Leave the house and walk back along the road as though you were heading down to the beach but instead of going down the hill on your left, turn right up on to the track that leads up past a couple of houses and then with a burn in a small valley on the left hand side.

Literally stay on this track passing a few crofts and the track goes through a farm and carries on turning into a tarmac lane. There are grand views over Kings Cross, Holy Isle and further along over to Goatfell.

Eventually after many twists and turns you reach the main road that leads down into Whiting Bay. Turn right onto the road and walk into the village. You may want to stop at The Bay Stores for a coffee or walk down onto the beach as you head along this stretch of road until you reach Smiddy Brae and head back up to the house.

As with the previous walk, leave the house and at the end of the road instead of heading back down to the village turn right along the track that leads upwards and continue, just as with the previous walk for about twenty minutes, maybe a little less.

Where the track becomes tarmac there is a farm called Hawthorne on your right. Opposite the drive down to the farm there is a footpath that leads up through young fir trees. After about fifteen minutes the path leads out on to a forestry road. If you turn immediately right at this junction off the forestry road on a wide grassy track (the old forestry road) it will lead you to a picnic bench... A lovely place to stop-a-while.

If you want to extend your walk you can head north east along the forestry road which eventually comes out at Dyemills outside Lamlash or heading in a south westerly direction the road leads to Glenashdale Falls and Giants Graves. 

Above is the picnic bench just after you reach the Forestry Road and Below is the view from The Forestry Road heading North East of Holy Isle and Goatfell

Above: Fairy Glen and below is the bench overlooking The Clyde

Taking the same turning as the last two walks head up the hill on the track for seven or eight minutes and as the track swings to the right you will, on your left see a gate tied up with a blue rope.

Head through this and across the field and down through a section of woodland and gorse to a little foot bridge that crosses a burn. Look to your right and you will see Fairy Glen with its waterfall. The water runs across flat slabs of rock and when the flow is low and if you are careful (its slippery) you can walk up it a little way and a photo taken correctly can make it look as though you are walking on the water itself!

The path now leads you on to Golf Course Road, past the golf course and along the road for several minutes to a tee junction; turn right and head uphill past several houses and paddocks and on up into forestry land. 

You will reach a gate where you have a choice, you can go through the gate on the left and continue up the forestry road and it will lead you to Glenashdale Falls or to keep to the hours walk do NOT go through the gate but head straight on to a wide footpath that takes you up onto The Community land.

There is a Bird Hide up here and further along a picnic bench and further still a bench all with lovely views over The Firth of Clyde.

Continue along the path until you find yourself back on Golf Course Road at which point turn left onto the road and retrace your steps past Fairy Glen and back to Ad Astra.

THIS ONE IS A MUST, on a nice day there is nothing more wonderful than this walk and there are so many variations to it.

Here is the one we do:

Walk out of Ad Astra and at the junction turn left back down the hill that leads down to the beach, village and main road. At the main road turn left and head along the pavement with the beach on your right.

Go along until you pass The Bay Stores and go down and across the recreation ground coming out opposite the church. Here there is a tarmacced road and you turn right onto it and follow it until it crosses a burn. just after the bridge you have a choice as the road splits. Take the right hand branch that runs alongside the sea until the roadway ends and you can drop down onto the shingle of the beach.

Carry on a little way until you see a gate and path on your left that leads off the beach. Take this and follow it along and upwards through woodland until you pass paddocks on your left.

The path leads onto a wider grass path where you start to get glimpses across to Holy Isle. The grass path gets wider and turns into a lovely meadow where oft you will see rabbits. The views towards Holy Isle and Lamlash and its wide bay become superb.

At the far end of the field is a bench next to a rowan tree. and beyond that a path leads up to The Viking burial site where you can make out the shape of a viking boat; rivets of which were found many years ago and just beyond that the shape of an Iron Age Fort are clearly visible. From here you can drop down onto the beach.

You can either retrace your steps, or clamber over rock formations till you reach the beach at Whiting Bay; alternatively you can head back up onto the Kings Cross road and follow it back towards Whiting Bay, there really are many routes back... worth looking at a map to choose!

Above: The outline of The Iron Age Fort and below is the rowan tree with a lovely view.

This shot is looking down the length of the Viking burial towards The Iron Age Fort with Holy Isle behind

Below are the views from Kings Cross towards Goatfell, Lamlash and Holy Isle

Sometimes it's just nice to amble out of the door and down onto the beach.... Enjoy!!

This one is a bit of a secret as it is not very well frequented. It is best during Summer months as it can get very boggy if there has been a lot of rain but the vista at the Summit is incredible. You feel like you might be the only people in the world when you get there. 

From the house head head down to the village and head through the Whiting bay with the sea on your left. You'll reach the Coffee Pot - take a right here and follow the toad upwards towards Glenashdale Falls. The road becomes a track, keep going for another mile until it meets the forestry track junction. Right is lamlash, left is Glenashdale falls and straight on is kilmory. Go straight on. After another mile and a bit the track levels out and goes over a big  bridge at a sharp left turn. 

Just before the bridge is a post on the right hand side which signposts a a very small and rarely trodden track which leads up to the lock. Enjoy.