Arrangements for Wednesday 14th February

Park cars at Rex's house then get the 361 bus service to Fisherton which leaves from Alloway Post Office at 9:20am. Bus arrives in Fisherton at 9:40am. Walk from Fisherton back to Alloway via Brown Carrick Hill. Distance 8 miles approx. An alternative walk around Alloway and Ayr can be decided on the day if the weather is not great.

An alternative to walking over the Carrick Hills has been suggested, to walk along the shore to Ayr.

Arrangements for Wed 7 th Feb.

After much discussion Muirkirk was rejected after various attempts failed due to weather. What is proposed is a bus trip to Glasgow and meeting at the Counting House ( Weatherspoon's bar in George Square) around about 10.00.a.m.for coffee. The walk can be decided dependant on weather conditions. The general plan includes lunch out in Glasgow and perhaps 3 pints .

The following week we will have a walk involving the Carrick Hills followed by ,pool,pies,pints at Porters place. Check the blog for more details.

More details
Park cars at Rex's place. Get the 361 bus from Alloway Post Office ( 9 .20.a.m.) to Fisherton 9.40.a.m. Walk from Fisherton back to Alloway via the Carrick Hills. This walk is about 8 miles. An alternative shorter walk around Ayr can be arranged if weather poor.

Arrangements for Wed 31st Jan.

Meet at 10.00a.m. beside the now closed Kaimes outdoor centre Muirkirk. The  Lunkey Hole walk is the proposed outing for the day..
After consulting Dervel Davy the decision was made to go ahead as planned. Take phones in case conditions turn out to be worse than forecast and the walk needs to be altered. It will be  BALTIC.

Burns Night Celebration 24 January

The walk

Alan, Davie C, Davie Mc, Dougie, Gus, Ian, Jimmy, Kenny T, Paul, Peter, Rex, Robert plus Allan, Johnny

We met at Johnny’s for coffee and scones, and to deliver the food for the evening’s meal. Thereafter, Allan and Johnny stayed behind to set up the room for the festivities whilst the main body drove to the beach and then walked to Barassie and back. Given the strength of the wind, cobwebs were truly blown away.

 

The celebration

Alan McQ, George and Ronnie joined us for the evening.

What a terrific night! A night when lights came out from under bushels.

Paul’s immortal memory was excellent, Kenny’s Toast to the Ooters and Johnny’s Toast to the Lasses were funny and well received, Jimmy’s reading and Address to the Haggis were done to perfection and Derval Davie surpassed himself with ‘Tam the Bunnet’ (Davie is now receiving treatment and should be fit for next week). Rex’s wontribution was cloody bonderful, and Alan, Allan, and Robert were generously applauded for their readings. Our junior member, Alan McQ, showed, by his reading and song, that he is one for the future and was unfazed at being allowed to join the big boys for a night out. Davie C’s Address to the Tinned Haggis won him the ‘Tin Opener of the Year Award’ and, undaunted, he then went on to lead us in rounds of community singing. Gus showed that drillies have hidden talents by giving us a song, ably accompanied by Ian on the accordian, and Ronnie’s talents in song and on the guitar helped galvanise the evening. And to keep us all in order, Chairman Dougie, aka ‘The Lawman’, ensured that everything went smoothly and to time, unless of course you were relying on Johnny’s wall clock.
Everyone who was there deserves credit for making the evening go off so well.
Thanks and appreciation go to Johnny, Alan, Gus, Robert, Davie C and Rex for their contributions to the meal.

However, special mention must go to Johnny and Helen for their hospitality during the course of the day. Johnny was also chief cook and bottle washer and it is testament to his skills that things turned out as well as they did. His preparation, including the manufacture of the songbooks and placemats, should not be underestimated, neither should the clearing up afterwards. We thank both of you sincerely for your work and forbearance.

Irvine Beach

Arrangements for Wed 24th Jan

Meet in Irvine at Johnny's place to allow people to drop off items required for the Burns supper later on in the evening. The walk will commence around about 10.00.a.m. The walk will be relatively short to allow people to get home and freshen up for the festivities in the evening.
Note:  0930 for scones and coffee/tea, drop off BS goods
            1000 Set off for a invigorating whatever
            Allan and I will set about preparing the venue
I think this is the lineup.
Let me know if you think/know otherwise.
           Johnny

Douglas Muir          Chairman

Jimmy Johnstone    Toast to the Haggis

Paul Crankshaw      Immortal Memory

Johnny Matthews    Toast to the Lassies

Kenny Thompson   Toast to the Ooters

Alan McQuiston

Alan Stewart

Allan Sim

David Clunie

David McMeekin 

George Hewitt 

Gus Kerr 

Ian Doolan

Rex Porter  

Robert McGarry

Ronnie Thompson

Muirkirk is not a viable option tomorrow.

