The Walls of Derry

Guildhall

Of all the cities in Ireland to have a complete set of medieval walls I would not have expected it to be Derry (also known as Londonderry).  Once I learned of their existence it seemed like a good place to check out, especially as the weather had been so poor during the week.  At only a mile long I knew that even with a showery day we would have enough breaks to be able to complete the whole walk.  At that length it probably also qualifies as the shortest walk on this entire blog! 

Defending the East Walls

The Walls were built during the period 1613-1618 by the honourable, the Irish Society as defences for early seventeenth century settlers from England and Scotland.  They also delineated a section of dry ground, which was effectively an island from the neighbouring swamp or bog that had been created by the neighbouring River Foyle.  Outside the walls is now the famous Bogside area of the city and hence that is how it got its name.  Originally there were four gates to the city with the roads leading to a central hub but over the years other gates were added and it was one of these later ones where we started our walk; the Magazine Gate.  This was added in 1865 to enable access to Magazine Street from the Guildhall opposite.  This is the north east corner of the walls. 

View of The Peace Bridge

We decided to follow the route clockwise and so the walls here were initially quite level and pretty thick.  Along the tops were a row of cannons that had been restored by Derry City Council in 2005.  There are 24 of these cannon altogether and under expert supervision and often by hand, craftsmen cleared the barrels of centuries of rubbish, stripped off layers of paint and corrosion and bathed, sponged and waxed the cannon back to their former glory.  My daughters enjoyed pretending that they were trying to withstand any enemy approaches by pretending to fire them.

Janus

From the walls we could see the magnificent Guildhall and the square in front that once hosted various parades.  The old Guildhall is the only one of its type to be still operating as a civic building in Ireland and was built in 1887.  The Guildhall looks magnificent today after its refurbishment in 2013 but its history has not always been very happy as it was badly damaged by fire in 1908 and again by bomb attacks during the Troubles in 1972.  Hopefully it can enjoy a long and peaceful history free from any of that stuff now.

Shipquay Gate

Past the row of cannons facing the Guildhall we passed by the Shipquay Gate, one of the original four.  Our view past here was rather restricted by buildings on both sides and the wall seemed to be much lower around this section.  I imagine that it has suffered from land being built up on both sides, reducing its height somewhat.  Shortly after the Shipquay Gate we reached the south east corner of the walls and turned sharp right to head up hill, gently at first.  The walls here are probably the least impressive as they are overshadowed by the Millennium Forum, a modern shopping centre in the inside of the walls. 

The Playhouse

At the corner was formerly the Water Bastion and originally the river lapped against it.  Now the river is several hundred metres away.  A couple of notable things happened here – Governor Lundy escaped over the wall to head to Scotland when he was suspected of surrendering the city to James II during the siege that was happening at that time.  More recently the Undertones rocked the Casbah club near here during the punk revolution of 1976.

Reminder of the Troubles

As we headed past the Millennium Forum we spotted a rather unusual looking statue.  I recognised it as possibly a Gormley work (he of Angel of the North fame) and found later that I was right.  This small statue is regarded as a forerunner to the Angel of the North and is one of three identical statues, with the other two sold and in private hands.  Janus is of course the Roman God that January is named after for his head looks two ways – into the past and the future.

St Coulomb Cathedral

Beyond the Forum the wall climbs steeply and perhaps it is most impressive along the western side.  We stopped briefly at Newgate Bastion, still impressive despite being surrounded by buildings.  As we climbed further up the hill though the buildings on either side moved further back providing us with some extra space to look out over the city.

Bishops Gate

Just outside the city walls as we headed to Ferryquay Gate was a reminder of the Troubles with a corner of the street still reserved for bonfires and Unionist slogans.  Inside the walls were perhaps the finest buildings that we saw in all of Derry, most of which looked as if they had been refurbished in the last few years.  Derry was the City of Culture in 2013 and I imagine that this was the catalyst for much of the improvements to the city.  The building that particularly caught my eye was the Plyhouse.  This was apparently a couple of primary schools that were closed and turned into an arts centre in the early 1990s.  The amber colour was quite fetching for the old building.

