Recce No.3 for ADRC. Straiton to Dalmellington. July 2012

Slightly confusing way marker.

Dalmellington's contribution to the Jubilee.

At the summit of Auchenroy.

Today the colour co-ordinator and myself went to Dalmellington to climb Auchenroy Hill and complete a recce I am doing for a future walk for Ayr and District Ramblers. My fellow blogger (the Newton Stewart one) did an excellent blog of this hill back in May 2012.Today was a wee bit cloudy but mild and dry as we set off through Craigengillan Estate past the home farm to the base of Auchenroy. This is the part of the walk I have found difficult in my previous two recces so I was determined to crack it today. Picking up a quad bike track we slowly made our way up the hill until the track disappeared in the undergrowth and it became a wee bit difficult. Anyway we made it up but once on the summit another route became visible to us so we followed this route and both agreed this was the way to take a group as we kept our height and missed out all the tussocks that had caused us the problems on the way up.Safely back at the forest we decided to extend our walk along some paths but once we were deep in the forest the flies and midges decided to annoy the hell out of us so we gave that idea up and got back onto open moorland and  a slight breeze kept the little blighters at bay. In the estate we took the path which takes you up past the back of  Bellsbank before arriving  in Dalmellington where we stopped for a seat at the new memorial to the Queen's Jubilee. We covered 12 miles today in dry conditions and  thanks to my walking partner who helped me complete the final part of the recce to enable me to submit the walk to the planning committee for their approval to include in the winter programme.