Lance here, folks !
It’s time for another rambling article of my oot’n’aboot adventures, this blog post is a bit of this a bit of that so here we go.
Having had a jaunt to Paisley on the Saturday then a wander around the back roads to the SW of Kilmacolm the next day.
I pondered early Monday on what to do…
A walk to Corlic ?, a walk over the Syde hills ? or just go bag some geocaches ? Nope, a trip to Corlic on the bike *shock*..
Lances Voodoo on top of Corlic
The morning started with a text ask for a weather forecast from a pal who was somewhere on the East bank of Loch Lomond as two of them head northwards towards Fort William on the West Highland Way. The forecast was optimistic if not promising so I packed my rukkie with the cycle accoutrements plus a handie as a station had alerted for Ben Bowie above Cardross.
I set off down the avenue turning left then 200m later I was pedalling furiously up the start of the Dougliehill Rd and as the day before, I got off and pushed the bike up the steep bit. Someday this will get cracked.
Heading upwards along a single track road avoiding the lumps, bumps and potholes I exited on to the B788 and headed south soon reaching the highest point of this road on my journey. I whizzed downhill until where I would head west along another lumpy bumpy holey single track road and at Mansfield Bridge I started to slowly climb towards Garshangan where I slowly made my way downhill to the area at the dam wall of the top reservoir. Note the word ‘slowly’, road condition demands this.
Reaching the Higher Gryffe reservoir,I lifted the bike over the gate and climbed the stile and pedaled along a muddy dam wall track carrying on until another stile then I peddled until I then walked the bike up to the ruins of Glenbrae farm. I pottered about having a closer look at the area than I normally do as I pass this ruin on a regular occasion. It is sad to see the ruins and old rusting machinery of a disused farmstead, a large tree had blown down during the storms of 2012 and is lying over the ruined main building.
Glenbrae – ruins
I nodded to a walker who was heading down the hill as I cycled along the track which took me to my next stop, the ruins of Burnhead cottage. I remember walking this area in the ’80s and speaking on occasion with the person who stayed here. It was a popular stop in the mid 20th century as a tea room was open here at weekends. Another building in ruins as a few are in the locale.
I had another prowl round the ruins before heading up the now green track to the Corlic hill track where I proceeded to walk the bike up to the summit of Corlic. It was very windy and after a short scran break, I headed back down the wet and slippy track, lifted the bike over the fence and started to cycle out towards the Old Largs Road. The rough track gives way to a cracking tarmac path when I stopped and took a walk up to the WW2 decoy station on top of Whitelees Moor, a building still in reasonable condition for being at least 70-year-old mind you it did smell like its age inside. Back to the bike and I enjoyed a downhill run until the junction where I turned left and headed towards the Dowries road end of the Higher Gryffe track.
Burnhead – side window
Leaving the road and on to a ‘pock’ marked track, I cycled back to where I had left the track to head to Corlic, a stop for a water break before pedalling up towards Garshangan and dropping down toward the Gryfe Nursery road end. Drainage work is being undertaken at some points on the forest track and spoils being dumped to one side… roughly…
Whitelees Moor WW2 decoy station
It was a short cycle to then turn right taking me down a better surfaced single track towards Kilmacolm plus apart from a couple of short rises it was downhill all the way until the junction at Penny’s Arch (Pennytersal- nearby farm) railway bridge where I joined the cycle track and I knew I was only two-mile from home. The track is an excellent surface and with the windy, damp conditions there were still many folk out walking. I stopped at the mile marker and had a quick chat with someone I knew.
10 mins later I was home with a muddy bike. 20 mins after arriving, the Voodoo was much cleaner, the gleam and oiling will take place another day.
Oh and saw my first swallow of ’13 today at Higher Gryffe.
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The Image in the Gallery with the ‘Torbelle’ cover..
I found reference to a catalogue parts list for a Torbelle Cooker and Water Heater which was I presumed manufactured in Larbert by Jones & Campbell, Torwood Foundry, Larbert. The link to the document HERE . The work these community trusts and others do in archiving old information is invaluable.
Further Reading …
More on the Decoy station HERE and HERE.
An interesting article by Steve Jennings on the Lurg Moor and Corlic area HERE
Interesting snippet about the 1865 proposed Gryffe Dams and other local water related info HERE
My thanks to Canmore, Secret Scotland, Endomondo and Google Maps.
A Day Oot
aching legs and CQ 
A wonderful ‘tour’! Plenty of pictures to accompany the travelogue. I’ve undertaken the same route but didn’t know about the Glenbrae ruins, nor that Burnhead was a going concern in the 80s! You’ll best Dougliehill Road sometime soon …
Thanks for another interesting history lesson.Keep up the good work with the bike-keep looking out for ye on the adventure show hi hi.
PS,Beat you by 1 day with regards to the 1st 2013 swallow,saw some on route to Cort Ma Law on Sunday or was it a swift ?
73
Graeme.. 2M0GIL
Thanks for leaving the comments.
Funnily I bumped into an old pal with whom I used to ‘do’ radio work on Corlic and other hills in the mid 80s and I brought up about the auld bloke who used to give us a wave from Burnhead but the building looked run down even then. Another shame of a property let go and not been lived in again. Glenbrae, Burnhead, Garvock Lodge and the old waterman’s house at the Lower Gryfe reservoir amongst others in the area. There are ruins not too far to the East from Burnhead of the original Corlick farm but it was given up as a going concern. 19th century ?..
I’ve an ongoing local ‘project’ and must get to finish it..it just needs some leg work.
An interesting history ‘walk’ was missed last Sunday on the Lurg Moor and Corlic area but no prior knowing of it…pity.
Mhor
Nice one, it made a dreich Barra evening almost bearable :-). Always enjoy reading about local stuff, saves me the leg work seeing it myself :-). Keep up the good work Lance.
Barra,
I made the mistake of googling yon boat name the other night and noticed something which has sparked an possible expedition for Lance in his retiring years. It’s your fault !
but thanks for the almost nice comment…If I knew it would kill an evening, I’d have written more..
Lance