EILEEN HEALEY DIARIES

© J A D Healey 2014

VOLUME 8: 1938

SECTION 1

1938, AUGUST 18-SEPTEMBER 4:

ALTACHORVIE, LAMLASH, ARRAN

1.1 1938, August 18 (Thursday)

We were woken up at 5.15.

1.2 1938, August 19 (Friday)

We went to the station and found that we could get a train at 6.45 in the morning; we went next to the Viaduct Hotel and arranged to stay there for the night – it was quite near the station.

We left at about 5.30 and went for a ride to the west, hoping to see parts of the Roman wall, but could see no sign of it. We saw windmills at Monkshill, Wigton and Cardewlees. At the last one I went up to it with Frank, as there was an old man there and I enjoyed listening to his dialect.

The first part of the way was along the coast, past Burgh-by-Sands, Dramburgh, Port Carlisle and Bowness. We then turned south, having wonderful views of the lakes and Pennines, Skiddaw looking particularly fine, with clouds behind it.

The country we were going through was flat but pleasant with heather and white-washed (or 'pink' washed) cottages. We got back to Carlisle before dark and before going to bed asked to be called at 5.45 a.m. That sounded much earlier than a quarter to six.

During the night mummy woke up every few minutes to see the time; she was so afraid we would oversleep.

1.3 1938, August 20 (Saturday)

After breakfast we rushed to the station and got there just before 6.45, and then had to wait until 7.15 for the train. The two fellows in our carriage laughed when they heard we were going to Arran, saying it was the place for rain and started telling us about it. A friend of one of them had gone for a weekend and had not crossed the threshold until it was time to come home again, as it had poured all the time. We could well believe we were leaving the sunny south behind for there were showers most of the time and it was quite chilly.

As the train was so late, we thought it would at least try and hurry, but it did not and kept stopping. At Kilmarnock, we had to change and found we had missed the other train, but they said they would put on a special to catch the boat. This at least we thought would hurry, but it was a long time in coming and went even slower than the other and, although it was supposed to be going straight to Winton Pier Ardrossan, it stopped at every station on the way. We caught the boat all right; it was the 'Glen Sannox'. We soon found Margaret (of 'Faith, Hope and Charity') – she had picked up two girls from York.

We had fine view of the mountains; at one point there was a sort of horizontal rainbow, which made the bottom of one of the mountains appear green and, further up, purple, and over the top there was an orange halo. This was the first of the many rainbows we saw; often there was one over the bay during dinner.

We spent a good time at Brodick for they unloaded two cars and took on two more. When we left, we sailed round Clauchlands Point and between it and Holy Island to the pier at Lamlash. We recognised "Altachorvie" by the garden houses round it. We carried our luggage up the pier and then left and it was taken free to the guest house.

We were met by Kat and Nat of Newlands and others of the last week's party at Altachorvie. We learned from them that it had rained the whole of the previous week and excursions had had to be shortened. On one excursion it had been too wet to have any lunch, they had had thunder storms and hail storms, and had walked down in streams for as they were so wet they could not get any wetter.

I was in room 2; it holds four and is on the first floor over the quiet room. Lucy of the second week at Newlands and Winnie and May were also in it.

Lunch time soon came and in the afternoon we walked with the host and Freda and Margaret along the road to Whiting Bay. We sheltered from the rain showers, once in the garage of the Police Station. We stopped outside one cottage and listened to the test score on the wireless. At Whiting Bay we caught the 4 o'clock bus back. We learned that on a Lennox bus the H.F. do not pay at the time, but pay the Sec. when they get back.

After tea, seven of us went with Margaret down to the village to help her buy a beret.

After high tea (or supper, or whatever it is), we went for a short walk with Willy and got back just before it became quite dark. Afterwards in the common room, we had a few games, mostly organised by Kay.

1.4 1938, August 21 (Sunday)

Being my first week, I did not appreciate the extra half hour in bed.

After breakfast, Willy said he would take us for a stroll (but said we had better wear our boots). He took us up the wood by the side of the house and then onto the moors. It was very hot. At the top we stopped and Willy pointed out the view. It was very clear and we saw Goat Fell and the Horseshoe that we were going to do on Tuesday. Right behind, looking very black, were the Castles. In the south of the island, we saw the heather clad moorlands with the green fields in the valleys with white-washed cottages. We also had a good view of the coast and our bay and Holy Island.