View of Old Derry

Just beyond the Playhouse is the Cathedral of St Columb, which still dominates the city landscape and certainly this corner of the city walls.  The cathedral dates from 1633 after an earlier church was destroyed by an accidental explosion in 1568 and then completely razed by Sir Henry Docwra, who used the stones of the old church to help build the city walls.  Perhaps surprisingly the Cathedral was the first to be built as an Anglican Cathedral anywhere in Europe.

Bogside View

This part of the wall once housed the three sculptures from Anthony Gormley and they apparently aroused strong reactions in this spot as one looked out over the Catholic area of Bogside, another towards the adjacent army barracks and the other into the city towards the fountain.  The figures were intended to show the double character of the city of that time, divided by religion, culture and politics but united by faith.

Roaring Meg

Beyond the cathedral we reached the double bastion at the south west corner.  This is surely the best view along the whole wall, looking out over the Bogside area beyond.  The old swampy ground that this was named after is now a mass of terraced houses and a large Gaelic sports stadium in the distance.  Our position is defended by Roaring Meg, the largest of the cannons restored and surely in the best spot for this magnificent relic.

Sheltering

By now the rain that had been threatening for a while finally arrived and we had to duck for cover under a nearby tree.  The tree didn’t really shelter us much though and we were pretty soaked within minutes.  It soon passed though and we continued our trip along the last section of the wall down the north side. 

Presbyterian Church

This part of the wall was perhaps the most interesting from a human standpoint for along the way we were entertained by a number of people dressed in period costume who told stories to the passing crowds about life in days gone by and especially during the siege of 1689 when James II tried to starve out the population of Derry in an attempt to wrest the Crown back from William and Mary, who had recently usurped the throne following the Glorious Revolution.  Derry was staunchly Protestant at the time and refused to surrender, prompting the siege.  James II ultimately failed however as reinforcements were sent from England and naval ships forced the Jacobite troops to break the siege.  The event is still commemorated by the Apprentice Boys in Derry each year and this led to a lot of tensions with the largely Catholic residents of the Bogside during the troubles.  Life in besieged Derry sounded horrendous, with inhabitants forced to eat more of less anything they could get their hands on.  Nearly 8000 of a 30,000 population are said to have died.

Tales of Woe From the Siege

Our onward route was sharply back downhill to the Magazine Gate where we had started, passing by the Butchers Gate as we did so.  It seems astonishing that in the 19^th Century a group of local businessmen attempted to force the demolition of the City Walls to improve traffic congestion, which was by then a major problem.  That they failed is a happy turn of events for visitors now as the Walls are surely the most surprising and fascinating feature of modern day Derry.  

Heading Back to the Magazine Gate

I have only touched on some of the history of this city – to explore all the intricacies of what has happened in the life of this city would surely take a much longer and thorough book.  Hopefully my skim through some of the major events associated with the Walls might encourage a few of you to read more.  There is no doubt about it, Derry has had a pretty torrid time since its foundation and many of the events are not that far back in history.  Let us hope though that the brutality and struggles remain in the past for now Derry seems a place full of confidence, with reverence to its past but no longer beholden to it.

Causeway Coast Way

Starting Point

Firstly with this blog entry let me lay my cards on the table – despite my best intentions I did not walk the whole of this route.  A combination of weather conditions and the terrain of the route put paid to that but I did walk enough of it to get a proper sense of the route and a desire to come back another time and walk it properly.

Portstewart Castle

The Causeway Coast Way is, as you might have expected, a 33 mile walk along the stretch of Northern Ireland coast close to the Giant’s Causeway and indeed that feature among others of note along the way are passed en route.  This was our first ever trip to Northern Ireland and we were immediately enchanted by its spectacular scenery.  If there is a bigger tourist secret in the UK I have yet to find it!  With a penchant for coastal walking this was a path that I was anxious to see some of even if there wouldn’t be time to complete it all.  In the end, rainy and windy conditions did not seem conducive to walking clifftop paths with small children while we were on holiday so we had to content ourselves with bits and pieces of the walk.

