The plan over the next four days is to walk up the River Clyde to cross over the Erskine Bridge and down into Old Kilpatrick. All this area is well known to me as I grew up on the other side of the Erskine Bridge in the 50's and 60's. Today's walk is fairly straightforward, following the coast once we have cleared the outskirts of Wemyss. The initial stages are on the road, with a more rural section after Inverkip. There is no elevation to speak of other than low rises on the road sections. We plan on stopping at Lunderston Bay to have lunch, so we are only carrying water and snacks.
As well as the Isle of Bute opposite Wemyss, the Cowal Peninsula is also visible from outside the station. The lowest point on the penisula visible from Wemyss is Toward Point and its lighthouse. On a nice day, the views across the Firth of Clyde to the mountains of Argyllshire can be spectacular. Today, sadly, we are under a heavy cloud and the vistas are heavily subdued as a consequence. That said, just after leaving the station, looking westwards into the light, there were nice views acros the Firth, and looking out from the dark beneath the cloud, nice light effects across the water.
Just before Inverkip we passed what looked like a small war memorial garden with lovely little wrought iron benches which were the memorial focus. Inverkip is just south of Erskine, which was the location for Erskine Hospital. The hospital housed many service men and women who were survivors from WW1 and later conflicts. I worked there in the mid-70's and thoroughly enjoyed meeting these brave men and women. The main hospital was later closed and was replaced with individual care homes.
As well as smaller birch and beech trees, there are some lovely old, stately firs on the plantation. There is a short stretch here where you can actually go on to the sandy shore for a clear look north, south and west. Looking north, you start to see the mouths of the great sea lochs that run off the Firth into the interior of Argyll. North, the town of Dunoon is just starting to show its face on the opposite shore. At the northern end of Lunderston Bay there is a fairly large garden centre that has a cafe with an extensive menu, and we stopped here for lunch. The shop area was huge and was bedecked out for Christmas.
While it had been a reasonably short walk, the rain had made progress seem slower than it was. By the time we finished, wet and cold, we were ready for a wee massage and a session in the sauna.
Such is the life of a Vagabond!