Sammy the Inchmarnock otter is an imposter!.

Once we had negotiated the reefs exposed by low tide, the upper beach on the west coast of Inchmarnock was a broad expanse of cobbles.

We set up camp at the top of the beach and set to preparing our evening meal.

We had a grandstand view across the Sound of Bute to the rocky ridges of the north Sannox mountains of Arran. The notch of Ceum na Cailich, (the Witch's Step) and the granite tors on the summit of Caisteal Abhail (this means "castle of death" not "stronghold of the ptarmigan" as you may read elsewhere). A yacht was beating up the Sound into the cold northerly wind which also brought the remarkably clear air.

Due to the chill wind we wasted no time in getting the fire and...

 ...the baked potatoes on.

 This must be one of the best views in Scotland and we had it all to ourselves until...

 ...what I thought was Sammy the otter put in an appearance. He ran along the beach from where a little trickle of a burn issued into the sea.

 He made for his favourite fishing...

 ...pool where he caught several sea urchins before...

...heading home again.  What a place, we were just 50km from my house in Glsgow but there was not a sight of human habitation.

I am grateful to Ian and Ben (see comments below) for correctly identifying this animal as a mink. The first unconfirmed sighting of a mink on neighbouring Bute was in 1981 and the first confirmed report was a dead mink at the north of Bute in 1982. Since then numbers have increased. Local naturalist JA Gibson has published an account "Atlas of Bute and Cumbrae vertebrates, 1980". An update Supplementary notes on Bute vertebrates was published in the Buteshire Transactions in 2004. In it Gibson writes about the mink  "I believe it has not yet reached Inchmarnock." and "During a visit to Inchmarnock in 2001 no mink were seen and there was no obvious predation on eider nests." It is sad that the mink is now indeed on Inchmarnock.

Despite the approach of darkness and the ferry, we stopped to savour the view of the mountains.

We launched from the sands of Sannox with the hope that we might be able to paddle  sail all the way down the east coast of Arran to Brodick.

 By the time we got to Corrie the sun was setting behind the hills and as it did so...

 ...the wind dropped and wood smoke from village stoves hung in the air. The flood, north going tide can make this stretch take longer than planned and we had a ferry to catch!

For a while we paddled in the shade of the North Goatfell ridge and the temperature plummeted. From here we got a good view of the lip of the hanging valley or corrie after which the village of Corrie takes its name.

The mountains fell away as we reached Merkland Point, the northern limit of Brodick Bay and the sun reappeared for...

 ...a few precious warming minutes.
 

 As we swung round into the openness of the bay...

The soaring south ridge of Goatfell rose above the trees.

Although we needed to press on to catch the ferry it was...

 ...hard to resist the temptation to repeatedly stop, look back and savour the view of snowy mountains that had dominated our day.

Splendid, snowy, soaring scenery, serenity and successful paddle sailing to Sannox on a Sunday.

 As we approached Arran...

...the snow topped granite ridges of Glen Sannox soared higher and...

...higher above us. You could travel half way round the globe and still not find scenery to match, yet it is right here on our doorstep. It is not just the scenery that delights the eye on this crossing. On this occasion we saw porpoises and on previous crossings to Arran, we have seen common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, minke whales and basking sharks not to mention numerous otters round the shore..

In the lee of  the Cock of Arran, Sannox Bay was like a millpond. It was hard to believe we had so much fun out in mid channel.

The winter storms had stripped a lot of the sand off the beach since our last visit but all was calm when we arrived.

We wasted no time in unpacking our things for as well deserved second luncheon and a dram of 10 year old Jura to celebrate Maurice's successful induction to the world of paddle sailing!

The Cock of Arran was pointing to the distant Paps of Jura.

We set off from Garroch Head on Bute on the 11km crossing to Sannox on Arran in...

...glorious conditions.

 As we cleared the end of Bute a...

 ...lovely wind filled in from the west and we...

 ...were soon enjoying paddle sailing with...

... one of the best views in the world, which looks straight up...

 ...Glen Sannox to the wonderfully symmetrical cone of Cir Mhor at its head.

Once clear of Bute the wind was steady and we made great speed.

In mid channel the wind picked up to a force 4, which was blowing against the incoming tide and so it got a bit lumpy to take my Canon 5D Mk3 out of its waterproof deck bag. So there is now a short intermission without photos but it was cracking fun!

Maurice was on his first day out with his new Flat Earth kayak sail and as we were on a close reach, the conditions were quite challenging for a newcomer to kayak sailing. However, Maurice proved to be a quick learner and by the time we were two thirds of the way across...

 ...the conditions flattened again as the tide lessened.

 It was one of the most enjoyable crossings of the Sound of Bute I have ever done.

 Conditions continued to moderate as we...

...drew into the wind shadow of the Cock of Arran which was pointing to....