We came home by going south and then along the road by the coast, just in time for lunch. That afternoon about two dozen went to Holy Island, but came back for tea. I stayed about the guest house knitting and watched people playing about on the lawn.

We had the usual Sunday tea, with the fellows washing up afterwards. After supper, we had the goodwill talk by Miss Smith and then went into the common room for an evening of Scottish prose and verse. We sang some songs together and there were solo songs and poems; an article on Arran from 'Over the Hills' and some prose by H.V. Morton on Scotland were read. Gilbert had the lights put out and then read a ghost story, entitled "The Phantom Piper".

1.5 1938, August 22 (Monday)

It seemed to be a glorious day for our first excursion. We walked down the drive (it was only 'Ben Nuisance' when we had to go up it after an excursion) and got in the coaches and were taken up the Monamore Glen (the Ross road) and then down to Lagg. We walked through a little bit of woodland and went down to the coast and then along it. At first we walked over sand and then over boulders. In one or two places we were on grassy paths which had boggy patches. We had lunch on the rocks at Bennan Head, by a stream.

In the afternoon we walked over the rocks by the shore, to Kildonan where, after a much needed drink, we joined the road and walked FIVE MILES along it into Whiting Bay. I was very glad I had taken shoes to change into (although my boots made my rucksack much too heavy on such a hot day).

After tea, only about half a dozen of us walked home; we started along the coast, and the others went all the way round, by it. As I only had shoes on, I did not appreciate the stones and soon took to tracks through the woods. These paths started off all right, but soon petered out and I had several bramble scratches on my legs as I waded through the undergrowth. I was home before those walking along the coat and met those who had ridden home, as they were going down to the village.

After dinner, we had games in the common room – they were mostly team games of the usual kind – 'Patting a Balloon' etc.

1.6 1938, August 23 (Tuesday)

It was our first mountain excursion. It was not too fine at first, but I hoped it would get better; however, it got worse and worse.

We rode through Brodick to a place a mile the other side, from where we started to walk up Glen Rosa. We left the main stream, or rather 'burn' and started ascending by a smaller one, when we soon got into the mist. We went straight on up and over Beinn a' Chliabhain; we did not stop on the top to admire the view, but had to keep stopping on the way up, as we were a large party and had to keep close together in the mist.

We had lunch among some rocks on Beinn Tarsuinn; it was cold and wet, and we were glad to go on. There was a little rock scrambling before we got to the top; at one point there was a long slab of rock, but we had found by going over the rocks by the shore the day before, how good the Arran rock is for nails.

From Beinn Tarsuinn we continued along the ridge to Beinn Nuis, where we had a rest and I think it was here that Laurie pointed out the 'view' we should have. It was an easy descent; I think we would have run had it not been misty. We were early and wasted some time going down in the burn, instead of by the side of it; in places we paddled through water, but it did not matter as our feet were already wet.

We crossed the Garbh Allt in the same place as we had done on our way out in the morning, but there was more water in it. By this time we had come out of the mist and we were quite hot after hurrying across some bog. We went back to Brodick the same way as we had come, but had to walk the mile along the road. I could not keep up with the front ones without running. After tea we rode home.

In the common room in the evening, there were dances. The 'Eightsome Reel', the 'Dashing White Sergeant' and 'Stripping the Willow' were some of the favourites, with a progressive 'Lambeth Walk'. Gilbert taught us the 'Pride of Erin', which some people in the second week thought was the 'Pride of Arran'.

1.7 1938, August 24 (Wednesday)

We were going to spend the day on Holy Island, but it was too wet and we spent the morning in the common room with the ping-pong and also learning some country dances. For lunch we had to eat our sandwiches, but we were given a cup of tea with them. I spent the afternoon also indoors, but after tea went for a walk round the village.

There was pork for dinner and then something with pineapple in it – many people preferred to go without.

