Ayr to Irvine by bicycle. Blog part one. June 2011

Today's preferred mode of transport.

Circus arrives in Ayr.

Anne's second home.

This must be the world's worst logo for an airport!!

Home for retired beer drinkers.



Anyone want to buy a crummy house?



Bruces Well in Prestwick.

The Carrick (see text)

I cheated and came home on the train.

Today I cycled to Irvine from Ayr using the local cycle routes . First stop was in Ayr to watch the circus arriving in town and erecting the big top. Today it is done with hydraulic motors in my day it was all the hands you could find and we hauled it up in return for a free ticket.On through Prestwick to the airport where I thought whoever decided that "Pure Dead Brilliant" was a suitable logo for an international airport must surely be lacking in the little grey cells that to most people passes as a brain.From here it was down through the Troon golf courses and into the town which today was quite quiet as it was raining a little bit and as I don't have mud guards on the bike my bottom was decidedly wet!Passing Hillhouse Quarry I spent 5 seconds remembering the days I used to work there.In Irvine I visited the maritime museum where they are renovating the Clipper Carrick which was built circa 1865 and started off life as the City of Adelaide and in 1923 was renamed. She used to be berthed in Glasgow in the eighties at  an area of the Broomielaw and was home to the Royal Naval Reserve.I remember attending a  lunch on her in aide of the Lighthouse Club which was a charity associated with the construction industry.The ship now lies in Irvine but I don't know if it will ever make the water again it is in a very poor state of repair.I now cycled along the new Irvine trail which follows the river and takes you to neighbouring Kilwinning however grey black clouds and the rumble of distant thunder I decided rather than retrace my route I headed for the train station and loaded the bike on and we were back in Ayr in a matter of minutes. An enjoyable day out if you forget about the showers and the spray from cars when I had to use the road.Will do it again on a sunny day and this time will cycle from Irvine to Kilmarnock a stretch I have never done.