A few drops in sunny Ayrshire.

,  Afternoon all,

      when myself and Wee Keefy traveled up to Ayr, Portpatrick and then finally the isle of Whithorn in September  2019, our showing the pics to Mumraah persuaded her that she fancied a last trip up to Ayrshire, where her and my Dad used to live, and where myself and Keith were born. Initially we booked rooms at the Chestnuts Hotel in Ayr for April or May 2020. So that didn't happen. We thought about rearranging it for March this year but restrictions did not lift in time and we eventually agreed to go up this month. As sadly Wee Fatha passed away at Christmas, we found in his funeral details that he wanted his ashes scattered on the headland at Maidens, where my Grandad's are. So on the 3rd of September we drove up.

Arriving about 1630 at the Chestnuts, we got settled into our rooms before eating at 1830. I headed downstairs around 1745 to see what beers they had on in the bar. There were 3 ales on cask from the past, and to be honest am not sure what they all were - not least because firm favourite Fyne Ales Jarl was on. So I had a pint of that sat outside in the sunny Garden before I came in to eat. The Jarl was in excellent condition so I had another 2 pints.

We were planning on walking to town and back - but en route we popped in the Glen Park Hotel, the Ayr Brewing tap. I was on a pint of Summer Mittens, a cloudy session pale at about 4%, and Wee Keefy was on their bitter Jolly Beggars. After a couple of pints of these I finished on a pint of their Leezy Lundie Pale ale, before we headed back to the hotel. This showed us something that we hadn't previously realised - I knew that staffing levels were low in the licensed trade, but many pubs and bars now shut at 21:00.

The next day we drove to Maidens via Maybole - where none of us could remember where we used to live! Having stopped off at a castellated farmhouse just outside we turned right at Kirkoswald and soon parked up in Maidens. Myself and Martin walked carrying Wee Fatha's box of ashes along the lane and through the woods to the headland - whereas WK took Mumraah and himself to park in Culzean Castle, at about £457, and they walked from the swan pond to meet us.

To be fair the scattering of Dad's ashes wasn't as stressful or upsetting as we had worried. And once that was done we walked back to the swan pond for a cuppa each before we returned to the car and went for lunch from K's Kitchen in Maidens before visiting the harbour.

Once we had dropped Mumraah back at the hotel, WK, Martin and myself went to Dalmillington and then to some nearby waterfalls for a short walk and some pics. We then drove over the hills to Straiton and onwards into Kirkmichael. Here we went into the Kirckmichael Arms, where I had a pint of Kelburn Jaguar, Martin a glass of orange juice and WK a half of the Kelburn. On our last visit they had served a cloudy Ayr Brewing pale and it was ace - this visit did not disappoint.

 After tea we walked into Ayr town centre and having looked at some un suggested options, we ended up in the Smoking Goat downstairs from a side street near the bridge. Jarl was once again on here, and at £3.70 a pint was cheaper than the hotel, but they also sold another beer from Williams brewery which  Keith had. I had a "slotter" before we shared a bottle of Williams Bros 7 Giraffes IPA to finish our first visit to this loud but busy and friendly bar. Must revisit!

We next went to Wellingtons bar, under a building in Wellington square. When we got there it was quite busy but despite their opening until midnight it quickly quietened down. Here they had two beers on cask - Loch Lomond brewery summer clouds or similar for myself and Kelburn Pivo for WK - we had a few rounds in here before walking through the park by the sea in complete darkness, and finishing for a last one in the hotel bar - Jarl once again. 

Sunday we visited Girvan and Pinmoor and then drove to Glentrool. We grabbed scran from the cafe there before driving up a single track lane to park up for the Robert the Bruce memorial where we had our nosh. We drove the long way back over mountain roads to Straiton and back the same way as the day before, and having dropped both Mumraah and Martin off myself and Keith drove to park up near the Failford Inn to walk up the Great Ayr Gorge and to Peden's cove further up.