New arrangements in view of the forecast.
Meet in the car park beside the old swimming pool on Prestwick shore. Meet at 10.00.a.m.  The walk will be along the shore to Troon with the option of walking back or getting a bus back if weather is atrocious. Weatherspoons in Prestwick for F.R.T. ( Peter phoned to tell me that the road to Muirkirk was blocked this afternoon ) Rex suggested lunch in Weatherspoon's could be an option.

Some images from Cumbrae trip.

Cumbrae 10 January

Alan, Allan, Davie C, Davie Mc, Dougie, Gus, Ian, Johnny, Kenny R, Kenny T, Malcolm, Paul, Rex, Robert

It was a rather dreich morning that saw us assemble in Largs for the 9.45 sailing to Cumbrae. However, the forecast was for a steady improvement, so the only issue was whether we would do the walk clockwise or anti-clockwise. Most assumed that the latter was the preferred option, but since the pull up to the Glaid Stone was less strenuous going our usual route and given the fact that it would get the climb out of the way first, Davie and the dug led us clockwise.

There was little breeze, but it was still cold enough for most to keep all layers on as we marched up to our coffee stop at the top of the hill. The eagle-eyed spotted a submarine being escorted up the firth, too small methinks to be a Trident boat.
Ten minutes later we were on our way again and before long we were in Millport, a bit of a ghost town at this time of the year. Lunch was taken at the benches overlooking the still waters of the bay, not at the shelter further along.
Allan and Johnny were the first to move since they were beginning to get chilled, and as they passed the afore-mentioned shelter, they noticed that it had been refurbished, at least all of it except the benches, very strange! The rest caught up within a mile and overtook them for the chase up the far side of the island. The weather had picked up and we had some winter sunshine as the tarmac was pounded. A mile and a half from the slipway, Davie, having consulted Holly, declared that we would not make the 1.30 ferry, so we could ease up and take our time, and thus the remainder of the walk was done at a more casual pace. Not that some of us noticed of course.
The slipway was reached at 1.40, three and three-quarter hours after having set off.
Those of us who were listening to the announcements on the ferry realised that they were going to do a man-overboard drill on the way over, so when the alarm went off we were not concerned. A dummy was thrown into the water and we watched as it was retrieved by seamen with a large pole and then hauled aboard. The drill seemed to satisfy those who were observing from the bridge and no doubt the H&S box could be ticked for another year or so. It took Robert a wee while to get dried off and he was glad that they didn’t try the kiss of life on him.
FRT was taken at the Paddle Steamer in Largs aka Wetherspoon’s, where, for some, this became a TPD. The hour and a half spent there was a good laugh and the chips were good! By the time we left the weather had turned damp and dreich again.

Arrangements for Wed 17th Jan

Hail ,Rain ,Snow, or anything that Scotland,s weather can muster,the walk will be the Lunkey Hole walk from Muirkirk . Meet at 10.00.a.m. at Kaimes.

Tarbolton 3 January

Alan McQ, Alan S, Allan, Davie C, Davie Mc, Gus, Ian, Jimmy, Johnny, Malcolm, Paul, Rex, Robert

Twelve Ooters met in Tarbolton and got kitted up for a wet morning before setting off for Tarbolton Woods. Having gone a hundred yards or so, a black Mercedes came hurtling towards us. Oh, yes, the Rex man had cometh! Since compassion is our middle name, and since we are at the stage where we can’t remember the motto, we waited at Hamilton’s yard for him to catch up, and to our astonishment, he had come without a note from his mammy for being late.

As we passed the war memorial and headed along the minor road, umbrellas were to the fore, as the promised rains had arrived. Alan McQ then took us to the right and up a muddy track and into the woods. Underfoot conditions were very wet, and it was with some relief that we gained some height and emerged on to tarmac at Middlemuir Caravan Park. This seemed to throw our leaders as we didn’t really want to be there. We eventually made our way out of the park, turned left, and headed up the road towards the B743, but spotting where we should have been, Alan took us off to the left and over a paddy field towards Coilsfield Mains Farm, where we turned left and headed down to the Water of Fail. As we assembled on the wee bridge we had options to consider i.e. whether to continue up to Failford or to simply head back to the cars. The majority had had enough of the conditions, so we re-entered the woods and followed the track above the river. This, itself, proved challenging as the narrow path was on a slippy slope and we were relieved to find level ground for a coffee stop. Fortunately, the rain had stopped for the duration of our stop, giving us ample time to recharge batteries and to inspect the start that had been made to the Ooters retirement village, watched over by our guardian angel.

