As well as doing some DIY to the house over Christmas we wanted to have some down time and give some thanks to Adam and Emma for helping us understand how the house works, and for keeping an eye on the place. It's invaluable, so we invited them over for New Year's Eve eve for some hearty soup, a few drinks and a really good catchup - time flew by and before we knew it we'd finished the wine, and a bottle of whiskey and it was 2am. A very chilled evening all round.
The next day, New Year Eve, John had looked out a walk to the nearest, pretty beach - Kilbride Bay. The beach is a mile walk down a track from the roadside parking spot, so we thought it might be quiet. Liz's plan was to have a New Year dip in the sea, so she put her costume on underneath her clothes in the hope that she could brave the cold water. On the drive there we went through Tighnabruaich and there was a group of about 20 people all heading into the water in wetsuits. Liz said we should press on to the beach instead of joining them as the shore was rocky there and it felt a bit rude just turning up and barging in!
From the road we took a pleasant stroll down a track then across some boggy bits and past a tiny Christmas tree decked out with baubles - bizarre!
The water was too shallow (and freezing) so Liz chickened out of the dip - but maybe next time. The bay is quite beautiful - probably at least 1/2 mile wide, lovely sand and a view over to the mountains on the Isle of Arran. After the walk and a chill out with a flask of tea we headed back and called in at the bothy cafe by the road - amazingly open even at this time of year!
The owner was chatty and had two lovely sheepdogs (tax deductible apparently, against the business!) The chocolate cake was great and we learned more about the local community, including a ten mile annual run around the Kames peninsula, and the community forest down the road with a saw mill.
On the way back past Tighnabruaich we called in at 'The Ark' - another viewpoint overlooking The Kyles, apparently built by the local Extinction Rebellion group who seem pretty handy with their woodworking tools!
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