Glorious Largs

The final part of my mini-holiday with the lads was a trip through to Largs with Sharon to stay over at the Wilsons' house. On the way I failed to heed my own advice: when stuck in a jam on the M8, do not leave the motorway thinking it'll be quicker to cut through Glasgow city centre! Inching down the High St to the Tron and beyond on a Saturday afternoon was a torturous process, with Rowan increasingly impatient in the back and Angus curtailing his nap to join in the grumpiness. It took us about two and a half hours to get all the way through to Largs. Fortunately the sun arrived just as we did. Unfortunately we were rather late for the planned BBQ but our hosts were kind enough to provide for us anyway.

The children ran riot with Molly, John and George, just happy to be out of the car. I took Angus down to the pebbly beach opposite Aubrey Crescent where he insisted on trying to throw stones and ended up sitting in the sea. After more playing inside and out and a trip to the small playpark by the boating pond, we reprised the salad and sausages and watched a copper sunset over the Kyles of Bute. It proved rather a chore getting all the children settled into bed, especially when you have to check on them up two long flights of stairs! Sharon and Jane went out for a long walk beneath the twinkling lights of Largs' seafront while Philip and I tucked into the wine.

After a rather frantic, early start to Sunday, catering for seven children, I was able to walk Angus round past the Noddle Burn for his nap, then sit down by the beach and enjoy a spectacular panorama: from Ailsa Craig in the south, all the way up the Firth of Clyde to the Cumbraes and the Isle of Bute with Arran beyond to the lochs to the north. It was blissfully quiet and glorious in the morning sunshine, the firth flat calm save for the puckering of the water by the Cumbrae ferry. I could have sat and watched the sandpipers all day.

The glorious weather continued so we unashamedly outstayed our welcome. The children were having a romp and desperate to qualify for an ice-cream from Nardini's, the threat to deny them such a treat having to be deployed on numerous occasions. We eventually did walk along and endure the queue and Sean's deliberations before everyone tucked into their prize. From there we walked along to the large playpark past the Mackerston putting green. Rowan was in intrepid form, climbing remarkably high up the spider's web and delighted with himself at doing so. Once back at the house Sharon cooked tea for our hosts and ourselves then we changed the boys into their jammies and bade a fond farewell to Largs in the sparkling evening sunshine. If you were guaranteed weather like that, you wouldn't leave Scotland. The drive home was fortunately smooth and quick, so we weren't too late, but the boys, having slept on the journey home, had to have some telly before a late return to bed.