Hello again,
waking up in Ayr we were downstairs on time with WF and all had a fantastic breakfast before going out of the Chestnuts Hotel full up and refreshed. We headed for Maidens but nipped up a road on the left up into the hills and took a lengthy wander before ending up back in Maidens and parked on the further beachside car park. We left WF with the car and a wander to the cafe and post office before myself and WK headed through the bushes and out onto the beach before walking all the way along to steps up the cliffs and onto the headland where we scattered grandad's ashes over twenty years ago.
The spot is still accessible, and also very quiet, and as the sun came out we had a brilliant view over the beach and out to Ailsa Craig. If memory serves it was January 1996 when we scattered the ashes and it is somewhere we have been back to number of times. Following a path through the woods and back down a stream side path to the beach we walked further down this time before heading back to the car park to find that WF was likely in the shop and so walked down he road to find him. WF had nipped for a quick cuppa and to use their loo and was just on his way out when we arrived and soon we were heading back to Maybole and then through the hills to Martins stones and church before heading into Barr. Alas the pub there is now closed, possibly permamantly, depending on which source you get your info from, but there is a small cafe in the village shop and they do sell some decent bottled beers including March of the penguins from Williams brothers in Alloa which I got a bottle of.
From here we spent a long time in, and getting to Glen Trool before heading to Minigaffe and then through Newton Stewart before rejoining the A75 and heading into Stranraer. Here we parked outside a fantastic pub called The Grapes. This unspoilt low level pub, on Bridge Street and with a fabulous white sign with a rising red horse on it, describing it as the home of Stranraer Tukker Clan, is wonderful. Built in 1862 and unchanged in fifty years or more the pub sells two real ales - on this occasion Orkney Brewery Corncrake and Man of Hoy, and whilst Keith took WF down a corridor to the facilities I must have had about three excellent pints before we left. On the national inventory (alas I can no longer access that page as my computer says it is unsecure....) it is a fabulous community boozer selling excellent drinks, and with a fabulous unspoilt interior.
Heading out of the town we followed the old military road all the way down to Portpatrick, and as WK went to find somewhere to park the car, I waited outside our destination. We were soon inside the Crown Hotel, and took our seats to order food, and having all got pints of Sulwath Criffel in cask we settled down to tuck in. The food was excellent, and the beer also. After eating, myself and WK fetched the bags and got the room keys. Despite an initial problem, with them telling us the wrong room for me and Keet, we soon got in and having left WF for a short period we headed up to another pub up the hill. It was OK, but their strangely named Portree IPA was definitely Greedy King and although I suggested we visit the Harbour House Hotel, instead we popped into check on WF. After making sure he was in bed, and arriving back at 10.20, we found them closed, and the lass we spoke to allowed us to take a look in the bar - online searches suggest it has recently changed hands and in a change to info on Whatpub they sold two Portpatrick Brewery beers on cask.Bback at the Crown we had another two or three pints of the Criffel before heading to bed.
In the morning WK left just before me to check if WF had got downstairs OK and a member of staff knocked on the door. She said she had been asked by someone to remind me to come down for breakfast. She didn't seem to know who Fatha was which seemed strange, but not as odd as the idea that either of two others would ask me to be reminded. On reaching the bottom of the stairs I was apologised to by another member of staff who had said they had been expecting to see two ladies, both of whom presumably stayed in our original room, and whom hopefully both remembered to sample, and enjoyed, the food in the breakfast, as much as we did!
After a lengthy wander around the sunny harbour we headed on a lengthy trip down to the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse where me and WK went for a walk and spotted some excellent wildlife, before joining WF again at the RSPB office and taking him up back towards Portpatrick and into a pub next to a caravan park in a place called Clashwannon, near the village of Dunnure. Opening at four this pub sold two real ales - Osset Yorkshire Blonde and one from Portpatrick. Explaining how much I appreciated this chance to finally try some sadly I was informed it was off, and although I did buy three bottles of the same breweries products, as well as my two pints, I ended up leaving them in a bag in our last hotel. It seems I shall never taste Portpatrick beers....
That place was the fabulous Steam Packet Inn in the Isle of Whithorn. A place I have been twice in the last twenty years and never managed to visit the pub. By now for the first time it was raining and after we got inside and sorted our rooms I started on a pint from Stewart Brewing in Edinburgh before having pints of every one of the pubs own brewery Five Kingdoms beers, along with two of their IPAs on keg. Food was in a room on the right and it was fantastic, although there seemed to be some confusion about who was having which sauce with their steak.Mine was rare and beautifully cooked, and WK enjoyed his too, but these days WF is such a slow eater that by the time he had finished he was mardily asking them why they served food on cold plates. The main issue is that in the amount of time it took him to sloth his way through his scran it is inevitable that it would cool down.
WF went off to bed early whilst me and WK sat in the bar by ourselves whilst chatting at some points to the brewer and the bar staff and finishing in my case (with WK on ginger beer) on a fabulous whisky. Alas I missed breakfast as I woke up early on with problems with my hernia, and whilst WK admitted the room was cold, today WF moaned that the tea was cold - two hours after he had arrived for breakfast. I really enjoyed the Steampacket - I just hope that as that is where I left my bottled beers (I found the Five Kingdoms ones!!), they enjoyed them!
Due to hernia issues we didn't stop for another boohar en route home and WK carefully drove me back to mine for about 19.30. I have now had two of the three Five Kingdoms brewery beers and they were both ace, I can highly recommend them! I am now invited to return to some parts of the holiday again next year, so who knows, perhaps I will one day try some Portpatrick brewery beers....
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
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