...the distant Paps of Jura, which were heaving above the horizon some 63km away to the NW.

Sea kayaking desktop wallpaper calendar 2015.

Welcome to the 11th annual sea kayaking desktop calendar from seakayakphoto.com! Like 2013, my 2014 has had somewhat restricted paddling. Recovering from several major health problems, caring for my mother in her final illness and then being executor to her estate have all taken their toll on my paddling time. However, what paddling I was able to do was of the finest order and with the best of friends and so quality has made up for quantity. This year all the photos are taken in local waters, all a short drive from home. You can follow the links to Dropbox and download  high resolution photos for your computer or tablet desktop wallpaper in either 4x3 or 8x5 format.

January.

Leaving Portencross Castle before mid winter dawn. Short winter days in Scotland mean an early start and we often launch and land in the dark. From Portencross, we have set off for the islands of the Firth of Clyde: the Great and Little Cumbraes, Bute, Inchmarnock and Arran. Each is a unique adventure.

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February.

Paddle sailing on a winter crossing to Arran. Our 30km route took us via Garroch Head on Bute then on this fabulous 11 km crossing to Sannox at the north end of Arran. This must be one of the most scenic rossings in Scotland. In winter we arrive in Brodick after sunset then get the ferry back to Ardrossan.

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March.

Setting off from the reefs of Lendalfoot on the 14km crossing to the isolated and uninhabited granite island of Ailsa Craig. It lies in an exposed position and the nearest point of land is Lendalfoot. Weather conditions can change rapidly here and we had wind against tide conditions on our return. I capsized while paddle sailing across the Bennane Head tide race about a kilometre offshore. Even though it was sunny and I was back paddle sailing in only a few minutes, I was glad I was wearing a dry suit as the water temperature was only 9C. Anyway it did not put me off returning to Ailsa Craig a further two times (three times in all) in 2014.

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April.

We set off across the Kilbrannan Sound from Kintyre to Arran in thick, gloomy fog. It unexpectedly began to clear when we were about 3/4 of the way across. It was like paddling between a day of two halves.

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May.

Pinks and plantains at Pladda. The delightful island of Pladda lies off the southern tip of its much larger neighbour Arran. It is protected by swirling tides but with its Stevenson lighthouse and teeming bird life, is a joy to visit. There are so many nesting birds covering the ground (and the lighthouse cottages are a private residence) that it would not be easy to camp there in the nesting season. We usually camp at nearby Kildonan on Arran

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June.

The heather growing on Brown Head on Arran means that it is indeed usually brown. However, in early summer, fresh fronds of bracken add a splash of green. The waters are delightfully clear and on this June day warm enough for swimming in a little bay beyond the head. We passed this way twice this year. Once on a clockwise circumnavigation of Arran in March and once en route from Kintyre to Ailsa Craig in June.

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July.

Ailsa Craig is a haven for breeding birds the SW and W cliffs soar steeply from the sea and their high ledges are host to tens of thousands of gannets, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and fulmars. Lower down there are colonies of puffins, shags and cormorants. This congregation of cormorants had gathered at Ashydoo Church. No visitor to Ailsa Craig should forget to bring a broad brimmed hat.

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August.

Cleats Shore on Arran enjoys some fine views like this one to Ailsa Craig, some 23 km to the SE. It is also one of the few naturist beaches in Scotland. There was no one there on our visit so Ailsa got our full and undivided attention.

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September.

We often see the PS Waveley on our travels. She was built in Glasgow in 1947 for the Craigendorran to Arrochar run but was retired in 1974. Since 1975 she has been operated as a tourist attraction and is now the last sea going paddle steamer in the World. We saw her to the north of Arran in the Sound of Bute in the evening calm that followed a very windy and wet paddle up the Kilbrannan Sound. She is one of our larger fellow paddlers!

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October.

Back in October I paddled out into Wigtown Bay beyond the Islands of Fleet. The wind steadily dropped to nothing but these strange clouds bubbled up from the Machars peninsula and drifted over distant Burrow Head at the mouth of the Bay.

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November.

Paddle sailing is a whole heap of fun. This is going through the tide race off the south end of Pladda. If you only make one sea kayaking resolution in 2015, it should be to give paddle sailing a try!

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December.

As the winter sun set behind Great Cumbrae and Arran, Duncan Winning and I enjoyed a long chat about kayaking history. At last we went our separate ways as darkness fell. In 1964 Duncan made the first accurate drawings of the kayak Ken Taylor brought to Scotland in 1960 from Illorsuit in West Greenland. This kayak which was made by Emanuele Korniliussen in 1959 is now in the Kelvingrove museum in Glasgow, Scotland. Duncan's drawings were used to create the Anas Acuta, which was a great influence in what was to become the British style of recreational touring sea kayak.

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I wish all readers of seakayakphoto.com a great paddling year in 2015 and thank you for visiting.
Douglas Wilcox.