Washed Up Jellyfish

Our journey started in Portstewart, a small town of just under 8000 people to the north of the university town of Coleraine.  I am not sure why the path begins here but the starting point is pretty spectacular with a view out across the lengthy Portstewart Strand.  This is a well known and visited sandy beach that seems to stretch far beyond the two miles it actually is.  In the far distance we could see the coast of Donegal beyond the entrance to Lough Foyle.  It serves as a reminder of how small the province of Northern Ireland actually is.

Mill Strand

Before heading onward we of course had to spend a proper amount of time on the beach and we were far from alone, with lots of young families, surfers and other watersports enthusiasts all enjoying the warm sunshine and calm conditions.  Sadly this was not to last very long as away in the distance was a very large black cloud headed our way and that hastened our ongoing journey into the town of Portstewart itself.  From the start the path hugs the coast before heading into town via what is known as the Cliff Walk, which was built in the mid 1800s as relief work for families hit by the famine.  Above the cliffs is the huge presence of Portstewart Castle, which was built as a house in 1834 and then sold to a Dominican Order in 1917, being used as an educational establishment ever since.

Portrush Harbour

By the time we got to the top of the cliff path the much expected rain came and wiped out the rest of that day, much to our chagrin.  We did sample one of the local cafes though which had much to recommend it, especially the sea views out of the window.  The weather also relented enough for us to take a look around the shops, which were largely geared towards tourists but not in the same oppressive way that you find in seaside resorts elsewhere.

Portrush Dereliction

When we resumed our walk the following day it was on to Portrush along the cliff path.  In many respects this stretch of path resembles the North Cornish Coast in that the cliffs are the backdrop to wonderful sandy coves and there are plenty of rocky islets offshore.  We spotted plenty of wildflowers including knapweed in all its delightful purpleness, plenty of thistles, clover and scabious.  The bees and moths loved it and especially burnet moths, which seemed to be everywhere.

Lunch View

As we got closer to Portrush we could see what a special location it has.  Neatly perched on a peninsula between two sandy beaches we approached the harbour side first.  The path continued along a promenade at the back of a sweeping arc of sand before finally reaching the small harbour and lifeboat station.  As we rounded the bay a train chugged out of Portrush Station for the short journey to Coleraine.  Clearly when most of the railways in Northern Ireland were closed down this short branch line did enough business in holiday traffic that it was reprieved.  Most of the services though are just shuttle trains to Coleraine rather than on to anywhere further afield.

Testing the Water

Portrush Harbour was built in 1827 and for much of the 19^th Century small boats would leave Portrush with passengers destined for large ocean liners that would take immigrants to the New World.  More local traffic was also popular including steamers to Ardrossan in south west Scotland and Donegal.  Most of this traffic didn’t survive past the First World War.  Now it is mostly leisure craft in the harbour although the lifeboat really stood out from the crowd with its bright orange and dark blue livery.

Curran Strand

Just beyond the harbour the path takes in the small headland of Ramore Head and this offered wonderful views all along the coast back beyond Portstewart and on to Donegal further afield.  I cursed the fact that I didn’t have my binoculars as it would have been good to focus a little on some of the detail along the coast, especially to pick out distant landmarks such as Mussenden Temple, one of Northern Ireland’s most famous landmarks.  As we rounded Ramore Head the view changed very quickly to look east and onwards to Dunluce Castle and the Giants Causeway beyond.  To the north though was a surprising sight – the Island of Jura, the Hebridean island famous for whisky.  I never expected to be able to see that from this vantage point.

Dunluce Castle

As we rounded the headland and proceeded along the eastern side we could see that there were a lot of grand looking buildings that I imagine would have been bed and breakfasts and guest houses.  Sadly many were derelict and boarded up which seemed a crying shame.  Some looked like they had been this way for some time as the windows weren’t just boarded up but breeze blocked in.  We wandered further around the coast to the other main beach, which was a lot more crowded.  Just above the beach we came across a rather pleasant looking café and so stopped by to have some lunch which was both delicious and reasonably cheap.

Tame Stonechat

Our onward journey took us along Curran Strand where my kids were anxious to get their feet wet once again.  Behind the dunes was the Royal Portrush golf course, the venue for the British Open in 1951 (and the only time it has been held outside mainland Britain).  With the interest in Northern Irish golf in the last few years there is every chance that the Open might return here one day and that would certainly be a fillip for the local economy.

