To Ayr

I am way behind on this blog.  I will try and catch up with a number of posts over the next few days.  Prepare for a blitz!

Accomodation was non-existent or way to dear for the next few days and so I based myself in Paisley, commuting, by train, to and from my destination each day.  It was great not having my pack, but I also enjoyed the train travel.

Though I wore my rain pants several days, in anticipation of expected rain, I was only caught in a shower for a few minutes once.

The path has suddenly become very well signposted, and basically follows the cycle path, diverging every so often onto paths not quite so easy to cycle on.  The path makes use, in these stages, of an old railway line, and yes, it is very straight,  and any elevation is minimal, and barely noticeable.   



Art works appeared occasionally along the way

I had three stages with just a day pack - to Lochwinnoch, Kilwinning, and Troon.  On the 4th stage, into Ayr, a short 12 kms, I had my pack with me.

Passing through Kilwinning I spent considerable time investigating the ruins of an old abbey - right in the centre of town.  It was founded in the 1100's and the monks lived there for around 400 years until it was "cast down" at the time of the reformation.  It was a huge building complex, and quite a surprise to see in the centre of the town.


Kilwinning Abbey

The Kilwinning High Street

Later in the day I was approaching the town of Irvine when I spied a statue, in the middle of what I would call a paddock - the locals might call it the green, locked in by a tall fence.  It turned out to be a Burns statue, placed there by the Irvine Burns Club.

The Irvine Burns Statue - safe, behind its locked fence!
A foot bridge crossing the River Irvine. 

On the way from Troon into Ayr, the path took me along the hard sands of the beach - into a strong head wind!  Though it was only 12 kms, I passed three golf courses on the way!

A wind surfer battling the wind as he prepares to pack it up

On the way to Ayr
The plaque below tells you what these buildings are.

Ayr is a larger town, with interesting buildings, spacious grassed areas, and of course lots of beach front.  There was a massive storm a week earlier, and there was debris over the paths, and over the grassed area beyond them.

A tower in Ayr - what it was remains a mystery to me as there were no signs of explanation!
The  Wallace Tower - a memorial to commemorate William Wallace, built about a decade before the Wallace Memorial in Stirling (below).






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