Bennan Head; ancient footprints, hidden harbours and wrecks.

 The wind and the rain battered the tents during the night. I arose shortly after dawn about 04:15 and looking west Bennan Head was looking rather wild as the flood tide met the NE wind. I went back to bed but we got up at 6am before any of the other campers had stirred. This is the view east to the Ayrshire coast and this...

 is the view south to Ailsa Craig and Pladda. We decided to miss breakfast but boiled some water in the camp site kettle for coffee.

 We were on the water shortly after seven so we would round Bennan Head about slack water.

 The wind was from the NE and was cross offshore. It was very gusty about F4-5.

 It was not long before Kildonan Point and Pladda...

...disappeared in our wakes and...

,,,Bennan Head loomed ahead. It woul;d have been fun for Mike and I to to hoist sails but above F4...

...Ian would never have been able to keep up. It seems difficult to believe but there is a hidden harbour on this inhospitable shore. It is called Port a' Ghille Ghlais but we did not feel much like taking time out to explore on this occasion. Our minds were on the approaching headland. Recently footprints of Isochirotherium herculis have been found in the Triassic sedimentary rock between the basalt dykes.

 The seas round the Head had fortunately calmed somewhat since  I had seen them at 04:15 and...

 ...we were able to admire the bold blade of rock of the headland and the Black Cave (which has a blow hole at the top).A tumbling waterfall completed the wild scene as we turned the most southerly point of  Arran.

Round the head we entered the lee of the land and we could relax on the next stage of the paddle to Cleats Shore.  This shore is sandy at high tide but very rocky at low tide so many potential camping spots are high tide only. A line of cliffs sits back from a raised beach and numerous basalt dykes radiate out from the shore. This coastline has been the scene of many ship wrecks not only because of the tides and rough waters but because many of the dykes extend for more than half a kilometre from the shore.

A swarm of dykes at Kildonan.

In view of the mid day forecast on 23rd May we decided not to risk paddling across the south end of the Kilbrannan Sound to Davaar Island on the 24th. The prospect of a 20km open crossing in F4-5 increasing 6 north wind was not very appealing to us. Our next planned camp site was to be the SW point of Arran some 9km further on round Bennan Head. Bennan Head can be a rough place as the tide close in (the so called Black Tide) continuously flows east and when it meets the main west going ebb things get a bit stirred up. Pladda is only 700m north to south yet the tide on the north turns 2 hours before the tide turns on the south.

 We had a decision to make press on before the tidal window closed round Bennan Head or...

... sit back and enjoy the view aided by some sports recovery drinks.and

 ...steak sandwiches at the excellent Kildonan Hotel. Having missed the tidal window and enjoyed lunch so much, we booked a table for our evening meal. We booked a night at the Seal Shore camp site next door to the hotel. As commercial sites go Seal Shore is very good. It easily accessible from the sea, the toilets are very clean and there is plentiful hot water. It is mainly used by couples and young families and even though it was a bank holiday weekend all was quiet by 10:30pm. The camp site owners also support a charitable educational project in the Gambia.

However, although the camp site covers a large area of well mown grass, we discovered that other campers like to be really close. After we had pitched our tents other campers pitched theirs so close that guy lines crossed and Ian even suggested to one camper that he could always just use one of Ian's pegs!

On previous occasions I have stayed here I have pitched my tent on a bit of ground outside the main camping area above the shore. This would probably have been better. However, we met some nice people on the site including a young family who were island hopping in a restored 1974 VW camper van.

 Once we had pitched the tents we decided to walk along the Kildonan shore. This old  fishing boat has seen better days.

 The flag irises were already out on Arran....

 ...they normally arrive about the same time as the midges.

On the raised beach at Kildonan Shore you will find this beautiful carved sandstone bench. The inscription reads "Does the sound of the sea end at the shore or in the hearts of those who listen?"

From the raised beach there is a view of the many basalt dykes that radiate out from the south shore of Arran. This swarm of dykes from the volcanic activity in the north of Arran broke through lines of weakness in the existing sedimentary rocks. These have now been eroded away leaving the harder basalt dykes standing above the main beach level. The south end of Arran is one of the best examples of a swarm of dykes in the world. It was a warm afternoon, we were rather hot and for some reason this geological wonder made Ian think of his favourite cup of tea.

This Bing Maps view shows just a tiny fraction of the Kildonan dyke swarm, which extends for 13 km of the south Arran coastline. When you do a Google search on a small place you usually end up with a list like "Estate agents in Brigadoon, PPI claims in Brigadoon, Plumbers in Brigadoon or Meet XXXX in Brigadoon". However, if you do this for Kildonan, you get "A swarm of dykes in Kildonan".

This lichen covered dyke even has a window through...

...which I photographed the dawn on a previous visit.

 Behind the beach this waterfall cascaded over the sandstone cliffs.

There was plenty of drift wood on this beach including this oak trunk with...

 ...its wonderful bark. For a moment I wished we were wild camping here but we were looking forward to dinner in the Kildonan Hotel.

This was the view as we were enjoying the starter of scallops and black pudding.in the dining room. The MV Isle of Arran ferry was making her way out to Campbeltown passing between Pladda with its lighthouse and Ailsa Craig..

 Before heading to the tents for the night we went down to check the boats but all was well as the sun slipped away behind the dark and brooding outline of Bennan Head, on our intended route in the morning...

Waterfalls and a chinwag at Carlandcheek.

 Phil and I enjoyed paddle sailing up the Carrick coast but we broke out into...

 ...the lee of Bracken Bay where we enjoyed a...

 ...second luncheon and chinwag while we sheltered from the biting cold wind.

 Blustery squalls continued to roll in across the Firth of Clyde so it was soon time to...

...paddle on, under the cliffs of Carlandcheek where the Lagg burn tumbled to the sea.

The delights of Drumbane.

With Ailsa Craig on the horizon and the dramatic sky of an approaching cold front behind us...

...we paddled north past the magnificent headlands of the Carrick coast.

With the flooding of the tide we were able to paddle over the now submerged reefs...

...that guard the delightful tidal bay at..

...Drumbane with its...

..eponymous burn and falls.

What a location to toast the sunset with a snifter of The Singleton.

Between fronts at Fisherton.

We turned to the south once again and soon our attention was caught by...

...the swollen Drumbane Burn, which spilled out of its small gorge and tumbled over the rocks into the sea beside us.

 The breeze picked up as we approached Fisherton Point and the iconic silhouette...

...of Ailsa Craig dominated the empty horizon. Clouds building behind the Craig forecast the approach of the next front. We were making the most of the brief calm in a short winter day.

A torrent from a Taran.

 After our early repast...

...the sun finally rose over the hills as we were getting ready for the second stage of our journey.

 We paddled south towards the cliffs of Carlandcheek where the swollen Lagg burn...

...cascaded from the heights in a torrent to the beach below.

Let's do brunch at Bower Hill.

It has been particularly windy and wet in south west Scotland but this day dawned calm as we made our way to edge of the sea.

 We set off across the bay towards...

 ...distant headlands well before the sun had risen.

As it was not strictly day time yet, we debated for a moment whether we should land for second breakfast or first luncheon.

 In the lee of Bower Hill, the calm sea was disturbed by only a sprinkling of raindrops but...

 ...the spouts of water cascading down the cliffs betrayed how heavy the previous day's rain had been.

 It was spring low water and we took our exercise as we made our way over the sands to...

 ...the luncheon tree. Phil had come prepared for either second breakfast or first luncheon. One flask contained hot mulled wine, the other The Singleton. In the end we compromised and did brunch.