Causeway Rainbow

Beyond the beach we didn’t walk as the route from here to Dunluce Castle is along the road and none of us much fancied that even though the road is scenic.  Close inspection of much of the coast of Northern Ireland is that it is followed quite closely by the A2 coastal road, which makes for excellent motoring but less agreeable walking.

Causeway Railway Station

Nevertheless we did stop at Dunluce Castle, one of the great sights of Northern Ireland, perched high up on the cliffs above the boiling sea.  Some of the castle has obviously been lost to erosion over the years although the story behind the castle’s abandonment isn’t quite as it is billed.  Dunluce Castle was built in the 13^th Century and abandoned in the 17^th Century.  Apparently during a particularly heavy storm the kitchen is said to have collapsed in the sea while a big party was going on, taking all the kitchen staff with it and leaving only a kitchen boy who survived because of where he was standing.  Although this rather gruesome story has carried down through the ages it is pretty certain to be untrue as there is evidence that the part of the kitchen said to have collapsed was still in place some decades after the storm.  Stories like this only add to the mystery of the place though and it was certainly a very interesting place to look around.

Portballintrae

We skipped the section of road walking between Dunluce Castle, although once upon a time it would have been possible for us to have completed the next section by tram as the old Giants Causeway and Portrush tram came along here following the line of the road to Bushmills.  Part of the tramway has been opened as a heritage railway from Bushmills to the Causeway visitor centre, although this is a conventional steam railway (3ft gauge) rather than the electric tramway that it once was.

Causeway Sunset

The next stretch that we walked was from the small seaside village of Portballintrae around the bay to the Giants Causeway itself.  As we did this section we walked out in  glorious sunshine but with a dreaded rain cloud ominously heading our way.  This was a beautiful stretch and the bay that we walked around was overseen by the rather impressive looking Runkerry House, once owned by Lord McNaughton but now turned into apartments.  We crossed the small River Bush and headed around the back of the sand dunes where we spotted a friendly stonechat who kept us company for a short time.  Across the way there were plenty of people playing golf; it seems to be more popular an activity in Ireland than any other part of the British Isles I have been to.

Giant's Causeway

We soon came upon the small railway linking Bushmills and the Giants Causeway visitor centre.  The trains were done for the day but it must be quite a memorable way of getting to the Causeway and hats off to the group of people who re-opened the line back in 2002 after a hiatus of 53 years.  Most of the remaining route to the visitor centre took us alongside the railway – more heavy rain precluding the loop around by Runkerry House, which was rather disappointing.  We did however see the most amazing rainbow as a result of the heavy rain and sunshine.

Dunseverick Castle

The Causeway visitor centre is astonishingly big and is designed to cater for the hundreds and thousands of visitors that come to perhaps the most famous natural sight in all of Ireland, let alone Ulster.  Buses ferry the less able tourists down a road for the half a mile or so from the centre to the rock formation.  Being National Trust members we didn’t have to worry about the cost but it is rather steep to get in.  We grabbed the audio guides and headed down for our first visit to the famous formation. 

Ballintoy Harbour

According to legend the columns are the remains of a causeway built by the giant giant Finn MacCool.  He was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Finn accepted the challenge and built the causeway across the North Channel so that the two giants could meet. The guide told us that Finn hid from Benandonner when he realised that his opponent was much bigger than he. Finn's wife, Oonagh, disguised Finn as a baby and tucked him in a cradle. When Benandonner saw the size of the 'baby', he reckoned that Finn, must be a giant among giants. He fled back to Scotland in fright, destroying the causeway behind him so that Finn could not follow.  Across the sea, there are identical basalt columns (a part of the same ancient lava flow) at Fingal's Cave on the Scottish isle of Staffa, and it is possible that the story was influenced by this.

Ballintoy Harbour Sunset

Although the scientific explanation for the Causeway is a lot less interesting (being formed by basalt cooling after volcanic eruptions in the area) it is still an amazing sight.  We were quite lucky with the lighting – the big black clouds overhead rolled away periodically enabling shafts of sunlight to pick out the main features.  Being there on an unsettled evening also helped from the point of view of fewer tourists and enabling us to enjoy the natural splendour that much more.

