Last week the entire family went over to the Isle of Great Cumbrae to help my sister Lesley celebrate her (in whispered words) 40th birthday. Of course I forgot to take pictures to use in this blog, so have been forced to use the one above that shows Millport in less sunnier weather.

Anyway, the day we went the sun was splitting the sky. We arrived in Largs (home of the famous Nardini ice-cream…yum!) around lunchtime to catch the ferry across to the island. Armed with folding chairs (which we barely got to sit on…more about that later), a picnic and lots to drink (non alcoholic!), me, hubby and the weans got on the ferry for the (what felt like) five minute trip across the water.

We disembarked at the other end – along with lots of other people – and caught the waiting bus down to Millport.

We met up with Lesley and the rest of the family at The Garrison House (former barracks/captain’s house built in 1745, which is now a community cafe, museum and centre) and spent a few happy hours under the shade of the trees, eating too much, chatting, watching the kids running around and generally having a nice time. We also paddled in the sea, something I’ve not done in Scotland for a long time. Yes, the water was freezing, but you soon get used to it! We had ice-creams all round and about 4pm, when the temperature was not even thinking about falling even slightly, we decided we were departing. Being a pale northerner, I had had enough of the heat and was desperate to get home and into the shade of a cool house. En route home we had the obligatory fish n chips in the car (it’s traditional in our family that on the return from a trip to the seaside we have fish and chips for dinner as a treat or in our case: two sausage suppers and chips for the kids. Heaven!).

I think the best bit of the day was the reaction my youngest had to the travelling. My boy was very excited: not only did he get to go on a ferry, but on a bus too. You forget that kids are so used to being driven everywhere these days, that a bus trip is about the most exciting thing to happen to them. In my day it was the other way round.

Anyway, we had an excellent trip ‘doon the watter’ albeit we didn’t jump on the Waverley to get there.

Dawn xxx

NB regarding the folding camping chairs which I purchased two of from ASDA the day before the trip specifically for going to Millport – no sooner had one of us (myself or my hubby) get up to see to one of the kids, buy ice-cream or do something else, than one of our family members slipped into our place. They did offer to get up, but I didn’t have the heart to shove my mother or father off of them or Lesley’s friend. The kids weren’t so lucky though! Wooohooo – evil mother laugh.