Half the party spent the evening in the quiet room. In the common room we were given pipe cleaners and leaves and pins and bits of string and had to make things out of them. We should have had a beetle drive after that, but there was no time.

1.8 1938, August 25 (Thursday)

It was fine. We rode out through Brodick to the stables from where we started to walk through the woods and up the burn. Goat Fell did not look particularly high until Willy pointed out some deer on the sides of it; they were small reddish brown specks and we also saw some on the skyline. We followed the track up; it goes north for some time and then turns due west along the ridge. At the top, Willy pointed out the view. We could see the whole island, the Ayrshire coast, Kintyre and Jura, the Cumbraes and Bute, and in the distance Ben Lomond and the other mountains of Scotland. The clouds were not quite high enough to see Ireland. (We may not have seen everything until we got to North Goat Fell, but we saw a great deal.)

We had lunch on the very top and finished just before B party arrived; they had lunch on the same spot. Before we went on, we got warm by playing twos and threes, and then having some country dancing (in nailed boots!). We had the clapping dance we had learned the day before and also the Durham Reel.

We went on over the pinnacles (little bits of rock scrambling) to North Goat Fell. On the way, Tom dropped his camera and it went rolling down the hillside. He retrieved it and it was not damaged very much – he put some sticking plaster over it in one or two places.

On the way down we split, some of them going straight down and the rest of us following Willy over Ci Oich-na h'Oighe (see post card, Adobe p. 40) (Cioch-na h'Oighe - I got the spelling from the map, NOT from the way Willy pronounced it). Willy said the descent at the end was a rotten one, but I much preferred it to the ones we ran down.

At the bottom we met the others and walked along in the heather and little bits of bog with bog myrtle. In among some of the trees, we got fairly close to some of the deer. We had tea at a farm at High Corrie. There was an old lady of about 80 there, and when asked how many times she had been up Goat Fell, she said, "Never! Do you think I am crazy?" We passed a couple of artists as we went down to the coaches.

The evening was 'Scots Nicht' (the second one they had had that season).

Anyone who had, or could borrow, a kilt wore it; Willy wore his. There was heather in the flower bowls on the tables and a sprig of heather by the side of each plate. This we put in our hair. On each table there was a Scottish menu made by Willy especially for the occasion. They had a coloured photograph on the outside (ours was of Glen Rosa). On the first page there was some Scottish verse and in the centre the grub was put in Scottish.

Willy said a Scottish grace and then we had our soup. The Haggis was then piped in; Evelyn carried it behind the piper and stood holding it up while the piper marched round the room. We had it with chicken and most of us liked it very much. After coffee, Nat auctioned the menus. They started at a penny and went up in pennies, everyone paying a penny when they made a bid. Some of them went up to six or seven shillings, the money going to the Goodwill.

In the evening we had mostly Scottish dances, the piper playing for some of them.

1.9 1938, August 26 (Friday)

It was a lovely morning and Willy said it would not rain, so I left my mac and rucksack behind and did not regret it as it was very hot. We started out the same way as we had done for the walk on Saturday evening, but went on and up Benlister Glen, past some falls and out onto the open moorland. Several times Willy went on ahead to see if there was any shooting, but there was not.

The gannets, or black backed gulls kept circling round us making weird noises and Willy said that there was a sanctuary to our left. I was particularly interested in their flying, as about a month previously I had seen a film about them and it had shown some very good slow motion pictures of their flying.

We had lunch at the top of the Clauchan Glen, on the rocks where an old bridge crosses the burn. Several people got wet by having stones thrown in the water near them. After lunch we continued down the glen and passed the burial ground which had amused everyone so much when Willy had mentioned it the night before.

When we reached the String Road, the party was rather spread out and some people annoyed Willy by going the wrong way along it. We went down a lane for a little way and then through some bog. Those of us in front kept dry by walking on some tree branches, but these were under water by the time the back people arrived.

We then crossed the other road and went over a bit more moorland and reached the coast at King's Cave. It is the cave of King Robert the Bruce and has carved on the walls a sword and various animals, also some lettering. We then walked along the coast and over the golf links to Blackwater Foot for tea. We were glad of something to drink as it was so hot.

