The St Leonards Rambling Club bus was totally full once again! Last Saturday, fifty four of its members headed to the Solway Firth on the south west coast. They stopped at the GardenWise cafe in Dumfries for some morning refreshment before continuing south to Woodside, where the high walkers started off and then to Colvend to drop off the low walkers. Both groups did the same walk but started in different places.
It was a walk of two halves, the first half was mostly through muddy forestry paths and the second half along the coastal cliffs. After climbing the steep path to the top of the cliffs, everyone was ready for a half hour lunch stop. This was their first chance to see the views of the distant cliffs and the high waves breaking on the rocks below.
For the next three miles, the path followed the side of the cliffs very closely sometimes with a steep drop below. There were many difficult stone stiles to
cross which took quite a long time for the whole group to get over one by one.
After coming down from the cliffs, they reached the scenic village of Rockcliffe where they stopped for a short time before continuing along the path to Kippford where the bus was waiting for them.
On arrival, everyone changed out of their walking boots and clothes into their dry stuff and headed to the nearest hotel for a coffee or something stronger.
It had been a fairly difficult walk and the weather had been a little wet and windy but, as usual, everyone agreed that it had been a good day out.