The bus from Stranraer only runs every two hours and I’ve a long hike today, so make sure to catch the first bus. Less than a mile out of town, it shudders to a halt.
“First time in 30 years” says the driver.
Why now? Fortunately a replacement is quickly dispatched. Meanwhile, I chat to the only other people on the bus, locals Margot and Jim, who are heading to Ayr to pick up their serviced Harley-Davidsons. They have biked all over Scotland, so I get plenty of tips on which islands to visit.
We arrive at Ballantrae with no further mishaps. It’s a fine morning. Rather than stay on the busy A77, I ignore various “Road closed” and “No entry” signs and climb over a locked gate to explore the old road round Bennane Head.
There’s another reason to be here. I want to find the cave lair of Alexander “Sawney” Bean, said to be the head of a 45-member 16th century clan in Scotland that murdered and cannibalised over 1,000 people.
I’m not going in there!
Postscript: I made a mistake, as Bean’s Cave is slightly further north. This was Snib’s Cave. A hermit lived here for 30 years until a fierce gale made his cave almost uninhabitable, and in December 1983 he died from pneumonia and hypothermia.
The deserted road ends at a livestock pen, with barbed wire fences on either side, so there would be no way through to the A77 if the pen was occupied. It’s worth taking a chance for the wonderful views and a lot safer than the main road.
The road snakes down to a wild beach at Lendalfoot. There is aerial combat overhead as an oystercatcher chases away a crow twice its size.
A flock of gulls launch in front of Ailsa Craig as I approach. It’s a lovely scene, so I wait to take a photo when they all rise again. Of course they refuse to take flight, just diving for the occasional fish, so I move on after 10 minutes.
A pretty waterfall cascades down to the beach at Ardwell.
There’s a narrow strip of shingle beach, but I’m upsetting too many nesting oystercatchers. A chick scuttles along next to the water, with the parents uttering loud, shrill calls, swooping in front of me, leading me away. Time to climb back up to the roadside verge and follow a footpath into Girvan, enjoying an enticing profile of Arran’s mountains.
A rocky stretch of coastline leads to the beautiful dunes of Turnberry Bay. The famous golf course includes a lighthouse, situated on the ruins of Turnberry Castle, where Robert the Bruce was born in 1274.
It’s late when I finally reach the grounds of Culzean Castle. The air is damp, and the midges are starting to chase me through the woods, so I can’t linger too long, but the castle and gardens are gorgeous.
The campsite is further away than I thought, not actually in the castle grounds, and a light rain is starting to fall. Paul, the site manager, is very welcoming and leads me to my pitch with a great view, offering chocolates left over from the Jubilee celebrations. Tony and Jean are camping next door, with their cute collie Maisie, and they kindly brew me a cuppa, with the luxury of real milk. We swap stories for a while, admiring the sunset over Arran, before I crash out after a tiring, but enjoyable, day.
Walk distance: 24 miles.
Total distance: 1,949 miles.
Wow you covered some distance again on this walk. I’m afraid I stuck to the main A77 rather than the old closed road. I split this walk at Girvan. I didn’t get to see much of Culzean Castle either as I arrived after it closed, though the path goes through the gardens, so did at least get to see some of those.
Oh yes and I had my first ride on an electric bus last week. It also broke down! Of course being electrical it was fixed by turning it off (on some sort of master switch on the outside) and back on again (just turning the ignition off and on was not enough to fix it). The driver was not too impressed!
I stopped off in Girvan for a coffee and bacon roll, only to notice that I had lost my cap, that I had worn for the first time to get a bit of shelter from the sun. I had it five minutes earlier at the harbour. I ran back to retrace my steps but it was taken by the wind, no doubt floating in the harbour somewhere! 🙂
I love the shots of Arran in particular. Such a beautiful profile it has.
Thanks Anabel. I found it fascinating, especially when it was just visible through the mist / haze.