Largs: Pencil Walk

One of our favourite walks is from the centre of Largs to the Pencil Monument and Marina and back. This tall tower was built in 1912 to commemorate the Battle of Largs in 1263. As it looks like a pencil from a distance the name has stuck! It's a mystery to me that I don't remember it from frequent visits to Largs as a child. It was either because we just used to go to the beach on the other side of Largs or to Nardini's for ice cream, or because it wasn't so accessible or seen from the southern road (though this is unlikely, given the height of it!) Here are some of my photos taken one afternoon this October (apart from the first one which is from a different visit to Largs). The light was beginning to fail so some of the later ones are a bit dark:

Below: the Glasgow train going past some of the expensive new houses overlooking the monument!

It's essential to have coffee and cakes before the walk back to Largs!

The cafe at the Marina is quite good...

...some shots taken on the way back:

Below: the Coalpit Burn which runs down from the Haylie Reservoir, flowing into the Clyde.

Below: the path leading back to the town

There are some superb aerial views of the monument here and Wikipedia goes into detail about the Battle of Largs here

Largs: Apartment 24

Where we stayed in October, at Underbank, just outside Largs on the Greenock road. What a lovely flat it is with a balcony and great views across the Clyde! It was so warm and comfortable too (just what you need when it's blowing a gale outside!) with so much attention to detail and lots of extras. Definitely somewhere to recommend to anyone wondering where to stay in Largs - just click here for the website for full infomation and lots of photos. (In actual fact it was also cheaper than our previous caravan holiday in Gourock, yet 100% better!)

Above: the entrance to Underbank

The view from the kitchen window

The living room

Looking out through the balcony off the living room

View from the bedroom of the lawns and carpark

Below, more photos through the living room's patio doors, including some early evening shots. You can see the raindrops on the glass! (Click on photos to enlarge)

I could have looked out at the view all day! There are always interesting boats and ships out on the Clyde and you can see Cumbrae, Bute and the peaks of Arran too.

Below: golden rays over the hills of Argyll, close to sun set.

Here's a video I made from across the road, which shows Apartment 24 at the start. There was a strong wind (which you will hear!) so it was impossible to keep the camera steady.

Bridge of Weir

Another place I visited for the first time in many years was Bridge of Weir - not far from Kilmacolm (see last post). Sadly it was raining - at times heavily - so I took scarcely any photos and we didn't wander far from the car or cafe! Here are just a few random ones:

Below: where we had coffee...

...not to mention Geoffrey's apple cinnamon doughnut

The River Gryffe, also seen as a short video below:

I couldn't manage anything else before the heavens opened. However, the Wikipedia page is quite informative - see it here

Kilmacolm

What a joy it was to visit Kilmacolm recently (October 2008) for the first time in years. We used to stop here often when I was a child after visiting Granny at the Bridge of Weir Hospital. Unfortunately, it was a dull, wet, day and the light was failing as the afternoon was drawing to a close. However, I managed a few photos and there was time for a coffee too!

Two photos of the village centre

A closer view of Kilmacolm Parish Church, the 'Old Kirk'

St Columba's Church

Some other random photos which I took before the light ran out:

(What a pity that even clicking on the above board doesn't make it quite large enough to read)

By chance, I met a lovely, friendly, lady called Geraldine McCullough who writes for The Gazette newspaper and we had a chat. This was recorded in the newspaper the following Wednesday! (This time, clicking should enlarge it quite a bit)

Below, where Geoffrey and I had some coffee

Many cakes were eaten during our holiday (hence the diet since we returned)!

My review of Pieri's Cafe for the Qype website can be found here

Then it was time to return to where we were staying in Largs. The Lochwinnoch road was closed for repairs but I'm always happy to drive through Greenock. Ah, those memories!

The Wikipedia website has a very good page about Kilmacolm. It can be found here

Cardross and A. J. Cronin Part 2

I finally managed to visit Cardross this October, 2008! As I hadn't heard from the people in Cardross who were supposed to have written to me with directions to Rosebank Cottage, I had to find it for myself. This proved a very difficult task as no one I spoke to in several shops had ever heard of A. J. Cronin - can you believe it!? I was astonished. One old lady I met in the street thought she'd heard of Rosebank Cottage and said I was to take a left turning but she wasn't sure which one. Oh well. Geoffrey and I set off optimistically, turning down every left turning I could find. Outside a row of neat bungalows, I spoke to a friendly man - an Englishman who lives in Cardross - who had heard of A. J. Cronin - in fact, we discussed his books for several minutes! Better than that, he knew where Rosebank Cottage was situated and gave us directions. He said we were to cut down the side of a field, which we did, but then found we couldn't get through the undergrowth at the far side as it was too overgrown. I suppose it's possible that we went the wrong way as that man had been confident of a good path through the back of the field, but I couldn't find it. We had to retrace our steps, getting quite muddy into the bargain.

Where the 'cut-through' should have been!

After this I decided to take the car and venture further afield (literally). We took the road slightly out of the village, then a country lane.

A farm was at the end and a cottage - which didn't turn out to be Rosebank unfortunately. There were no other buildings in sight but I decided to set off on foot down the back lane (in the opposite direction to the farm), leaving Geoffrey in the car!

Down a hill and round a corner - and there it was at last: Rosebank Cottage!

The owners didn't seem to be there and I didn't want to trespass on their garden so I just took these photos from outside the gate. An elderly neighbour came to see what I was up to so I explained. I don't think he'd heard of A.J.Cronin and he certainly didn't realise the special history of the cottage!

I sneaked a photo through the hedge at the front though unfortunately the house isn't in focus!

Two photos from the lane outside Rosebank Cottage

Above: looking across the fields to the Clyde, just as young Archibald would have done.

After all this excitement, we drove down to the beach!

The view across to Port Glasgow from Cardross Beach. It was so strange to see it from the 'other side'! I wished I'd remembered my binoculars.

Below: some photos of the railway station...

...and then it was goodbye to Cardross. Apart from finding Rosebank Cottage I must admit that it was a very disappointing visit. How could it be anything else when no one I met that day had heard of A.J. Cronin (except for the Englishman!) ; there was no plaque outside Rosebank Cottage, no statue or memorial of any kind in the town. If I had the money I would put one up myself! I really do think that the people of Cardross should be ashamed for forgetting about the great man who was born there.

Cardross and A. J. Cronin Part 1 can be found here

Cardross and A. J. Cronin Part 3 is here