The weather was fantastic with bright sunshine and the path was easy to follow - although the usual route along the side of the water had sadly slipped away due to a landslide so it was initially uphill and back down again. Having let WK climb the steps and walk along a thin cutting into the rocks above Peden's cove to get pics, we walked back out and quickly popped in the Failford Inn.

The last time I had gone here they had the Windie Goat brewery. A quick check on the tinterweb suggests they brewed from 2006 until 2010 only so that must have been when we were last there. They had two real ales that night along with excellent food - but this time the range was Tennents or John Smiths Extra Smooth. Luckily WK spotted some bottles of Williams Bros the birds and the bees IPA so we shared a bottle of that, sat outside in the back garden with small birds whizzing over us throughout.

That night we once again headed into town - after having a couple of pints of fab Jarl - and only went into one bar - back into Wellingtons. Its worth pointing out that they were very kind to WF when we had gone in 2019 - helping him back up the stairs and bringing a chair outside to sit on whilst we awaited a taxi back to the Chestnuts. That. along with 2 real ales and excellent music made this an easy choice for our last night sup.

I remember asking the barmaid if I could look at the pumpclip in order to recall the name of the Loch Lomond beer - and I promised that after a couple of pints I would forget the name. It worked. It may have been summer weather - or any one of thousands of other Scottish beer names......

This time I switched to Kelburn Pivo for 2 of my 4 pints but the main memory I had was of how quiet it was in there - 3 people were in when we arrived along with the lass behind the bar and 3 other members of bar staff. The pub was cosy and freindly but although Sunday is oft a quiet night in many such places, we were very surprised at how quiet it was. We were the only customers for a while. We left about 2100 I think as the hotel locks it's door at 2200 on a Sunday - and making it in good time we also got caught in our first - and only - rain of the trip!

On our way home the next day we stopped twice - once at the Cairn Lodge services near Douglas - where I got 2 cans of Black Isle, and finally at the Tebay Services near Penrith - where I got my 3 bottles of Keith Brewery.

Despite the sad reasons for our trip I have to say that I enjoyed everwhere that we stopped off for drinks, and the beers they served in all of them.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy

The Wee Men visit South West Scotland

Hello,

       back in 2018 myself and Wee Keefy and Fatha discussed his plans to embark on a final trip to Scotland. Although this in some small way accepted the decrease in Fatha's mobility in recent years it certainly seemed optimistic at best. Being a last big tour WF would drive his and myself up to Oban and then on the third day we would catch the ferry to the Isle of Barra and stay there for three nights, joined by WK. We would then make a two day trek up to Lewis and stay for two nights on Uig peninsula before heading back to Ullapool and spending two nights or three heading back down. WK was reticent, and after he and Fatha went away to Chepstow in February he was certain that WF couldn't do the driving, and following a tenuous trip to Coventry in July we changed the plans dramatically to four nights with no ferries. And here is what happened.

WF was to pick me up at 09.30 and we would drive over to Wee Keefy's. In the end he was 45 minutes late, but suggested as WK took over driving that he sat in the back and myself and Keith in the front. Alas on reaching our first stop he was completely unable to get out of the back of the car and that is where I sat for the remainder of the trip thereafter. Following a trip to Morrisons in Penrith for lunch we popped into the Agricultural Hotel, or Arms nearby, parked outside and tried there some of the four local ales available. I was on a couple of pints of Hawkshead Session IPA, WK was on a half of something else local as was WF. Despite a few problems fitting WF in his wheelchair down the thin alley to the loos, and having to register the incredably centrally parked car, I think this was a cracking pub serving excellent beers in a very busy town.

Following a quick trip t Loch Maben we headed into Moffat and booked into the Old Black Bull Inn. We had not been to this pub for 15 years or so and it had previously closed down. Now selling two Lowland Brewery Beers, I had three pints of their Twa Dugs pale ale and Keith and WF a pint each of the Luce Moose or a similarly titled dark with our meal. Although we did make a trip to the Stag Inn , where we both had pints of their Inveralmond Lia Fail on cask, the only available, we then returned for a couple more of the Lowland. An excellent start to the escapade.

