Las Ramblas head into Ayrshire for a Sunday stroll
Peter Tosh made the mistake of letting Bunny Wailer navigate
so who knows where they are now
Gillian,Alison,June,Marion & Bruce
head down to Alloway & Dunure Sean's here with the forecast
"Well Las Ramblas it's clear skies all the way today with fresh coastal winds"
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Burns themed weather vane in Alloway
and another
Alison "To a Mouse"
Wee, sleekit, cowran, tim'rous beastie, O, what a panic's in thy breastie! Thou need na start awa sae hasty, Wi' bickering brattle! I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee, Wi' murd'ring pattle!
When Lol Creme heard Sam & the Wrong Bruce couldn't join us today he decided this was not a day out for him. He got in touch with Kevin,Graham & Eric to let the boy's know the walk wouldn't be the same without them.
Gillian,Alison,Bruce,Marion,Neil,Linda,Alfie,
June,Dougie,Avril & Gary
are joined in Lochwinnoch by Sasha & Tommy
Sean what does the weather have in store for us
"It's going to be a beautiful day today,
but take care some boggy ground after about 3 miles"
There are two quite different types of woodland on this
walk. The first is Locherwood Community Woodland, at the start and finish of
the walk. This was planted in the mid-1990s as woodland with free access for
local people and is a haven for wildlife. The trees are still very young, so it
feels very open compared to older woodlands. The trees are mainly native to
Scotland – species like oak, birch, ash and rowan.
The second type of
woodland is Ladymuir Forest; this is a much denser plantation of Spruce trees.
It is a few years older than Locherwood, having been planted in the mid 1970’s.
It also has quite different origins. The woodland was planted for the value of
its timber rather than for recreation or nature conservation, and the trees.
Route
Alison
A Friend of Beau's
Heading through the woods
Alison & Tommy confident Wellies are the right choice of footwear
Marion discovers the ground is a bit soggy
Neil & Avril extract a fallen comrade
Sticks seem to have become very popular
Alfie joins Marion & June as bog victim No3
Time to head to The Brown Bull for a refreshment or two
had hoped to join us today but his camper van couldn't make it over the steep bend
at Milton of Buchanan
he had composed this little ditty to entertain us as we walked
Gillian,Alison,Avril,Marion & Bruce
take the Red Route at Loch Lomond " In 1996, the Royal Scottish Forestry Society decided it would create a native
working Scottish forest. With help from the Millennium Forest for Scotland
Trust, it bought Cashel Farm, a 3000 acre hill farm on the eastern side of Loch
Lomond. The property rises from shore level to 580 metres, and therefore can
represent most of the different woodland types which are native to Scotland
following the last ice age" http://www.cashel.org.uk/ Hey Sean What's the weather like today
"well after a misty start we're looking at clear skies and light winds"
Route
Loch Lomond & Inchlonaig Island
Avril,Gillian & Marion head into the mist
Alison
A room with a view
Gillian realises there is no catering
Marion ponders the viability of living mortgage free
Time to head down to Balmaha
Old Speckled Hen on Tap and a stonking good Burger
The Prefab Four couldn't make it to Cambo to join Marion & Bruce on a gentle Monday stroll
as Leggy had legal issues to deal with.
Nasty,Stig,Dirk & Barry got together to sing a little ditty about Cambo's Tamworths
So on a very cold Monday morning Marion & Bruce set off for Fife
in search of Snowdrops & pigs. Here's Sean's forecast for today
"A perfect day for snowdrops & Piggy's but
the mercury won't make much of an impression so wrap up warm"
The estate of Cambo was granted to Robert de Newenham by a
charter of King William the Lion. His descendants took the name "de
Cambhou", and had settled in Fife by the early 14th century. Sir John de
Cambhou fought at the Battle of Methven (1306), but was captured by the English
and hanged at Newcastle. In 1599 the estate was granted to Thomas Myretoun. In 1668, Sir Charles Erskine, the Lord Lyon King of Arms and
brother of the 3rd Earl of Kellie, purchased the property. The estate passed
through the Erskine family to the 5th Earl of Kellie, who forfeited his lands
after supporting the Jacobite rising of 1745. In 1759 Cambo was sold to the
Charteris family, who bought it for their son who was studying at St Andrews
University. Thomas Erskine, 9th Earl of Kellie (c. 1745–1828), bought
the estate back in the 1790s. A successful merchant in Sweden, he invested
heavily in improving the estate, building the picturesque Georgian estate
farms, and carrying out extensive land drainage. He commissioned the architect
Robert Balfour to remodel the house in 1795.His descendants continued the
improvement of the estate through the 19th century, laying out ornamental gardens,
with a series of early cast iron bridges. The old house
comprised a tower house with numerous additions, including a first-floor conservatory.
It was destroyed by fire in 1878,after a staff party. The present house was
built on the same site between 1879 and 1884, to designs by the architects
Wardrop & Reid.
Birthday boy David Bowie was unable to join us today
probably a good thing as a 65 year old would only have held us back
Las Ramblas Ramblers Start 2012 with a gentle stroll
from Gargunnock to Downie's Loop Waterfall Sean could you give us an update on today's forecast
"with low cloud cover a hat might be a good idea
especially for those Ramblers who have started to thin on top"
After a Coffee or two in The Gargunnok Inn
Gillian,Alison,Neil,Sam,Alfie,Marion & Bruce
start 2012 by turning the wrong way as they leave the Pub.
False start out of the way they head to the opposite end of the Village
and follow the correct path into the Campsie's
The Gargunnock Hills are a range of hills west of the
Stirling. They culminate in the peak of Carleatheran, whose 1,591 ft summit is
crowned by a trigonometrical pillar. The hills are
composed of volcanic rocks formed in the Carboniferous period and which have
proved more resistant to erosion than the surrounding sedimentary rocks. The hills are defined
to the north by a 300-metre (980 ft) craggy escarpment overlooking the valley
of the River Forth. At the foot of this scarp are the villages of Gargunnock
and Kippen. The hills drain principally
to the south; the few streams which fall to the north include Gargunnock Burn
which plunges over the scarp at Downie’s Loup.
Route
Marion,Alison & Gillian head into the hills
A Peacock crosses our path
Bruce & Gillian test her new walking poles
Sam & Alfie ford a raging torrent
Alison
Gillian,Sam & Bruce take in the view
Alfie at the base of Downie's Loop
Neil thinks he can hear Rain
Not even a new Walking Pole can stave off the Hunger
Time to head back to the Gargunnock Inn for Coffee & a Snack
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