Crossing the Bridge

It had been our intention to continue the walk from here another day to our holiday cottage at Ballintoy.  However, we were to be disappointed as the day we selected the weather changed from the forecast and we didn’t think it safe or prudent to walk the cliff top route in driving rain and heavy winds.  By the time the weather relented enough there was insufficient time to walk the estimated five hours it would have taken us.  It was a huge disappointment and made me determined to come back and have another go at some point.

Carrick-a-Rede View

Despite this setback we did explore a few points further along the coast without walking to them.  First on the list was the ruined castle at Dunseverick, now virtually obliterated after a combination of neglect, erosion and partial demolition by Cromwells troops post Civil War.  The castle has been here since the 5^th Century apparently and was once visited by St Patrick.  Now only remains of a gatehouse can be seen.

Carrick-a-Rede Coast

Ballintoy Harbour further along the coast was delightful and we spent a very happy evening there exploring the coast and having a picnic.  The harbour is famously featured in Game of Thrones apparently although it is a TV programme I have never watched and doesn’t appeal to me.  The view north from here is dominated by Rathlin Island and this will be the subject of a future blog entry.  The path from here to Ballycastle follows the main road all the way and did not appeal at all.  We did however, visit Carrick-a-Rede bridge just outside Ballintoy.  This is the rope bridge that was once used by fishermen to reach an island offshore and the little station they had set up to deal with the fish they had caught.  Now the bridge is overrun with tourists and is far safer than it ever was.  Crossing the wibbly wobbly bridge still generates some giggles even it isn’t truly dangerous.

Ballycastle Harbour

We were disappointed not to complete the route and although there are some significant road sections that might detract from the whole experience, the A2 is not a hugely busy road.  The non-road sections more than make up for it anyway and I shall certainly be back in the next few years to do a proper job of walking this route.

Largs

Largs View

Our base during our Scottish trip was the very pleasant town of Largs, situated on the Firth of Clyde and about 30 miles from central Glasgow.  I was pleased to see that in volume 36 of the Pathfinder Guides (Glasgow, Clyde Valley, Ayrshire and Arran) walk number 14 was an exploration of the town and its hinterland.  This gave us the perfect opportunity to have a good look around the town in which we were staying.  The whole walk was 5 ½ miles, which was modest enough in length for all of us to enjoy during a morning.

Moorland Clouds

In keeping with the weather for the rest of our week it was rather a gloomy morning as we started by the pier.  The route took us up the hill away from the pier through the rather pleasant housing that characterises Largs.  Behind the town is a large area of moorland, reminiscent of the Scotland to the north of Glasgow rather than the lowland belt.  This is quite a wild area, not one that you might readily associate with central Scotland but certainly one that adds to the charm of the Firth of Clyde coastal area.

Leaving Civilisation

It took some time to free ourselves of the housing but eventually we reached a gate to the moors at the top of the hill just beyond the main school.  What followed was undoubtedly the highlight of the walk for we were to climb up and away from the town along a pretty well-worn path.  In fact I wondered whether this path might once have been a road into and out of Largs?  Before the tarmac road across from Kilbirnie it must have been quite hard accessing the town from the east.

Greeto Bridge

We climbed steadily up the wonderfully named Gogo valley on a path high above the roaring river that we could hear but not see way down in the valley.  Alongside was the pungent smell of bracken and I had a horrible feeling that this might have been harbouring all sorts of biting insects but to our relief we managed to get away with it.  As we climbed it was very tempting to look back every so often at the magnificent view unfolding.  We could see the Cumbrae islands, Arran, Bute and Kintyre from our lofty perch.  

Douglas Park

Eventually the path levelled out and we passed by some small woodland areas that looked deliberately planted although surely too small to be commercially viable?  After we had passed the woodland the character of the walk completely changed as we were now fairly and squarely in the moorland area, with the view behind us having receded.  The sun was desperately trying to poke through the stubborn clouds which swirled around the hill tops.  We felt as if we had the whole place to ourselves, which was a great feeling especially for the children who thought we were epic explorers.  That turned out to be a bit of an illusion though as when we got to Greeto bridge, spanning a tributary burn to the Gogo River, we found a couple of people camping .  I thought that it was probably a pretty good spot as sufficiently lonely to feel like you were wild camping and yet close enough to civilisation to go and obtain some supplies.

