Irvine Valley walking festival. Dean Park to Craufurdland estate. May 2015

Road crosses a ford here

a footbridge gets us over safely.

A walk of many stiles

and another

Entering the estate

Once you catch a fish you have to return it to the water.

Lunch at the tearoom

Craufurdland Castle.

Todays large group.

 Yesterday along with the deerstalker we travelled to Dean Park in Kilmarnock to join our second organised walking festival this week namely the Irvine valley festival. 20 of us met at the visitors centre and after introductions the group headed off through the park on a showery blustery morning. Many stiles were crossed slowing the pace of the group whilst the tricky crossings were negotiated safely. On reaching the Craufurdland estate lunch was taken at the tearoom overlooking the estates fishery with lots of anglers enjoying their sport. On reaching the castle we were indeed honoured to have the laird show us round the property and giving us a brief history of a castle that as been in his families care for some 800 years. The last part of todays walk took us over the main A77 on a small footbridge into a wee country road back to the start. Apart from a couple of minor showers we got a mainly dry day for this very interesting and historical walk. Thanks to the organisers who each year compile a programme of some local and unusual walks taking you to places you did not previously appreciate even though the majority of them are local.