EK NEWS ARTICLE: ERIC KENT  The latest Duncanrig Ramblers walks were located on or adjacent to the Clyde Coast. The main walk was over the hills behind West Kilbride to Largs and the alternative walk was along the coast from Ardrossan to Fairlie along part of the Ayrshire Coastal path. The Coach passed through West Kilbride on the way to the start of the walk and we were all struck with the number of craft shops and studios, as well as several leading artists who now reside in the town. So much so that West Kilbride is now achieving fame as the "Craft Town Scotland". Historically West Kilbride takes its name from the Celtic Saint Brigid of Kildare who landed close by at Seamill to found her church around about 500AD. The town’s roots go back further to Roman times when the Roman General Agricola stationed 30,000 troops in the area of the town called Gateside. The main walk started on the just north of the outskirts of West Kilbride at the road junction to Dalry. The weather was very misty and mild and it looked like we would have a miserable day for the walk. We headed along the road running towards Fairley for a short distance before heading up a farm road towards Crosbie Towers the former site of Crosbie Castle which was part of the estate of the Fullarton’s of Irvine. The Castle is thought to have been owned by Sir Reginald Crawford, an uncle of Sir William Wallace. A local story relates that after a night of mirth in Crosbie, the next morning, Sir Reginald and Sir William Wallace went to Ayr to attend a summons by the English Governor when, at Kingcase in Prestwick, they discovered they had left the charter of peace behind at Crosbie. Wallace returned for it but, upon nearing Ayr for a second time, learned that his uncle and several of the neighbouring gentry had been treacherously seized and hanged. In revenge Wallace carried out the burning of the Barns of Ayr. Stirring times indeed! The castle was demolished in 2007. We then passed close by the Crosbie reservoir and up the hill using a quad bike track which we followed all the way to the top of Caldron Hill (328m). At the top of the hill the mist was still about and the views over the Clyde Estuary and the Islands were limited. We had an interesting descent from there on a quad bike track passing many grouse shooting butts on the way. From the stone strewn top of Caldron Hill we descended down close to Dykes Plantation and then up to Glentane Hill (272m). On the decent from this hill we were very fortunate as the weather started to clear up and we were then were able to enjoy the views across to Arran, the Cumbraes, Bute, and South to Ailsa Craig and also North to the snow covered Arrochar Alps and beyond. Due to the higher level of this walk we were fortunate to enjoy this wonderful visual panorama most of the way through to close to the end of the walk. As we dropped down close to Glenburn reservoir we walked for a short distance on the on the moor road which goes over from Hunterson to Dalry. Just around the point where you can turn in to the parking for the Glenburn reservoir which is a popular fishing spot we turned off in the opposite direction going north and heading along another rough track below Kaim Hill heading towards Fairlie Glen. The way down to the glen was made by passing by the woods Close to Diamond Hill on the seaward side and then losing height and crossing into Fairlie Glen close to the substantial ruin of Fairlie Castle. In the 13th century the land of Fairlie was held by the de Ros (or Ross) family of Tarbert. It was one of the sons of the Ross family who built the Castle and adopted the name Fairlie. The family continued to live in the Castle until the 17th century, but by the end of the 19th century the castle was in ruins.

The walk continued up an excellent path climbing up Fairlie Glen and towards the end of the climb it was quite challenging for a short distance due to the steepness. Once the tree line was reached we turned north walking on the moor on the slopes of the Whatside Hills close to the tree line on rough paths. The views during this part of the walk down, across and up the Clyde Estuary were again at their best and admired by all. We continued along for around a mile or so until We came to a gate in the Kelburn Estate boundary wall which we entered and followed down until we reached Fairlieward Cottage. Kelburn Castle and estates has been the home of the Boyle family for at least eight hundred years and the seat of the Earls of Glasgow since the then laird, David Boyle, was ennobled in 1703.  No one is sure when the original Norman Keep was built, maybe about 1250, but it is known the Norman family of de Boyville, later shortened to Boyle, have owned their lands in this part of Ayrshire since 1143.  In publications on Scottish clans and families, the Boyles tend to merit only a brief mention or get omitted altogether, yet Kelburn Castle is probably the oldest castle in Scotland to have been continuously inhabited by the same family, and, in the nineteenth century the Earls of Glasgow were among Scotland’s wealthiest landowners. We continued down wards through the wooded area of the estate close to the A760 (Haylie Brae) but although the view from the road out over the Clyde Is famous the world over, we were fortunate to get similar views from our position coming down through the Kelburn estate at the one section going through the estate woods. We left the estate grounds opposite the top end of the Haylie Brae Cemetery and walked down in to the edge of Largs where our Coach picked our group up. The alternate walkers also enjoyed a fine day and views after a poor weather start to their walk along the edge of the Clyde. The social hour including the famous Largs ice cream was enjoyed by all before the journey back to East Kilbride.