Douglas Park Colours

The walk abruptly stopped at this point.  The track obviously continued on over the bridge to somewhere else but for this walk I think the author only ever intended that we should get a taste of the countryside and enjoy the view back across the Firth of Clyde.  I am not sure my children would have been up for anything more adventurous so that was just about perfect.

Burial Tomb

On the way back down the hill it was very difficult to balance the need to enjoy the view but also watch where to put your feet on the descent.  The view was even better on the way down as by now some of the clouds had rolled away and the sunshine was lighting up the whole scene.  We watched the ferries going backwards and forwards to Great Cumbrae, the trip we had done only a couple of days earlier.  Further away we could see other ferries heading to Dunoon and Rothesay as well as some other shipping heading in and out of Glasgow.  If there had been time it would have been fascinating watching the ships for quite some time.

Seafront Colours

At the bottom of the hill the path took a sharp left and crossed the Gogo river. A few streets of suburban walking followed before we reached the very colourful and well-kept Douglas Park.  I have to say that the grounds maintenance in Largs was second to none – with lawns and flower bedding immaculately kept.  We wandered around the grounds enjoying the colours of the bedding and the character of the park before heading off to see a small burial chamber tucked away at the back of the housing.  Apparently this old tomb is more than 8000 years old.  I wonder how the occupant likes being surrounded by houses these days?

Clyde Clouds

This was another spot where we had to retrace our steps and head back to the park entrance.  The path crossed the road and through another Park (Anderson Park), which apparently hosts the site of the Battle of Largs.  This took place in 1263 and was the final act in a long running war between the King of Norway and King of Scotland, although the battle itself was indecisive.  A few years after the battle the Vikings gave up territorial rights to the area and ceded it to Scotland.

Arrival From Cumbrae

We then dropped down to the seafront and away to the left we could see the Pencil Monument, erected in 1912 to celebrate what was seen as the decisive victory against the Vikings in the Battle of Largs.  In the intervening 100 years, historians have long argued about the place of Largs in the war against the Vikings.  Nevertheless the townsfolk of Largs are very proud of this piece of heritage and I cannot blame them.

Arrival of Waverley

Largs seafront is a particularly attractive place to walk, with plenty of open area in front of the housing and not spoiled by a road running too close, except for a short stretch leading to the ferry terminal.  The official walk led us back only to the terminal but we also continued onward around Largs Bay to admire the wonderful planting schemes that characterise the seafront.

Largs Seafront

As an introduction to the area this walk was very good, even though it seemed a little contrived in places.  While the nature of the walk seemed a little odd when viewed on the map in the guidebook the reality made much more sense as it took in the main places that you would want to see without taking you on a lengthy and unnecessary journey just to complete a loop.  The views are magnificent and the character of the town as well as its surroundings can really be appreciated.

Viking Memorial

Great Cumbrae Island

Largs Ferry

Our holiday this year took us to some different parts of the UK that we had either not visited for a long time or even at all.  It was rather refreshing to explore some more of our own nation after heading overseas in the last few years.  Our main reason for staying in the UK was that we had arranged to visit the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and we worked the rest of our holiday around that.  We based ourselves in Largs, a small town on the Ayrshire Coast about 30 miles from Glasgow.  It was a rather delightful place and even though the weather was rather mixed we thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

Leaving Largs

Across the water from Largs is the small island known as Great Cumbrae.  It is only ‘Great’ in comparison to its smaller neighbour Little Cumbrae (or Wee Cumbrae as I believe some of the locals call it).  The ferry crossing across from the mainland is only 10 minutes and ferries run frequently thoughout the day.  When looking out across at an island I always think it begs to be explored and so on one of the days when our Games event was later in the evening we decided to take the ferry across and take a look.  The island is mostly rural but has the small town of Millport hugging the southernmost bay.  Strangely despite being so close to Largs it is impossible to see one from the other.