In the evening we had the concert. People were called alternately 'A's' and 'B's' down the house list. I was a 'B' and we gave our part of the concert first. We had an opening chorus, "Riding along on the Crest of a Wave" in which we all joined. At the end about a dozen did "Johnny Smoker". We had various solo songs and recitations and a sketch or two. 'A' party followed on with an opening chorus with topical verses. Among their other items, there was Silas, Nat and Tony as three married men, and Tony, I think, gave us "The ghost of Sir Humphrey" and Silas gave us "the Eleven Sixty-nine".

1.10 1938, August 27 (Saturday)

Along with those who were leaving, we got up at a 5.45, had breakfast at a 6.15 and caught the 6.55 boat. At Ardrossan we left the people who were going to the games at Dunoon and went to Glasgow with the poor people who were going home. From St. Enoch's station, Frank, Bill and I took a tram to the exhibition. Glasgow trams are luxurious compared with Brighton's; they are much bigger and have seats like buses and run very smoothly.

At the exhibition, the first thing we came to was the Palace of Engineering. Frank had to examine this thoroughly. I was not at all interested. Next we passed some tartan scarves and I wanted a MacGregor one, but they did not have one. I went on asking in every place, but could not get one until lunch time, when a cottage, near the highland village, found one after a lot of trouble.

Next we went down the Dominions Avenue where we went in the Pavilions of the Irish Free State, Australia and Canada. They showed various products and the life of the places.

We spent a good time in the Palaces of Industry, seeing many things from cooking to weaving. We then went, via the Shipping and Travel, and the Agriculture Pavilion to the Victoria Falls (admission 6d.). Included in this was real tropical heat, reminding me of Kew. From here we made our way to the tower, where we met Frank, who had been wandering about by himself. We did not bother to go up the tower (another 6d.) as it was very misty and we would not even have had a view of the whole of the exhibition from the top, let alone of all Glasgow.

We went in the Roman Catholic and the Scottish Churches and then had our lunch near the bandstand. Next we went in the Scottish Pavilions and then to the Clachan. This was very interesting; we went over several cottages, which had peat fires burning. In one of them there was an old lady spinning. At the village smithy, we watched the kilted blacksmith making miniature horseshoes.

At 3 o'clock we went into the village hall to see some highland dancing; one of the dances was a sword dance, and another was to show how essential the kilt is. It began slowly, representing the time when the kilt was banned, and then became much more lively, representing the time when the highlanders were again allowed to wear it (the dances were explained beforehand).

The United Kingdom Pavilion was very interesting, the first part is about "fitter Britain". There is a large mechanical man who explains his digestion. There is a large model of a coal mine and also a model of steel works. The most spectacular thing in the whole exhibition (I thought) was a large sphere representing the world revolving in space. We could have spent all day in this building alone.

We just had time to look round the post office before leaving for the station where we caught the 5.30 from St. Enoch. We need not have hurried as the train was late. It seemed a very long journey back and I had no knitting to do. We were about the first on the boat and stayed looking for green labels; we saw one or two, but did not talk much, it was too cold. I was glad of my very warm MacGregor scarf.

We arrived at Lamlash at about 8.30 and had supper (or whatever it was called) as soon as we reached the guest house. The main subject of conversation was Newlands; everyone seemed to have been there this year or last. In the common room afterwards we had games and dancing; the new people learned the 'Pride of Erin'. Among the games, we had to draw the sign of our favourite pub and then go round and guess what other people's drawings represented. The favourite of most people was the "Cat and Fiddle". We went to bed very punctually, stopping in the middle of a dance.

1.11 1938, August 28 (Sunday)

In the morning, Laurie took us for a walk; it was the same as Willy had taken us last week, but we went the other way round, starting along the road. We stopped at the top of the hill with a fort on it, and then came back. Like last week, it was a glorious morning.

In the afternoon most people went to Holy Island. I went in the first batch and took my knitting with me – it amused the boatman. We walked over the top of the island and down just to see the lighthouse on the east side, and then to the light house on the southwest tip, which we could see from the guest house. Along the coast we saw the cave of St. Molios we had heard so much about.

