Tuesday, August 25, 2015

En route to Bute with Simian Rock and squadrons of shearwaters.

 We set off from the Little Cumbrae castle on what seemed like the first hot sultry afternoon of summer.

 The Arran mountains always delight and the sight of them rising...

 ...above the reefs of Gull Point  is always worth a photo.

 Little Cumbrae is composed of layers of lava flows from successive eruptions.

 Ian spotted this mimetolith high on the cliffs...Simian Rock.

 It was a spring tide so before crossing to Garroch Head across the south going ebb tide...

 ...we took a north going eddy to just before the lighthouse. This saves a lot of energy maintaining a high ferry...

...angle on the crossing. We enjoyed seeing porpoises and diving gannets but...

 ...the real treat on the crossing was seeing squadrons of shearwaters skimming the sea round us.

We were welcomed to Garroch Head by a very large grey seal.