February 9, 2025
After a two-month absence due to Festive Season and post-New Year inclement weather, Jimmy, Dave, Jim, Tim, and Steve took advantage of a fine February morning to go down south of Girvan, and work out how to erect the first of our new self-closing metal gates at Ardwell - where our old kissing gates - although effective in keeping cattle out - have been found to be inefficient in holding adjacent sheep and lambs in their separate fields - especially when walkers have left the gates unchained!
Initially the plan was to replace the old kissing gate next to Ardwell farm, but with a small herd of cattle and calves overwintering outside, next to a nearby ring-feeder, the ground was far too muddy to proceed, so instead we went further south to the kissing gate by the quarry at the south end of Pinbain Hill beside the A77T - and after a bit of thinking, measuring, and digging, we were delighted when it all worked out to plan and the gate was well and truly planted!
Several other gates are due to be erected over the next couple of months, along with the creation of a second bypass route at Langdale farm south of Ballantrae, being built to avoid strip-grazing cattle on the clifftop route from Glenapp.
