River Ayr Way walking and discovering

 

We had a walk yesterday morning, grabbing the weather window. 

We aimed to walk a section of the River Ayr Way and started at Gadgirth Bridge, from where you can see the railway viaduct upriver.

We headed downriver on the riverbank behind Annbank, then up to the village as the path car away from the river avoiding a steep slope into the river.

We arrived at a level place with picnic tables...later we discovered that this had been the site of a house in the early 1800s, but looks as if it was demolished mid century as the mining progressed and the village built..A replacement was built a mile away.

The path appeared to go down a steep muddy slope so we chose to go into and round the village before following the lane back to the river.

A clue!

The houses on this lane are private build, not coal board or council scheme.

Another mill!

This looked ominous...

At this point the waymarker pointed on downriver..but we decided to look at the mill....

This is the view through the field gate...and on the river side...

The lede or water channel for the mill is still quite big, and I later read that it had several millstones and wheels, but that a severe storm and flood damaged the lede and ended the mill' s life.

That is the sluice gate at the top of the lede.

You can see how the water comes up high and where Pirate is, was a Weir and channel to the lede.

And by there, was the bottom of the steep muddy slope....easier going up!!

With almost at the top, the drainage from the old  house...

I didn't want to retrace our steps down steep and muddy paths. So we went to the edge of the village again, then followed what may be an old railway track.

In the distance on the right you can see the railway viaduct again.

Back down to our starting point, then off to Mauchline in the car....to buy fresh organic milk for yoghurt making, and coffee and cake for our just reward!!

The milk comes from the farm that Robert Burns farmed many years ago.