Ayrshire Coastal Path Day 4 Kilwinning to Troon

I didn’t realise Kathleen would be joining me on my walk. Storm Kathleen, that is, and she’s going to be blowing a hoolie from the south, ie right into my face. Cunning plan required. Instead of walking south I decided to take the train to Troon (doesn’t that sound like a great title for a musical?) then walk the 11 miles back to my starting point with Storm Kathleen pushing from behind.

Said cunning plan was a wee cracker. Arriving at Troon just after 9 am I went first to my booked accommodation, the Anchorage Hotel, to see if I could leave my rucksack there for the day. I was carrying full camping gear in readiness for the wilder sections of the walk. No problem. Better still, the room was ready so I not only deposited my backpack but also came away with a key.

As forecast, the wind was very strong indeed. I seemed to be trotting rather than walking. This section is one long stretch of seashore but breaks itself into different terrains of grassy promenade, dune paths, beach paths, golf courses, then Beach Park and the old harbour at Irvine.

On the one occasion when I chose the wrong bit of path and had to turn round into the gale, I could barely put one foot in front of the other. I watched a young man take a windsurfer out. He seemed to fly through the air from one wave crest to the next.

Never one for purism when it comes to my long walks, I felt I was not obliged to do the couple of miles of urban walking between Irvine and Kilwinning and instead took the train from Irvine back to Troon. The coastal path loses its coast over that stretch due to a massive, largely derelict industrial site.

Thanks to Kathleen at my back, I had covered the 8 miles to Irvine in record time and found myself whiling away the rest of the afternoon in the Auld Brig – a pleasant ship-themed Wetherspoons pub. Thank you Kathleen.