Welcome to Largs
Living in a city can sometimes make us forget about the beauty of the countryside. Sitting in our Glasgow flat, the distant hills seem further away and not having a car becomes a way to feel limited. This is a known battle for most of our city-friends. This post is a reminder that the countryside is just a train ride away and a slow adventure does not have to be complicated or even planned! Our slow adventure in Largs went along as the day unfolded, revealing surprises with wildlife, good food, drinks and company.
Welcoming sign at the Largs railway station. In the background you can see the hills where we had our little day hike.
Letting the day unfold is what makes it a slow adventure
Leaving the city always feels liberating. For this seaside slow adventure we were going to take the train directly from Glasgow Central to Largs, but being who we are, we were late and had to take a different route. The early train mistake sent us on a round trip instead of a back and forth route, making the travel a little more interesting. After missing our initial train we ended up taking the train to Wemyss Bay, not realising until we got there that we would have to take the bus from there to Largs. It was an interesting train & bus journey taking us along the river Clyde and around the coast. There was a lot of fascinating things to watch out of the windows, including seals between Wemyss Bay and Largs.
Largs is a sleepy Scottish holiday town by the sea
Arriving in Largs, we were happy to see a small fairground on the pier, children running around and old men eating soft ice cream while trying not to loose their teeth. Largs is a friendly place with all the things that remind you of lazy summer days. As hunger set in, we escaped it all and went for the pub to refuel!
If you don't know were you are going, follow a river!
After a very big lunch at The George (go for the mental chicken wings!), and some good hiking tips from the waitress we decided to follow the burn that runs from the hills down and through Largs. Largs - "the slopes" in Gaelic - is surrounded by soft green hills that lead you into the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. We had not planned a hike and did not really know where to go, but if you follow a river you usually end up somewhere nice. After a few dead ends, multiple shortcuts and a chat with some locals we ended up on a forest track that followed the burn, and slowly we found ourselves at higher altitude. Just able to look over the tree tops and out toward the distant mountains on Isle of Arran.
Go slow and you will notice wild friends everywhere!
Slowly moving over the hills we were lucky enough to spot a Heron, a Buzzard (which apparently is the same as a Hawk) and a deer. The deer couldn't have seen nor heard us coming because our path took us less than 20 meters from where it stood.
A startled deer at the side of our path. The picture is taken with a 35 mm and we must have been less than 20 meters from it.
A convenient pub next to the train station in Largs
We aimed for the 19.48 train back to Glasgow and cooled off with a cold beer whilst waiting for the train. The pub next to the Largs railway station is called McCabes and is a charming country pub full of locals. The main bar was buzzing with laughter and strong Scottish accents as people hit the bar ready to watch the UEFA Champions League final. With fantastic bar seats that we didn't want to give up, we missed three trains, but gained just as many Gin & Tonics, a football match and complementary Scottish pies!
