The beautiful countryside around Kilmaurs was the perfect setting for the first ever Annick Valley Walking Festival, with a good turnout taking to the paths around town over the weekend.

The two communities created the walking festival and pupils from Nether Robertland Primary School had the honour of cutting the ribbon to open the event. They then got the festival off to a great start with a two hour sponsored walk around Lainshaw Woods.

Stewarton Woodland Action Trust and the Countryside Rangers organised a variety of walks for the local community over the festival weekend covering key locations like Fisherman’s Path, The Jubillee Walk and Kennox House. Local resident Mr Jim Blades also hosted a very interesting walk focusing on the History of Stewarton.

During the festival weekend pupils from Kilmaurs Primary School helped launch the second Kilmaurs Walking Festival with Mrs Margaret McGhee, wife of Councillor John McGhee, by cutting the ribbon at the historical Jougs building. As the event also coincided with Doors Open Day the youngsters got the opportunity to see behind the scenes at the Jougs. The Jougs, or tollbooth, was formerly the Parish Council Chambers and jail and was also used as the Kilmaurs fire station in the 19th century – the fire engine is housed in one of the two prison cells of the old jail.

Weary feet got no rest at the end of the first day – a very successful Ceilidh was held at the Masonic hall in Kilmaurs with fantastic music from ‘The Wally Dugs’ and a enjoyable plate of pie and peas!

The next day saw an impressive turn out to for the first Geocaching Walk and a historical walk around Jock’s Thorn. While in the evening the Countryside Rangers welcomed nearly sixty people to search the village for bats and were lucky to capture some of the early dusk aerial acrobatics of pipistrelle bats in Morton Park. The last day of the festival delivered beautiful weather for the busiest day of walks taking in the Knockentiber cycle route, Chapeltoun Estate and the first History of Kilmaurs walk led by local resident Mrs Anne Quig. The Walking Festival Committee and Community Council members would like to express their thanks to local residents who allowed access to their properties which helped to make this walk so interesting.

Please look out for details of next year’s Walking Festivals in and around Ayrshire.