We followed the very muddy Fail (the amount of good soil washed off the adjoining fields must be a concern who those who earn a living from the land) back up towards Tarbolton, eventually emerging on to the road leading up to the war memorial and back to the cars.
By Ooters standards, this had been a short walk, two hours and about four or five miles, but it had been enough given the conditions. At least we got it dry to get changed and move up to the Black Bull for a very convivial FRT.
As per usual the chat was lively, diverse, and humorous but there was a rare five-minute spell when everyone’s attention was focused on the one subject, and that subject was a Humblebum*. Evidence was trawled by our leader for the day from the internet aka the bush telegraph, and the subject was discussed, and indeed drooled over, at length, or should it be, at a distance!
Eventually it was time to go home, at an unusually early time of the day. Nonetheless, despite the walking conditions, the social aspect of the Ooters had prevailed, and won the day, yet again.

*The Humblebums consisted, at various stages, of Billy Connolly, Gerry Rafferty and Tam Harvey. Say no more!

More images from the Tarbolton walk

Was that a blink of brightness when we set off?

NAW!

Negotiating Alan's 'path' through the woods

Is it the burn or the path? We weren't quite sure.

The path was relatively dry in this section of the wood

And the sun did blink out for a minute or two.

Yes, guys, there were fairies in the woods

A stone 'fairy house' attached to a tree in the woods.

Some images of the walk through the Tarbolton Woods featuring Alan McQ, Alan S, Allan, Davie C, Davie McM, Gus, Ian, Jimmy, Johnny, Malcolm, Paul, Rex and Robert

 A wet walk through the Tarbolton Woods

This raised mound of earth beside Coilsfield Mains farm is marked on the map as King Coil's grave 

(I tried to find more information online but a search for "King Coil" just gave me mattress manufacturers!)

Small housing development in Tarbolton Woods

 

The Ooters' guardian angel watches lovingly over them 

Happy New Year from the Ooters!

 

The Water of Fail was flowing fairly full 

Continuing on through the Tarbolton Woods

 A short outing today due to poor weather

Arrangements for Wednesday 10th January

Meet in Largs in time for the 09:45 ferry to Cumbrae. 

Burns Supper Wed 24 Jan 2018

Ooters Burns Supper WED 24 2018

Programme overall structure

1800 – 1830 –The Gathering

 1830 – 1930 - The Meal

 1930 – 2030  - Immortal Memory +

                        Readings and Songs

2030 - 2040 – Interval

 2040 – 2140  Toast to the Lassies +

                      Readings and Songs

2140 – 2150 - Interval

 2150 – 2240 - Toast to the Drouthy Ooters +

                       Readings and Songs

 2300 - Carriages 

THE DETAIL :-

FOOD

Soup – Gus    

Tatties/neeps – Alan St.

Haggis- Johnny

Apple pie- Robert                               

Cheese/biscuits- Davie Mc/Rex /

ENTERTAINMENT?  Chair will conduct

progress of the evening and stich the following 

into the overall structure(on his own or with help)

Nothing is in stone and adaptability is our creed.

No worries!

Immortal Memory – Paul

Address to Lassies- Jim D.

Address to Ooters- Kenny T.

Chair- Dougie

Address the Haggiss –Jimmy

Address to tin (our) Haggis- Davie C.

Glasca Tam O’Shanter – Davie Mc.

Recitation-Jimmy

Wllie Wassel-Alan McQ.

Squeeze box- Ian/Gus

Song-Gus

Recitation Rex

T.B.A.-Allan S.

A man’s a man-Johnny

Reading –George

Recitation –Robert

Auld lang Syne-Ian

Recitation –Davie C.

Song- Alan McQ/Ian

Please contact Johnny if any of the above

is a problem or there is more detail that 

you can provide

Option 2 Tarbolton

After consulting Alan we agreed on Tarbolton walk with the option to shorten the walk if necessary in view of the very wet forecast.
Bring bus passes to perhaps get the bus back to Tarbolton. FRT can be had in the pub in Tarbolton.