It's tough being a gannet!

Not far from the summit cairn of Ailsa Craig we found this unprotected greater black backed gull nest. Now the rats have gone, this ruthless bird has no predators. We have seen these gulls straffing a colony of razorbills, forcing them into flight then eating their eggs.


Just a short distance away, down a grassy bank, lay the top of the gannet colony on the west craigs. It was quite tempting to go down and get some good closeups of the nesting gannets. But these gannets were incubating their eggs. If they had been disturbed and left the nest, the gulls would have swooped down and stolen the eggs. I contented myself with this distant view.


Marauding black backed gulls were not the only problem facing the gannets. Thirteen fishing boats, at least two of which were registered to Belfast, were trawling round and round Ailsa Craig. From the heights we could see where their nets had stirred up the sea bed. It seemed a great pity that so many fish were being scooped out of the sea, right under the beaks of the breeding gannets.

05/05/2008

Splendid isolation on the heights of Ailsa Craig.

From the Castle, Tony Gavin and myself perspired on our way up a steep bank of bluebells towards the summit of Ailsa Craig.


We caught our breath at the Castle Well. Although the water bubbling from the ground was crystal clear, we did not slake our thirst. The well had several floating feathers and the surrounding grass was littered with bird droppings.


Continuing upwards we came to the Garry Loch. In the summer this nearly dries out and its banks are covered with marsh marigolds.


Higher still we came to the bothy. This two roomed dwelling grows out of a steep bank. It would have had a thatch or turf roof. At one time sheep, goats and pigs were kept on Ailsa Craig and the herdsman would have spent at least the summers in this high spot.


Finally we arrived at the summit cairn and trig point. Ailsa Craig is 338m high and we had hoped to be rewarded with views of Kintyre, Arran, Ben Lomond, Ayrshire, the Galloway hills and the mountains of the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland. However, the early summer high pressure system, which gave us a calm crossing, had brought increasing haze.

So we stood on the summit in splendid isolation from the rest of the World.

05/05/2008

The ancient keep of Ailsa

From the lighthouse, we made our way up to the ancient keep of Ailsa Craig castle. It was built in the late 14th century and granted to the abbots of Crossraguel Abbey by a charter of King Robert III in 1404.


The final approach to its austere walls was up a steep bank of bluebells whose colour matched the sky.


Although it was never laid ruin by a siege or by later builders looking for stones, its ancient corners have been weathered by centuries of winds.


Inside it is possible to climb to the great hall, if you step over the hole which leads to the dungeon.


Inside the hall the great fireplace and a side oven can still be seen. If you are very brave, it is possible to ascend to the roof by climbing on just the remaining outside edges of the spiral staircase.


It was a relief to step onto the security of Ailsa's rock again.

05/05/2008

The siren calls of Ailsa.

Emerging from the shade of Bare Stack we passed the north fog horn of Ailsa Craig. The north and south sirens were built at the same time as the lighthouse. An oil engine in the lighthouse buildings ran a compressor which fed air through pipes two and a half inches in diameter to the siren towers.


In Greek mythology, sweet singing sirens tempted ships to destruction on the rocks. Ailsa's sirens bellowed like a bull and had quite the opposite effect on sailors.


This warning sign is redundant. The sirens are long silent.


Soon the lighthouse came into view again.


We landed gently in a little bay of stones....


...before starting on our long climb to the lofty summit of Ailsa Craig.

05/05/2008

The lost puffins and last sea eagle of Ailsa Craig

As we continued round Ailsa Craig from the main gannet colonies, we came across some places where banks of grass grew on great heaps of rocks that had long ago broken free from the heights above.


At one time, 250,000 pairs of puffins bred here but they were exterminated by rats.


The rats were exterminated in the 1990 by poison and the puffins have now returned. In May 2008 we saw several hundred. Two years earlier we had seen only five!


Once past the puffin colony, we approach the brooding mass of Bare Stack. It was these still bare contours that took the brunt of the glacier which at one time scoured the Firth of Clyde. The spring air chilled as we enterd the shade of these heights.


High on the great overhanging cliff is a small ledge called the Eagle's Seat. The last breeding sea eagle was shot on Ailsa Craig in 1881. It measured seven feet from wing tip to wing tip and was displayed in Culzean Castle for many years. This year we saw sea eagles on Islay and the Mull of Kintyre.

One can only hope that like the puffins, they too will return to the rocky fastnesses of Ailsa.

05/05/2008

The Gannets of Ailsa Craig

As we rounded Stranny Point at the SW corner of Ailsa Craig we were struck by two things. The first was the wonderful quality of the light and clarity of the air.


The second was the sheer number and noise of thousands of croaking gannets. Over 40,000 pairs of gannets return to breed each spring after wintering in west Africa.


Every available ledge was occupied by a gannet nest and every inch was fiercely defended from any of its neighbours' encroachments.