We met the others who had come later with the two Secs. and were walking along the coast in the opposite direction. At the farm house we tried to see the remains of the monastery, but there was nothing to be seen; we saw where there had been a cottage built against the solid rock. We had tea in the farmhouse with Miss Smith, who had come over and then were taken back in relays.

In the evening a local man, Mr. Sillars, came in to tell us about the folk lore of the island. He was very interesting, but had such a pleasant way of talking and I was so sleepy that it was a real effort to take in what he was saying. He started by telling us about St. Molios and Holly Isle and how Lamlash got its name from St. Molios. He talked a good deal about the Vikings and then about other parts of the island, Kings Cave and the old chapel of Kilbride (which I did not go near the whole fortnight!), also, Kings Cross Point with its fort and Vikings' grave in the shape of an upturned boat. For the rest of the time he told us about the people living (or who had lived) on Arran.

1.12 1938, August 29 (Monday)

We set off along the road through Lamlash and a little way up the Ross Road, past the mill and very soon turned off to the left and followed a stream up. When we reached the open moorland, Laurie walked a little way ahead in case they were shooting, but they were not. We did not see Urie Loch which the green book talks about, but went straight down to Glenashdale (or Easdale).

Near the beginning, we had lunch; at first we were tormented by gnats, but then there was a shower of rain and they went, but they came back again immediately it stopped. After lunch we either followed Laurie down the burn or walked over the top. Laurie said he could not guarantee that anyone going down the glen would keep dry. The glen was all right; I did not even get my feet wet, but at every corner Laurie threw stones in the water, splashing us as we came round.

At the Glenashdale Falls, we stopped and some of us walked behind them; we did not get very wet, but there was not a definite path behind them as at the Ashgill Falls at Alston. Russell (or unconscious) had bought an umbrella on Saturday at Dunoon and, I think it was for a bet, brought it out on the excursion. Laurie put this up when he went behind the fall, and then Russell and Nat sheltered under it behind the water.

We went on, following the burn through the woods to Whiting Bay for tea. After tea most people walked back. At King's Cross Point we saw the fort and the Vikings’ grave. We also saw the 'Sleeping Warrior'. Laurie said it was not a good view of it, but I liked it for I could really make it out and I cannot usually see things like that. We walked back along the beach and saw that some of those who had ridden back were bathing.

At breakfast every place had been given a name, a wolf, bear, lion or tiger, and we kept them until the evening and made four teams for the usual sort of games – arranged mostly by Weighty. There was hockey, balloon games etc.

1.13 1938, August 30 (Tuesday)

We had a long coach ride through Brodick, and over the String Road to Machrie Bay and then along the coast (a beautiful coast) to Pirnmill where 'A' party got out and 'B' party rode on. After the coaches had gone on, Laurie found that we had the tea instead of 'B' party and as 'B' party have their tea before 'A', Kay volunteered to carry them along the road.

When we started we went a little way up a stream through a bit of wood, but soon left it and went straight up towards Beinn Bharrain. Near the top there was a ridge with little bits of scrambling on it, and at the end of this we had lunch, to the southwest of some rocks. Before we finished, it was very misty and cold, and we were afraid it was going to be like last Tuesday, but it was clear the other side of the mountain. Jim spent his lunch time going down to the bottom and back, trying to find the apple he had dropped, as Laurie had bet him 10/- to 1d. he would not find it – he did not of course.

After lunch we went to the top of Beinn Bharrain and along the col to Beinn Bhreac, from where, after admiring the view, we ran down the hill as far as a stream going down into Glen Catacol. I much preferred what Willy had called a "nasty" descent, off Ci Oich-na h'Oighe where we walked down slowly, to running down. We then followed Glen Catacol to the coast where the coaches picked us up and took us to the tea place just the other side of Lochranza.

During tea it poured with rain, but stopped before we rode home, going up Glen Chalmadale and then down Sannox Dale and along the coast to Brodick.

In the evening most people went to the village concert. Altachorvie had been asked to contribute items and Jill and Lucy sang and Jon was useful as a pianist as he was the only one who could play the Lambeth Walk. Jock, the M.C., told a few funny stories in between items. Kay and Nat said "the poor old woman, she swallowed a fly".

