Menootanabootery; When Visits and Weather Coincide

When Aitch was planning her visit for my birthday celebration, April was not putting on the best show of weather. Indeed, mid-April was still offering up frosts and extreme conditions of all kinds. Thus, we covered all bases, thinking about puzzles and books and other indoor activities as a backup. 

However, by the time she arrived on the 24th, spring was properly showing at last, and there were buds and blossoms and minimal winds (though those that did arise still cut with knives). What is more - no rain! Well, a wee, tiny, minuscule smirring, but really - no rain! In fact, it was borderline summer on that Sunday with temps in the mid to high teens centigrade. The rest of her stay wasn't quite so warm or bright but definitely spring-like. As it was late arvo when Aitch arrived, we simply enjoyed the rest of that day in the Hutch, with the lounge doubling up as a solarium. Food and chitter-chatter and snooker occupied us well.

Monday 25th, it was pancakes for breakfast and plans for geocaching. Four were targetted, and four were completed. 

The first was a revisit; we had tried to locate the one at Jubilee Point, Loch Eck, back in the autumn. However, the place was overgrown with brambles the size of dinosaurs, and although, as it turned out, I had been standing right beside the cache, there was no way I was ever going to be able to get into it without full armour. This time around, however, Forest Scotland had cleared out the undergrowth, and the rocks in which the cache was stored could be accessed - even by Aitch herself, of which she was rightly proud, as it still involved a wee bit of 'goat trekking'!

As we sat on a rock by the shoreline and enjoyed the balmy tranquillity, admiring the mini rock climbing feat, we regretted not having packed a picnic!

However, part of this outing was also to visit a particular eatery that has a fine reputation in these parts.

Onward, then, to the following two caches, which were within 100 yards of each other at Blairmore, on the northern shore of Loch Long, right where that loch breaks away from the Firth of Clyde and the Clyde itself turns south. 

The place was busy for a Monday. Admittedly it was right on lunchtime, being one of the pee and emm. The Blairmore was packed (bar one table) inside, and we were disinclined to sit in. However, the ladies were very obliging with our request to have takeaway sandwiches prepared and delivered to our outside table, a paper carrier with our food enclosed in pressed-paper recyclable cartons. Neither were these your bog-standard egg sarnies. Very fine locally baked seeded bread, local eggs, homemade mayonnaise, and chunky deliciousness. Additionally, there was a lightly dressed micro herb salad with tomatoes and home-grown lettuce and cucumber. It was a very decent lunch indeed, and we made a picnic of it sitting in the car watching the water - because, as mentioned, the wind had knives in it.

After that reviver, it was back to the geocaching. First, by the pier, we were to answer some questions regarding the geology surrounding the pier on the shoreline - assessing whether or not we were looking at foliated rocks. Which we were. We thought of Gail and Boffin Bertie as we stood absorbing the scene!

Behind the pier, on the other side of the road from it is the community garden. It sits on a short, sharp incline and the bug hotel hosting the cache was, of course, at the top far corner! I let Aitch do that one on her own and sat on one of the seats near the centre delighting in the views.

Having notched that one on her phone, we returned to the car and back around to the top of Holy Loch for the fourth and final of the day. It was housed on the old bridge at Cothouse (where you see 'Ardbeg' on that wee map cutout). The Cothouse Inn itself has a fascinating history - and at the bridge, one could see the remains of the original wooden bridge stanchions. That had been built to take over the increased traffic from the coite (ferry). The final iron bridge has its own interesting history, being, for all intents and purposes, a 'crowd-funded' construction! All those who donated substantially to the building of it are held in posterity - or cast iron, as the case is...

The cache was located, notched, and then it was home for tea and more snooker. (It was the World Championships...) In case you missed it, there were more images on Tuesday's post... and there will be more next Tuesday. Next Thursday, you can read what we got up to on my actual birthday!