Gardyloo on Ailsa Craig.

It was just 07:12 am when we rounded Stranny Point at the SW corner of Ailsa Craig and...

...came to the Water Cave.

 The air was thick with sea birds and if anything, the smell...

...of guano was even stronger first thing in the morning than the evening. We were surrounded by constant plops in the water raining down from above.

 It was unusual to see the sun break out to the ENE as we rounded the north end of the island at Bare Stack.

When we usually paddle round the island in the afternoon we expect the sun to be coming round the other end of Bare Stack to the SW.

After the north foghorn we came to the old tramway which we followed...

...back to the lighthouse. It was still just 07:34 am yet we had just enjoyed a paddle round what must be one one of the world's finest seakayaking destinations.

A dawn start on Ailsa Craig.

On Ailsa Craig the sun was well clear of the north eastern horizon by 04:55 am. It was impossible to sleep due to the racket made by assorted gulls so...

 ...it was time for an early first breakfast.

We were not the only ones to be up and about early. On the horizon, the general cargo boat MS Fri Stream was making her way up the Clyde.

As we were on the water by 06:53 am, we decided we had time for a second circumnavigation of the island.

The  south eastern cliffs were in full sun due to the early time of day. It is usually about midday when we arrive on the rock and they are in shade.

 As we approached the south foghorn a line of clouds came in and...

 ... we were cast into the shade by the towering cliffs above...

...the isolated rock known as Little Ailsa.

 Offshore FV Rejoice BH220 was still in the sun as she trawled for scallops. Registered in Blyth Rejoice has been based in Girvan forb a few years but was sold in October 2014.

The skies above us began to fill with gannets.

A Glengoyne glow in the midsummer midnight sky at Ailsa Craig.

It was 9:30pm when we returned to the spit by the lighthouse and so we wasted no time in getting a fire going. 

 A combination of a fresh wind and plentiful dry well seasoned firewood rapidly produced...

....wonderful embers for our baked potatoes which we garnished with butter, cheese and salt.

At this point I produced a bottle of single cask 18y old Glengoyne. My friend Ming was staying with us on a visit from Taiwan and he kindly bought me a bottle of this wonderful elixir. This whisky truly has an extra dimension when compared with lesser malts and it is all the better enjoyed in company.

 The glow in our bellies was matched by the glow of the hidden sunset.

 The lighthouse lantern started flashing as...

...Phil Tony and I chatted long into the summer night. It had been a wonderful day for each of us.

 Behind us the rocks glowed in the light of the fire and...

...the sky behind the Arran mountains still glowed even though it was midnight. This is a view of a sunset behind Arran that not many people see.

The iron spike on the summit of Ailsa Craig.

Near the summit of Ailsa Craig  this old iron stake was used in the 19th century by men who lowered themselves on ropes to the gannet colonies below. They harvested the young gannets in the same way that the inhabitants of St Kilda did at the same time.

 With knees like mine I stayed put but Tony bravely descended (without a rope) to see if he could get photos of the colonies.

The grassy slopes got steeper and steeper and Tony returned to the easier ground of the summit with some relief.

 I took this photo (from the spot Tony reached) in May 2008 before my knee accident. It shows the gannet colony at the top of these...

...cliffs on the western side of the island. It is not the sort of place you would want to slip!

We had intended to stay on the summit until sunset but I realised my knees would not manage a descent in the dark. Phil and Tony kindly agreed to accompany me down and we slowly descended together on  the shady path on the east side of the island. We were not alone,...

...this yacht was slowly trying to break free of the island's wind shadow. It was long gone by the time I got back to sea level!

From the summit of Ailsa Craig you can see for miles and miles and miles...

When our camp site on the lighthouse spit was cast into the shade by the bulk of Ailsa Craig, we decided to climb to the top and watch the sunset. The steep path up to the castle gains height very quickly and I struggled to keep up with Phil and Tony.

As we ascended we caught sight of the huge shadow cast by Ailsa Craig on the sea far below.

I feel behind the others again as we climbed the flower filled Garry Loo, a long depression in which the Garry Loch can be found in wet weather.

At last we broke into the sunshine at the summit cairn and trig point which is 340m above sea level.

We peered over the edge down to the lighthouse fro where we had started our climb. You can just see our tents by the corner of the lighthouse wall.

The seacat HSC Express roared past on her way from Troon to Larne.

It was good to take a rest on a rock. We gazed over towards Campbeltown where Tony and I had set off from 48 hours before.

This gannet swooped in from the direction of Mull of Kintyre and Sanda Island. Its belly was full of fish to feed its chick on the ledges below.

 To the north the whole of Arran was laid out before us.

Looking north past Holy Island we saw the southern edge of the highlands from Ben Ime and the Arrocher Alps to Ben Lomond.

 To the east the town of Girvan was backed by the Galloway Hills which are crowned by the Merrick.

To the north east we could see Turnberry Hotel and lighthouse, Culzean Castle and Mochrum Hill and the Carrick Hills rose beyond.

Sun seekers with ants in their pants keep the pot on the boil at Ailsa Craig.

We set up camp on Ailsa Craig  on a grassy ledge next to the lighthouse wall.

 We were by now pretty hungry and soon...

had the pot on the boil.

Unfortunately we discovered a number of ant's nests in the grass. Phil had been sitting cooking his dinner when all of sudden he leapt to his feet. These were biting ants and he had ants in his pants!

At 17:35 the 16:15 Larne to Troon (arr. 18:30) Ferry HSC Express crossed the line between Ailsa Craig lighthouse and Pladda lighthouse. It was 1 hour and 20 minutes out of Larne and was running about 5 minutes late.

This was the view of the Express and Ailsa Craig from the south end of Arran just 24 hours before.

At 18:36 on 17/6/2014, the spit at Ailsa Craig fell into the shade of the great bulk of the island. So what would three sun seeking kayakers do?