Threading the skerries under grey skies of Dunure.

 When we emerged from the pub we found that the wind had dropped but swung even further to the south. We would not be leaving the harbour under sail. We were glad not to be on the water when this fishing boat roared into the harbour.

 As it was high tide we were able to paddle through the Dunure skerries...

 ...below the grim grey walls of Dunure Castle.

As we threaded our way through the various channels through the weathered lava flows of an ancient volcano...

...we caught sight of the iconic silhouette of distant Ailsa Craig, which itself is a volcanic plug.

The magnificent maze of Barlocco.

 Well satisfied by our second luncheon on Barlocco Isle we set off to thread...

 ...our way...

 ...through the...

 ...magnificent maze of skerries...

 ...that lie off...

 ...the SW coast of Barlocco Isle.

It always feels good to get through the maze...every tide is different!

Amazing clarity of vision from the Solway reefs.

 With the sails up in the NE wind...

 ...Tony and I made rapid progress towards Murray's Isles.

 Soon we rounded the rocks at their western point and...

 ...slipped below the old cottage that was once used by pilots and excise men. The window in the gable end allowed them to keep an eye on the horizon for approaching ships. The isle was now devoid of the colonies of breeding cormorants and gulls that had nested here from April until early August.

 The reefs of the smaller Murray's Isle soon slipped...

 ...astern as we made across the mouth of Fleet Bay towards...

 ...the reefs of Barlocco Isle. After all the recent rainfall the atmosphere was exceptionally clear and we were able to see as far (51km) as St Bees Head in Cumbria on the English side of the Solway Firth.

On the SW side of Barlocco there is a maze of rocky channels in which to spend time trying to thread a way through.

Not quite the Galapagos but natural selection is alive and well in the Isles of Fleet.

 Leaving the verdant pastures of Ardwall Isle, we set off to round...

 ...its seaward coastline.

 From this viewpoint there was little to suggest...

 ...that there was any green vegetation on the island at all. Indeed, the coastline was so primeval that we half expected to see basking iguanas round every corner.

From Ardwall we crossed to Murray's Isles. We landed on the larger isle for another break, though this little sandy beach  is covered after about half tide. We were amused to see two separate paddlers on sit on top kayaks paddle by. We thought they must be members of the DKC* as their only safety items were a pair of gloves and a cotton T shirt.

 We left the Murray's Isles through this little gap...

 ...at their western end and...

...arrived safely back a little early. Tony and Jennifer kindly carried my kayak up the beach. Tony brought his trolley back for his own kayak and was ably assisted by his daughter.

Another great trip in the Solway.

*DKC Darwin Kayak Club.

Changing scenes on the Solway.

There are two excellent caves to explore on this section of the Solway. We turned back after reaching this, the second one, which is called Dove Cave. It can only be entered at spring high water.

 The two caves lie on either side of this headland.

 The smaller cave, to the west of the headland, can be entered at most states of the tide.

After a short break ashore, we paddled...

...through the skerries of the Kirkandrews shore, which were flooded by the spring high water. One of the great pleasures of the Solway is the dramatic changes in scenery within a very  short distance.

No hippopotomi but plenty tight places on the Solway.

I had not been able to paddle much due to running into some painful problems with my knees and hips, so it was with real pleasure that I joined the others as we set off from Barlocco Isle along the Solway coast in an easterly direction.

Phil thought he spotted a hippopotamus, a little way off shore. We don't get so many hippopotomi in these parts (though we did have a flamingo a few years ago)...

 ...and investigation proved it was an old log.

 Jennifer was enjoying the P&H Delphin...

...which proved ideal for exploring...

 ...caves and the other...

 ...tight places that can be found on...

...this part of the magnificent Solway coast.

Portandea, any port in a storm.

Although the geology changed south of Currarie Port on Ayrshire's Atlantic coast, the interest continued unabated. Below the dark cliffs of Craigangal, we explored geo...

...after geo until...

...we came to the huge geo of Brackness Hole. After this there was even better rockhopping as the swell slowly increased. I couldn't resist chucking the Delphin into every gap. Its robust construction and my bracing skills got well tested so there are no more photos until we arrived at...

...the sheltered cove of Portandea. This part of of Ayrshire is the Glenapp Estate, which belongs to the Inchcape family. In the 1920's they built a holiday bungalow on the flat ground above the beach. In recent years it had become increasingly damaged by both the weather and vandalism, so I was not particularly surprised to see that it had recently been demolished and the rubble removed. A new road has been cut down to the cove on the track of the original footpath. A water pipe and electricity cable have been laid, so I expect the bungalow will be rebuilt. I hope it remains free from vandalism.

Once landed, victuals for third luncheon were unloaded from the kayaks.

 What a place for a luncheon stop, but a word of warning...

...Portandea is a surf trap. If you land through the surf, you need to be pretty confident in your technique to get back out. This photo was from an earlier trip on 21/05/2009 and is from the same viewpoint as the previous photo.

An unadventurous lot, down on Ayrshire's Atlantic Coast.

All too soon it was time to leave the shelter of the River Stinchar.

As it was near high tide, the bar at the river mouth was well covered...

 ...but still gave David an excuse to practice his air braces.

South of Ballantrae Bay the coastline is dominated by steep cliffs of dark Cambrian basaltic rocks. On this stretch we came across this particularly fine pillow lava. It looked like it had just oozed out of the volcano but that was about 500 million years ago.

We now entered a sea kayaker's wonderland, the coastline consisted of a complex series of gullies, geos and caves.

Each time we came to a headland we would say "that was the best bit of rockhopping ever" only to discover, once round the headland,...

 ...that the next bit...

 ...was even better.

 Waterfalls cascaded down the cliffs, only to be lost in piles of boulders above the sea.

 Ayrshire's Atlantic coast...

 ...just kept getting better and...

...better. In the SW of Scotland we tend not to travel far to enjoy sea kayaking in exotic locations. I wonder why we are such an unadventurous lot?