Millport Harbour

We decided to have a go at walk number 6 from the Pathfinder Guide no 36 of Glasgow, the Clyde Valley, Ayrshire and Arran.  It was modest in length but we felt that it would give us a flavour of the place in the short time we had available.  The weather was rather a mixed bag and so it suited us not to have to go too far in case of a deluge of rain.

Old Cemetery

We parked up along the seafront in Millport, which is a delightful little town much loved by tourists due to its easy proximity to Glasgow. In days gone by it was a regular stopping point for paddle steamers heading down the Clyde from Glasgow but I think these days most people come over on the ferry from Largs.  There seemed to be some thriving shops on the seafront, many of which had a rather bygone character about them.  It is claimed that Millport has the smallest cathedral in the UK, seating only 100 people.

View to Bute and Arran

Our route took us away from the harbour and up the hill leading inland from the town.  As we climbed the hill we soon came upon the old cemetery.  Looking inside we could see that some of the old graves were very old indeed and there was a sign up saying that it was no longer in use.  We were surprised at how much housing development there seemed to be further up the hill.  I cannot imagine that there is a huge amount of work on the island itself and commuting every day by ferry must get a bit tiresome especially during the winter months.

Watercolours

Eventually the housing ran out and we passed a very popular looking campsite and the new cemetery before the route took us out into farmland.  Now the walk got rather more interesting as the views across from this ridge were superb.  It was a rather changeable sort of day with lots of clouds billowing and scurrying across the water on the west side of the island.  Across the Firth of Clyde we could see the islands of Bute and Arran as well as peninsulas of land that jut out between sea lochs.  In the far distance we could also see Kintyre.

Heading Down Into Fintray Bay

My girls were quite inspired by this view and we had taken the precaution of packing some watercolours, pencils and pads just in case the opportunity arose.  We sat for quite a while trying to get our impression of the view onto paper although sadly our efforts were cut short by a pesky rain shower that passed over.  We packed up our things double quick and resumed our walk although annoyingly it stopped very soon after.

Fintray Bay Cafe

The path headed for about a mile over this section of high ground and I really enjoyed the view out to the west of the island, which seemed to constantly change with the sun finding gaps through the clouds and lighting up sections of water and the coast in the distance.  About 10-15 minutes after our painting stop we headed down off the high ground and down to the coast road below.  The coast road makes a complete circumference of the island and is approximately 9 miles all the way around.  It stays largely at a few feet above sea level and has no major hills (or traffic) and that makes it very popular with cyclists, not just enthusiasts but also families who can safely come with their children and not have to worry too much about road safety constantly.

Fintray Bay

We had clocked a café at Fintray Bay on this stretch of the Cumbrae coast and as it was lunchtime with more rain threatened we decided to see what was on offer.  We took the opportunity of settling into the window seats and within a few minutes some hot and steaming jacket potatoes came out of the kitchen, perfect grub for such an unsettled day.  We enjoyed our leisurely lunch while the weather outside cheered up considerably and the threat of rain appeared to dissipate.  The girls were anxious to complete their watercolours and so after lunch we abandoned the idea of taking the official route in the guide book, which was back to Millport via the coast road in favour of retracing our route back over the high ground.  We had earlier driven around the coast road and while I can vouch for its scenic beauty, in my mind it was probably a good decision.

Exploring the Millport Coast

We paused again at the top of the hill for about half an hour to allow paintings to be completed before heading back into Millport where we split up.  I took youngest daughter with me down to explore the rock pools and sea front area while the other two headed to the shops.  I found Millport utterly charming and the view across from the seafront was amazing.  The smaller island of Little Cumbrae looked rather mysterious with some small buildings evident but looking otherwise like one of the Hebrides rather than an island in the Firth of Clyde.  I gather that the island is privately owned and access is not available to the general public.  Further across the Firth is the industrial site of Hunterston which houses a nuclear power station and coal yard.

Millport Seafront

As we headed along the increasingly busy seafront as we headed eastwards we found a bustling shopping centre, plenty of people enjoying the seafront and a bagpipe band entertaining visitors.  Who knew that such a little gem could exist only 30 miles from the heart of Glasgow?  It was like another world entirely…