At 10.30 p.m. we all sang Auld Lang Syne, making one large circle on the village green. During the concert, there was a collection, the money being used to keep the grass short and look after the shore. When we got back there was coffee and biscuits in the common room.

1.14 1938, August 31 (Wednesday)

Eleven of us cycled round the island. We were a long time getting our bikes as they all needed adjusting; they were going to alter my saddle, when a spring broke and they had to get a saddle off another bike. It also seemed to have a pedal from another bike, as one pedal was much bigger than the other.

We set off at about 11 o'clock and went very slowly, stopping about every half hour, going along the road on which we had come back the day before to just before Lochranza, where we had our lunch a little way up Gleann Easan Biorach. We then played ball and went on at about 2.45. It was a really glorious coast, and a perfect day for seeing it. Soon after 4 o'clock, we reached Machrie and had tea outside the village stores.

Some people would have gone back by the String Road, but when they heard that it would be six miles uphill thought they would rather go all the way round. At Blackwater Foot the rest of my room were having tea at the tea place of last Friday. The rest of the way we hurried, as it was getting late.

There were many steep hills along the south coast and, as we were going down one, there was a bullock that looked as if it would like to have us off our bikes, but it only made us slow down and walk all the way up the next hill. George and I got back at 6.45 p.m. and the others soon followed. Else came in, in the middle of dinner with her arm and leg bandaged. She had skidded on some loose gravel.

It was a dance in the evening; it was similar to last week, but fewer Scottish dances.

1.15 1938, September 1 (Thursday)

When Laurie had told us about the excursion he had said that, if conditions were favourable, a few might go up the Witches Steps. I then took my bike back and saw a beautiful sunset and thought that it would be fine the next day. I woke up at 6 o'clock the next morning with the thought "Are conditions favourable?" It seemed that they were not, for it soon began to rain, cleared up before we started, began to rain again in Glen Rosa, but stopped for good before we started climbing.

Laurie had said that after the five miles along Glen Rosa, there was a long, grassy slope to the top of Cir Mhor, and I was not looking forward to it, but Laurie went at such a marvellous pace that I did not mind it at all. After lunch, just off the top of Cir Mhor, we descended a little way and then went up Caisteal Abhail. Half way up we stopped for a drink of the ice-cold water at the Highlandman's well. To get right to the summit there was the best bit of rock scrambling we had had.

We then continued along the ridge, with more bits of scrambling, over "a very fine basalt dyke" and then dropped into the Witches Step Gully. We came down into it slowly, as there were loose stones and, while we were waiting for the others to get down, crowded together to keep warm, as the wind was blowing through. Nine of us then went up the Witches Step. Laurie went up first – how I don't know – and then Alf, and they just heaved the rest of us up.

We then went up a path of loose, gravel (Frank would call it disintegrated granite) and there was a little bit of chimney right at the top. Feeling very pleased with ourselves we met the others who, after watching us go up, had gone round. We all went along the rest of the ridge to Suidhe Fhearghas and then descended a fairly steep bit to Glen Sannox where we met Phyllis and Beecham of 'C' party, who had come to meet us.

We crossed the burn at the barytes mines and walked down the track to the road, where the coaches were waiting to take us to Corrie for tea, which we had over a shop in the village, not at the farm at High Corrie where we had had it when coming down from Goat Fell. We then rode home.

In the evening we had the concert; it was girls versus fellows. We gave ours first and started with an opening chorus "We're here to brighten up this party". We all sang it and Faith, Hope, Charity, Lucy and Winnie were dressed up in kilts, with heather in their hair, trying to dance. We had solo singing by Lucy, Jill, Evelyn and Jean, and a solo on the piano by Phyllis. We all sang "Riding down to Bangor", and had a few sketches.

The fellows had an opening chorus of topical verses. Some of them dressed up as girls; Pete, with plenty of rouge, made a very good one. Between items, Bert told us funny stories and amused us in other ways. Once he asked us to tell him about 30 objects and then, when we gave him the numbers, he told us what the object was.

