's Elite walking group.(plus me behind the camera)

Today the "Elite Walking Group" travelled once again to the lovely Island of Arran situated in the Firth of Clyde on Scotland's west coast.7 of us caught the 9.45AM ferry to Brodick and then took the bus to North Sannox which was our starting point on this 8 mile grade "B" walk.The first part of the path took us along the shore through a wooded area towards the fallen rocks. One assumes this was all created by nature as the sheer weight of the rocks would make them impossible to move.When we arrived at Laggan Cottage our leader informed us that this was the home of Paul Storey an author who must be very trustworthy as he had left a copy of his latest novel on the doorstep and all he asks is that if you enjoy it please send him a cheque to cover his costs.This cottage is on the shore with no electricity , running water or vehicle access so I suppose if you want a place away from it all to write a book this was the spot.Our colour co-ordinator decided to take the book and will let us know on our next outing whether she enjoyed it or not. At this point we were very lucky to spot two basking sharks and a seal very close to the water's edge which was my first sighting of sharks this year. We now started to climb up a pass between Torr Meadonach and Creag Ghlas Cuithe which was not particularly difficult but afforded us  a panoramic view of Bute over to the mainland.Once we were on the summit of the path we had a lunch stop before descending down to the village of Lochranza. A hen harrier was spotted by our rambling twitcher as well as a large herd of deer. In the village we walked to the distillery to await the bus back to Brodick. This was the third walk the group has completed on the island so our thanks must go to the chemist whose idea it was to work out the various routes.Our next outing may be to Dunoon but it is only in the very early planning stages at present so watch this space for developments. Could be a bus pass possibility for the pensioners amongst us .

ADRC Dailly trails walk. August 2011

Our starting point.

Leader explaining today's route.

Styles made the fences easier to climb.

A friendly Clydesdale came to see us.

A colourful garden in the village.

The River Girvan .

Not exactly the most picturesque place to stop for coffee.

This sculpture is supposed to represent "Jock Tamsons Bairns"

Lunch was taken on a woodland path.



The sun now made an appearance.



This Triumph Spitfire requires a degree of TLC.

The pilot was today's leader.

On a very cloudy dry Sunday morning I joined ADRC for a 7 mile walk around the village of Dailly in South Ayrshire. We were to do two different walks today both finishing in the village.25 of us set off first of all to do The Lindsayston Trail of about 3 miles which was a pleasant walk up the side of the burn in past a farm and back to the village. Our next walk was a wee bit longer and was called the Kilgrammie Woods trail which naturally took us along some woodland tracks where it was  a wee bit overgrown in places and soft underfoot. Once clear of the wood we stopped for lunch when the sun tried to make an appearance making it feel very warm. The last part of the walk was down a private road back to the start. An excellent walk for a Sunday nothing too strenuous which was a pleasant change at least for a couple of us who are used to the old tough hill walks.The pilot was thanked by all the walkers for a pleasant Sunday ramble on a lovely warm day.