Route Markers 2: Fairlie - Burnfoot - Kelburn - Castle Bay - The Pencil - Largs
The elevation for the day was unchallenging, with only the rise on the hill above Skelmorlie of any consequence and even that was a gentle rise to about two hundred and seventy feet. The weather forecast was fair and we hoped for some nice views across the islands of the Firth of Clyde, of which there are many.
Just after Bankhead are the two Knock Castles; old and new. The original castle dates from the 16th C and has been converted into holiday accommodation. The new castle was built in 1851-1852 by one Robert Steele, a merchant from Greenock on the River Clyde. It is still in private ownership and is used as a private residence. Given its private status, we could only manage a peek of the new castle and a Scottish themed 'totem pole', through the shrubbery from the roadside.
If you prefer walking the old road, it continues along behind the castle before going trough the back of the houses of Skelmorlie. Wishing to have lunch in Skelmorlie we stayed on the shore road to the Clyde Kitchen where we enjoyed some very nice food. Afterwards, we lingered on the shore watching the antics of the numerous seals that were sunbathing in the bay. They looked quite comical, balanced on submerged, individual rocks across the bay. As we walked away their forlorn cries followed us, seemingly begging us to stay.
It is a short walk along the shore to the railway station at Wemyys, with some nice scenery, enhanced by the occasional ferry sailing from Wemyss to Rothesay. From Wemyss we caught the train back to Fairlie to complete the second section of the day. The railway station at Wemyss is one of the nicest we have seen on our coastal journey so far, full of character.
Moving on to the promenade we passed the 'Pencil Monument', which records the battle of Largs fought here between Scotland and Norway. The main protagonists were King Alexander III of Scotland and Viking King Haakon Haakonsson. Historians appear to differ in their views as to whether this was an important battle or just another skirmish. Those who take it seriously are of the view that the defeat of the Vikings put an end to their constant raiding and enabled the young Scottish nation to divert resources to building up the fledgling kingdom. Built in 1912, to commemorate the battle, the Pencil stands 21-metres tall with a conical roof. Built at a cost of £300, it has been a listed bulding since 1971.