There were various sketches, such as "Crossing the Line", the "Turkish Bath" and the "Blind Man". Tom told us a fairy story in the modern manner. There were half a dozen choristers in another item singing "Sweet and Low" and when one of them sang a wrong note, he was polished off. We had finished our part of the concert with the chorus "And we'll all go riding on a rainbow", and at one point they went wrong, so the fellows finished with "Everyone for themselves". They danced around singing "We'll go riding on a Rainbow" and dancing round, everyone doing something different. They landed in a heap on the floor.

We went to bed later this night than any other, and then at about 2.40 a.m. Laurie, with Bert, Alf and Norman, set off for the Castles, to join a search party for the boy who had fallen off about half an hour after we had gone along.

1.16 1938, September 2 (Friday)

Everyone was up early, as Jim had to catch the early boat back.

The Host led us on the excursion. We rode to Sannox and then walked along the coast past the first lot of fallen rocks (as Laurie explained – these are rocks that have fallen – and [after laughter] big boulders) to a cottage for lunch. This white-washed cottage is miles from anywhere and is right on the coast and has its windows boarded up. After lunch, the 'B' party, with the host, start climbing and go straight over the hills to Lochranza.

We continued on along the coast – going over bits of rock in places – past another lot of fallen rocks to a couple of cottages by a stream. Here the hostess found that in the book of words it said that to see the Fairy Dell we must turn off up the hill, just after the second lot of fallen rocks; so, about half a dozen of us turned back, and found what we hoped was a track leading up. Quite soon we came to a slight depression with a tree or two in it and some ferns, and as fairy glens and dells are usually disappointing I thought that this must be it. However, Frank found that the footsteps he had been following still went up and we followed him and came to the Fairy Glen.

It was very pretty and I was so glad we had found it; the rocks were all covered with moss and there were ferns. It was formed when the rocks fell and, in places, there are holes leading down and in one place the rock arches across overhead. Another bit of rock I am sure would be good practice for going up chimneys.

We then ascended out of the dell and followed a path down to the cottages where the others were waiting. We all followed the track a little way above the shore, round the headland and down into Lochranza for tea at the same place as on Tuesday.

We were early and, while waiting for the coaches, went back to the castle and walked round it – we could not get in. We rode home, very sad at the thought that it was our last ride.

During coffee, Miss Smith came in and presented Margaret of York with a clock as it was her twenty-first birthday.

In the evening it was 'mixed grill' and we had games and dancing. Among the games there was 'bigamy' and 'musical knees' (or whatever it is called). Among the dances were the Eightsome Reel, the Dashing White Sergeant and the Durham Reel.

At the end we cheered all our officials – not forgetting Willy – and then said goodbye to all the lazy people who were not getting up early the next morning.

1.17 1938, September 3 (Saturday)

We got up (without being called) at 5.45 a.m. and had our breakfast and then walked in the rain down to the pier for the 6.50 boat. We said goodbye to Laurie and the Host and Jill, and then waved to someone in the doorway of Altachorvie who we hoped was Phyllis. Some of the lucky people who had another week were going to the exhibition and in filling in the form for a party ticket they put, Destination: The exhibition; Object of visit: To see it. At Ardrossan we said goodbye to everyone and waited until our train came. Lucy was with us. As when coming up, we had to change at Kilmarnock, but we did not have long to wait.

At Carlisle we were picked up and had some lunch.

1.18 1938, September 4 (Sunday)

By now it was quite dark and we came straight home as quickly as we could, arriving at 10.35.

1.1 1938, August 18 (Thursday)

1.2 1938, August 19 (Friday)

1.3 1938, August 20 (Saturday)

1.4 1938, August 21 (Sunday)

1.5 1938, August 22 (Monday)

1.6 1938, August 23 (Tuesday)

1.7 1938, August 24 (Wednesday)

1.8 1938, August 25 (Thursday)

1.9 1938, August 26 (Friday)

1.10 1938, August 27 (Saturday)

1.11 1938, August 28 (Sunday)

1.12 1938, August 29 (Monday)

1.13 1938, August 30 (Tuesday)

1.14 1938, August 31 (Wednesday)

1.15 1938, September 1 (Thursday)

1.16 1938, September 2 (Friday)

1.17 1938, September 3 (Saturday)

1.18 1938, September 4 (Sunday)