Doon the Water

 

Walked:8.47 miles

It was a warm and dry day so I decided to go to Dunoon on the Cowal Peninsular across the Clyde. Round trip including ferry £13.50/ $18.88.

The first thing one sees upon landing is the statue of Highland Mary, possibly the wife of Robert Burns.

 

Behind her Castle House dominates and is now a museum.

Inside there are replicas of how life may have been.

http://www.castlehousemuseum.org.uk

Since I had no other reason to go to Dunoon than to walk about, that’s what I did.  Starting with the old ferry stop now a community meeting house.

There were a half dozen old bikes painted and flowered along the old pier.

This being Britain, Buddleja or Butterfly Bush grows wherever there is a wee bit of soil and sun like in a unkempt rain gutter or cracks in a stone wall.  A beautiful bush when in bloom, it is obviously extremely invasive and actually not that good for butterflies. Sort of like living on Coke-Cola.

There were gardens everywhere and so close to the coast where it stays a bit warmer they were doing great in late September.

There is a long esplanade, Victoria Parade, running along the shoreline giving great views of the many old homes and hotels by the riverside (this is the Clyde still).

Out by the lighthouse being rebuilt, a Spanish frigate was heading up river, probably to HMNB Faslane, one of 3 Royal navy bases in Britain.  This base has generated mixed feelings in Scotland since, as a large base and home to nuclear Trident submarines, people worry about both accidents and that is a first strike target in war and yet it is a massive employer and source of work.

Mac Clure’s Bar was inviting me in for a 1/2 pint whilst waiting for the ferry.  My first Belhaven Black, a stout.  Very, very nice.

And one of my favorite Scottish expressions:

 

PS.  After returning to Glasgow, I thought a full pint might be in order so I tucked into a local pub, The Courtyard on West Nile St.  This one is good to keep in mind as I doubt there are many tourists frequenting it which to me makes a pub a likely candidate, but the kicker was the sign telling me Guinness at £2.50/$3.35 pint and all others at £2.25!! What?! My new Glasgow must visit pub.