Heads of Ayr.Bower Hill.

It was a day of two half's. I didn't mind walking into the mist with no views to bag Alex his chosen hill as long as we then went somewhere scenic and sunny.Thankfully it was a short ascent as we parked high up on the moors.Here's a pic of the highland coos on the moor road.
My own chosen pimple of some distinction was Bower hill and the Heads of Ayr.I`d walked round the coast from here years ago under the heads all the way to rocky Dunure where we had a meal and a tasty pint then walked it back to Ayr inland along the disused railway track.I remember it being a cracking summers day walk with great variety.
Now I would get the chance to climb the steep sea cliff of Bower hill where the Carrick range plunges abruptly into the sea.


I`d forgotten just how scenic this part of the coast was,pity about the smell coming from a sewage works and the massive holiday camp (formally Butlins) which we had to pass on our way to the hill.
We parked at Longhill Point,hit the sand and outgoing tide just right and soon reached the signposted path up the hill.This looked somewhat overgrown and steep but as a path sign pointed the way up we thought it would be a dawdle.
As Alex remarked later when we both decided no way were we going back down that way if it was over rock it would have been a graded climb.Moderate or Diff.

Steep,loose,laughingly slippy and boasting more overhanging furry bits than a werewolf Bower hill was a hoot. I loved it! Alex less so.
We only managed to climb it due to a cunning ladder of tree roots,rotten branches and crumbling mud ledges that just held our weight.

"I`m not enjoying this Bob! Its not my kind of thing at all this stuff!"Said Alex as he bridged carefully up between two disintegrating tree trunks."Somethings had a real doing here!"
He was right.This wooded cliff must be a haven for wildlife.Well those few birds and animals that remained that is. I`ve never seen such a carnage of beaks, squeaks fur and feathers in such a small area.Every new handhold or ledge revealed a pair of torn off jackdaw legs lying on a tree stump or a pile of bloody feathers or fur and the odd eyeball scattered around.
At the top it got even steeper bringing us eyeball to eyeball with an entire jigsaw puzzle collection of little victims.I really got into trying to build a whole animal out of the bits but Alex was not impressed with the result. "Looks like a womble!"he grumbled. He knows nowt about art though.

"God it`s getting worse" he moaned."This is your daftest hill yet!"
"Wait until you see whats next!" I called down.
Alex didn't like the hawthorn tunnel much either.Whats wrong with that boy! Fine sunny afternoon and a wildlife extravaganza into the bargain.

He soon perked up though when we topped out into a grassy Field (we could have came up a ******* field?) and found a trig right on the edge of the precipice.We had lunch admiring the views along the coast.

Not wanting to go back down the overhanging garden route we walked further along the cliffs towards Dunure then cut down an easy rampline between the two summits onto the beach then back to the car.
A fun day!!!!!!! Well I enjoyed it.