Oh, I think I might have forgotten to mention the rich smell! Truly a visit to Ailsa Craig at breeding time is one of the natural world's great experiences!

05/05/2008

I am sorry not to have posted during my visit to Taiwan or during my recovery from jet lag!

The missing mermaids of the water cave, Ailsa Craig

Immediately to the west of Stranny Point on Ailsa Craig lies the beautiful Water Cave, with its pillared entrance at sea level. It is sometimes known as the Mermaids’ Cave and winds for 43m into the heart of the Craig and is best entered by kayak at high tide before exploring the remainder on foot. Low tide leaves a rocky sill with a deep pool within, which is difficult to cross on foot. On our visit we could hear the mournful wails of seals within so we decided not to disturb them. Of course we saw no mermaids either!


Despite not gaining access to the interior, we were entranced by this enchanting place. On top of surrounding rocks, left high and dry by the receding tide, seals basked in the sun. Could these be the missing mermaids of the cave?

05/05/2008

There will now be a break in posting. I am off to Taiwan for 10 days, after which normal service from seakayakphoto.com will be resumed!

Ailsa Craig, Rev R Lawson,1888

I found this little book recently. It is beautifully written and illustrated with line drawings. It describes the history, topography and natural history of the isle of Ailsa Craig. The Rev Lawson was a minister in Maybole, Ayrshire. He was a keen historian and wrote several books on the history of Ayrshire.


This map folds out from the front piece and to this day it remains the best map of Ailsa Craig available anywhere.

I like old books.

Landfall on Ailsa Craig

Seeing Ailsa Craig on the horizon from our recent tour of the Ayrshire Carrick coast has brought back memories of a fabulous trip back in May. We made landfall on the spit of granite blocks which extends to the east of the isle. Above us the castle clung precariously to the steep slopes.


The Ailsa Craig lighthouse lies at the easternmost end of the spit. It was built in 1886 by Thomas and David A Stevenson. It has a white flash every four seconds.


After a brief lunch we set off to circumnavigate the island anticlockwise. If it is sunny this will give you the best light for photography on the dramatic west side. As we approached Stranny Point the air was filled with gannets.

05/05/2008

"Nae man can tether time nor tide": the return to Ayr.

We emerged from the Anchorage bar to see the World bathed in a rosy glow. The "Sleeping Warrior" of Arran lay still on the far western horizon.


Our timing was impeccable. Beyond the Castle and the skerries and even beyond distant Ailsa Craig, the golden orb of the Sun was just kissing the horizon as we made our way to sea again.


After a few pulls on our paddles we turned back to catch a last glimpse of the sun but it had already gone.


The temperature dropped like a stone, the pipping of the oyster-catchers' calls died away and the flocks hunched together on shore for the night. The silent winter silhouette of Ailsa Craig invited a return, but in the Spring when it would once again be surrounded by a cacophony of noisy breeding birds!


As the cold began to seep into our bones we felt another calling.


After a refreshment stop at Dunure, Bracken Bay is conveniently located for a final stop before landing at Ayr. Our last 5km were paddled in the dark, but once we rounded the Heads of Ayr the myriad stretch of the town's lights did little assist navigation. A quick compass bearing indicated that the constellation Plaedes would be our main navigational aid. However, our noses guided our final touchdown. The light north easterly breeze was blowing directly from Ayr India. The mixed pakora eaten on the sea front provided a spicy end to a perfect day and night's paddle!

02/11/2008

Enlightenment at Dunure.

We now approached the grim and impregnable walls of the ancient castle of Dunure. Its walls are now silent witness to a bloody past. Unlike its neighbour, Culzean, it was not gentrified during the period of the Scottish Enlightenment in the 18th century.


Approaching from the sea it is easy to see why this site was chosen....


... the castle seems to grow out of the cliffs by the shore.


We landed on the shingle beach below the castle.


Sadly we had arrived somewhat too early for the best of the sunset. It was rather cold and we had at least another hour to wait before the sun sank towards the horizon...







...well what else could we do? We reluctantly entered the portal of the Anchorage Bar in Dunure.

02/11/2008

Traditional meets new school by the Carrick skerries.

One of the great pleasures of meeting people on the water is exchanging ideas about kit and technique. Four of the paddlers on the water had taken their first strokes in skin on frame kayaks. Dave from the Garnock club may now use a composite hull but he still prefers Inuit paddle, a rudder, a woolly jumper knitted by his gran and a buoyancy aid of uncertain manufacture (though I could just make out "SS Tita...." on the back). It was a delight to observe his and Duncan's effortless and fast paddling styles.


Alan on the other hand has just started sea kayaking. He loves his carbon fibre paddle and is wearing the latest Lomo breathable dry suit.


Under an amazing winter sky, traditional and new school paddled together past the skerries of Carrick.