Buzzing walls and more follies at Castle Haven.

 From the beach at Barlocco we continued SE towards Kirkandrews where...

...we were passed by two small shellfish boats. This one is "Irene K" A3 and her home port is Campbeltown. They had both been launched from road trailers near Kirkandrews. They seemed a long way from home.

On the way we passed Corseyard farm with its tower and model dairy. The tower is not an old castle, it is actually a water tower and the dairy is a veritable "coo palace". The farm was built by Mr Brown of Knockbrex who had retired there from the Manchester department store of Affleck and Brown.

 The light, clouds, wind and tide were Solway paddling at its best but yet again...

 ...we made a diversion, this time into Castlehaven Bay.

At the back of the bay lies the ruins of Castle Haven which was built during the Iron Age on a rocky promontory. It is thought that over 1000 years after it was built, the Vikings refortified the site as a "borg", giving rise to the name of the local hamlet of Borgue.

 We decided to land and explore further.

 We entered via the postern gate which leads down to the sea.

Castle Haven was excavated by Mr Brown of Knockbrex and James Barbour F.S.A.Sco in 1905 and they demonstrated that it had a galleried wall structure as is shown...

...in this plan which was made at the time and published in the Journal of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 1907.

After the excavations were finished Mr Brown rebuilt some of the dry stone walls by adding height onto the existing foundations.

The doubled wall structure clearly seen in this photo is very typical of the brochs and duns found in the highlands and islands of Scotland. This makes Castle Haven the most southerly broch in Scotland. Most duns are circular but Castle Haven is D shaped as its sea edge follows the line of the vertically raised rock strata at the edge of the bay.

We were not alone. The air was full of the sound of buzzing bees who were gathering nectar from the climbing plants that were gradually choking the walls of Castle Haven.

Read more on Ian's blog here.

The follies of Knockbrex and a convenient cave.

 From the three priapic pillars of Knockbrex we set off along the...

...rocky Solway coast until we arrived...

 ...at a delightful stretch of shell sand backed by a castellated folly.

We stopped for a second time to...

 ...explore what was an early 20th century bathing house. A folly in Galloway is known as a "coo (cow) palace" and this was a good example with...

 ...the remains of a stone and iron pier extending into the Solway.

 The folly has a beautiful view over to Barlocco Isle and the distant mountains of the Isle of Man. It was built by James Brown who was a wealthy Manchester merchant. He retired to nearby Knockbrex House  in 1895. Until he died in 1920, he spent much of his fortune building a series of gardens, walls, buildings and follies around the estate.

The jagged reefs of this coastline were the scene of many shipwrecks but it was also used by smugglers who would have found...

...this to be a most convenient cave for concealing contraband from the customs cutters. For many years the entrance was concealed by a thick growth of ivy but a storm a few years ago tore it away.

The cave has a dry level floor and would make excellent shelter in a storm.

This part of the Solway was a lawless place not only frequented by smugglers but also by pirates. We decided to reenact walking the plank. Was this to be a folly on Ian's part?

Time was pressing on and the ebb tide was now in full swing so we made our way back to the boats to continue our exploration of the Solway by sea kayak.

Prospects at the three priapic pillars of Knockbrex.

 From Ardwall Isle we left the confines of...

 ...Fleet Bay and started to make our way out...

 ...towards the more open waters of the Solway Firth until we were stopped in our tracks by...

 ...the priapic pillars of Knockbrex. There are three pillars and they...

 ...lead into the recesses of...

...Knockbrex Harbour.

Whatever their provenance, the priapic pillars provide plenty of perpendicular photographic prospects whatever the weather.

These photos were taken exactly 2 years before our visit and show more typical October weather.

Whatever, if you come to this part of the Solway do remember to visit the three priapic pillars of Knockbrex.

Read more about these erections here on Ian's blog.

Setting off with a fair wind and tide on the Solway Firth.

The day dawned fair on Fleet Bay in the Solway Firth and as the line of clouds drew back to the SE we enjoyed some warm October sunshine.

Ian, Mike and I soon had our kayaks packed and at the water's edge. It had been our intention to paddle east to Sandyhills stopping at Little Ross Island and Hestan Island on the way. Unfortunately the firing range at Dundrennan was in use so we would not be able to pass. So we intended to do a there and back paddle as far as Kirkcudbright.

 It was a most marvellous start with a fresh tailwind and paddling...

 ...straight into the sun.

 The ebb tide was also with us and it seemed like no time at all until...

 ...we landed on Ardwall Isle for first luncheon.

We decided to climb to the top by way of the farm track which leads up from the beach. The farmer drives over from the mainland at low tide several times a year to cut the grass and bale it.

As we gained height we enjoyed a great view over the recently cut meadow to Murray's Isles Ravenshall Point and to Wigtown on the far side of Wigtown bay.

 There were plenty of brambles but almost no sloes.

From the summit we had a clear view back across Fleet Bay to where we had come from, the cluster of caravans under Ben John.

 The simple cairn at the summit of Ardwall Isle overlooks the grand...

 ...house at Knockbrex with its fields extending down to a little harbour.

Beyond Barlocco reef our way lay away to the SE, beyond distant Ringdoo Point.

For the full kayak stereovision experience follow Ian's blog which starts here.

Securing a furled Flat Earth kayak sail when launching in surf.

One of the beauties of the Flat Earth Kayak Sails rig is its simplicity. Apart from the stays (the forestay act as the uphaul) and the sheet there are no other lines such as kicking strap (vang) between mast and boom or Cunningham (tack) downhaul line which are found in more complex rigs. However, this does mean that there is not a lot holding the sail and boom down on the mast. The boom gooseneck is not fixed to the mast  but slides over and is free to rotate round it.

Many people are worried that launching in surf with a furled sail on deck will result in a wave washing the sail and boom clean off the top of the mast. There are various solutions on the internet. Some advocate a large quick release cable tie round the boom just above the gooseneck. Well I tried that and there is not enough friction it just slides up.

Others have devised a number of complex ties that hold the boom down but these can get tangled up and interfere with boom rotation.

My solution is very simple.  Once the sail is furled I just tighten the sheet and cleat it. This prevents the sail from sliding up the mast. In this photo the bow is at the right and the sheet is the thick red line which is tight and leads back to the cockpit cleat on the left. Just remember to let the sheet off before launching the sail.

If the wind is off or cross off shore, there is an even better solution. Keep the sail up in the wind and out of the surf and use it to power out, great fun!