Biking, birding, and a blast from the past

Sustrans National Cycle Route #7 - close to Lochwinnoch

June 16 was another bright and friendly day in Scotland. Mike and I decided to ride out to visit the RSPB (Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds – we are now members) nature reserve at Lochwinnoch and then push on to Kilbirnie. These are both on the Sustrans National Cycle Network route #7 running south west from Glasgow. We ended up riding 88 km all told – our longest ride yet on this trip.

The day was perfect for riding – not too hot, warm enough for shorts, breezy, but not a wicked wind, and, of course, we were on a traffic-free bike path for most of the way. Paisley and a full Scottish (for those of you not in the know this means breakfast consisting of ALL of the following: eggs, aryshire bacon, sausages, black pudding, potato scone, grilled tomato, and baked beans) was the first order of the day. From here it was on to Lochwinnoch followed by the town of Kilbirnie.

Just after Paisley we diverted off the bike path in the town of Elderslie to see the William Wallace Monument. I’m not talking about the famous one in Stirling – the Elserslie monument is much more human in scale and is part of an archaeological site. As well, Elderslie is considered by many to be the town in which William Wallace (1272 – 1305) was born.

Male Goldfinch - RSPB Reserve

Most people can understand a fascination with a beautiful nature reserve like Lochwinnoch, but fascination with Kilbirnie, a town that was a victim of the Thatcher era and is still an unemployment “blackspot” today, might seem a bit odd. The explanation: Kilbirnie holds a place in memory for Mike and me. It was here that we first stopped for a pint on our 2007 biking tour of Scotland. The day was August 27th and we had only just flown into Paisley that morning. By the time we rolled into Kilbirnie we were thirsty travellers indeed!

The closed bar in Kilbirnie - so sad, so thristy!

We pulled up to what looked like the only pub in town, parked the bikes on the wall outside the window and wandered in. What a classic working-man’s pub it was – dark, dusty, smelling of whisky, spilled beer, and stale cigarette smoke (no more smoking in pubs in 2007 – thank goodness!). We only just got our beer when a couple of old fellows engaged us in conversation about the death of the town. They had both worked in the big steel foundry that was the mainstay of the place. The spoke of their utter disdain for Margret Thatcher as if she was still a force in their lives. They spoke of spending time on the Isle of Arran, running up Goatfell, Arran’s big mountain, and growing up in a Scottish industrial town. It was a great introduction to Scotland away from the tourist track.

I guess Mike and I are pretty sentimental. Our ride to Kilbirnie was for old time’s sake – and to get another pint at that same pub. Unfortunately, the pub closed last year. But, the friendly reputation of Kilbirnie inhabitants was upheld by a fellow that saw us looking with sadness at the building that used to house the pub. He came over and gave us the full story on the demise of that particular drinking establishment.

We turned for home and had a delightful ride into the soft light of evening. We pulled into Glasgow at about 7:00 and headed to Sauchiehall Street, to Hengler’s Circus pub where we reminisced about past cycling glories and raised a pint to future rides in Scotland.

Here's to more adventures!

Map of Sustran's National Cycle Route #7
More of Mary's Paisley and Lochwinnoch pictures.
More of Mike's Paisley and Lochwinnoch pictures.