The next day WF was strangely on time and although we waited a long time we thoroughly enjoyed our very large breakfast, which, despite the wait, was perhaps the finest of the holiday. After letting WF drive once more we drove down a B road out of Moffat into the nearby hills where we walked almost all the way up to the fantastic waterfall which is the Grey Mare's Tail. With his permission we left him sat on the viewing platform in his chair, before scrambling up as far as we could manage but to get to the top would have taken far longer. One point was that it was a pay as you stay car park - not expensive, as it was about three pounds for up to four hours, but a family drove up in a large and likely expensive to run car, spotted the price, and presumably, not the explanation of how much of the funds go to maintaining the paths and viewing platform, and left straightaway, moaning "Ahm not payin free quid to park, have never paid to park anywhere". Not only does this sound very unlikely, but its a small, well maintained  car park in the middle of nowhere where numerous people park up and visit each day, given the location and the cost of management I don't know why anyone would storm off in a huff!

From here we headed back into Moffat before heading up through the hills toward Leadhills and Wanlockhead. Known as one of the highest and coldest villages in the UK I was pleased when WK told me that his friend Kev had been there recently and discovered a pub. A quick search showed the Wanlockhead Inn in the village and the supliers of beer from Lola Rose brewery based nearby.  On entering WF was very slow to the bar, and, alas, when we got in there was one handpump with the clip turned round - we were told they weren't selling real ale at the moment. Whilst WF wandered to the loss we got drinks and a seat in the room next door where the band were playing folk songs, and very well. WK was on Tennants dark, I think, where as I had a pint of Maltsmiths IPA on keg. Although am sure its a major brewery maker and supplier it as a beer in a style which I liked and this went down very well.

Next we headed along miles of road via somewhere called Dalmellington, for dinner, before heading to the lovely Ayrshire Village of Kirkmichael. Here we parked outside and visited the excellent Kirkmichael Arms.  Memory tells me I first visited this pub for bose when I was nineteen, which means it was last century. I had a pint of Maclays on cask with a blue label, which may have been brewed in Alloa. Or it may not. This time there was still one real ale on and it was a cloudy Ayr Brewing Co beer called Otto and Griselda, a 4.6% pale ale. As WF was once again on one of his lengthy visits I had two pints of this, whilst enjoying the football results on the TV screen above us. This pub does not seem to have changed in the numerous years since my last visit and is definitely somewhere I would like to go to again.

Soon, with WK now driving,  we had driven over the hills to the coast above Dunure and from there into Ayr, arriving at the Chestnuts Hotel around 17.30. Parked up outside, we were quickly in our rooms having taken WF's stuff up into his, and after a quick change and an attempt to recharge my phone we went for tea at 19.00 in the restaurant, whilst I bought us all pints of the Kelburn Brewing Co Pivo Estivo, a 3.9% lager like pale ale available on cask along with two Greedy King. The food and beer were excellent, although they did change the barrel after our first pints as they did taste a little old. Later we ordered a taxi to take us to Wellingtons Bar down below Wellington Square.

My last visit here was possibly ten or twenty years ago as well and I remember drinking the possibly then independent Caledonian Brewery Deuchars IPA. Now, there were three real ales on including two from Loch Lomond. U had several pints of their Lost in Mosaic session IPA and the other Wee's had other ales, the identity of which has since escaped me.  After a couple of hours the staff very kindly bought WF a chair to sit on outside and ordered us a taxi back to the hotel. With WF, and after he went to bed, I had a further two pints of the Kelburn as well as a double Whisky, before heading up to bed around midnight. An excellent evening of great food and beers once again.

More details of the remaining days to follow

Your very best of health!

Wee Beefy