An early start in the Sound of Pladda.

On the early  morning of 17th June 2014, Tony and I broke camp before the Kildonan dog walkers had surfaced. It was a spring tide at low water so...

 ...we carried the gear to the water's edge to lighten the kayaks for the long carry to the water's edge. The basalt dykes pointed straight out to our destination...Ailsa Craig. It was a perfect day for the 22km crossing and we had arranged to meet Phil on the Craig. He was going to cross the 16km from Girvan solo as Ian unfortunately could not get away.

The sea was like a mirror as we sett off at 07:45 across the Sound...

...towards the wonderful little island of Pladda and its lighthouse.

Moonlight over Pladda and Ailsa Craig.

I awoke at 3am to the the sound of lapping as High Water approached. It seemed very close to the tents and I was concerned about the kayaks. There are two groups of sea kayakers. The first carry their kayaks right up to the tents each night and the second (into which we fall) just carry them up above where they expect the night high tide to come.

Fortunately noise carries a long way in a still night and the kayaks were well above the tide. I was glad to have awoken. It was just 4 days after a full moon and there was enough light to see both Pladda and Ailsa Craig. Both the moonlight and the Pladda lighthouse lantern were reflecting on the Pladda Sound as it was calm at slack water. I could just see the lights of a fishing boat off Ailsa Craig and to the right of that (at the edge of the photo) I could see the port navigation light of the Dutch container ship MV Energiser making her way up the Clyde to Greenock.

Satisfied by the beauty of the scene and reassured by the lack of wind, I made my way back to bed. It would be a long paddle to Ailsa Craig in the morning.

A mid summer evening at Kildonan.

It had been a long day since we left Saddel Bay on the Kintyre peninsula. After three luncheons and three swims we finally arrived at Kildonan in the Sound of Pladda on Arran's south coast. It was rather hot and I went for a further swim while Tony went off for a cold shower under a nearby waterfall.

The time was now 1730 and the 1615 Larne to Troon (arr 1830) High Speed Catamaran HSC Express was just passing the direct line between Kildonan and Ailsa Craig. This was useful navigational information as the following day the ferry would cross this line twice during our planned 22km crossing to Ailsa Craig. Very approximately, the ferry crosses the line when an hour from Troon, or an hour and fifteen minutes from Larne. As she ways almost 6,000 gross tons and travels at 40 knots she presents a formidable challenge to sea kayak navigation on this crossing.

 After our swim and shower we dragged the kayaks up the beach and set up...

 ...camp on an excellent verdant sward above the beach and a clump of pink thrift.

After setting up camp Tony and I made our way along the coast to the Kildonan Hotel where we fortified ourselves with sports recovery drinks and prawns in garlic butter with crusty bread.

Being midsummer it was stll surprisingly light when we emerged from the pub. I love the view of Pladda and Ailsa Craig from Kildonnan, especially when the tide is running over the bar in the Sound of Pladda. The contrast in shape of the two islands is very dramatic. At night you used to be able to see 3 lighthouses from Kildonan: Pladda, Ailsa Craig and Turnberry. Unfortunately Turnberry light has now been extinguished.

There was not much driftwood bat Kildonan but I supplemented what little we did find with a bag of barbecue charcoal.

We toasted our toes and baked potatoes by the fire until the Pladda light started flashing. It really does not get much better than this.

The clear water allowed us to admire the submarine rock architecture.

After we left Cleits Shore we turned east along the south coast of Arran. In the distance we caught first sight of Pladda lighthouse.

 The coastline here is very varied with alternate basalt dykes and shallow sandy bays.

At Torrylinn, the sun cast shadows of our sails on the shallow sandy bottom and the water was so warm that we headed in for another swim before setting off for...

 ...Bennan Head.

Steep cliffs fall to shattered scree slopes which are partially wooded. These slopes are home to rock doves, golden eagles and peregrine falcons.

We got cricks in our necks admiring...

...the rock architecture and the scenery.

Bennan Head is a complex headland with a waterfall (dry when we passed) a cave and a blow hole through  the roof of the cave.

The clear water allowed us to admire the submarine rock architecture.

"Probably the least visited nudist beach in the known universe"

We set off from Brown Head round the SW corner of Arran. All the time Ailsa Craig was growing on the horizon but we did not spend all the time gazing out to sea.

At Corriecravie I thought of all the hard work of my ancestors who were tenant farmers here from at least the early 1700's until the 1930's. The four top fields are still the greenest on Arran!

SE of Corriecravie, the beach consists of basalt dykes...

...rocks below the water and shingle at the HW mark.

As we approached Cleits Shore patches of sand appeared and...

...it looked an ideal spot for third luncheon.

Cleits Shore is one of the few official naturist beaches in Scotland. The book "Bare Britain" describes it thus... "probably the least visited nudist beach in the known universe.". Whatever, it seemed churlish to leave without making full use of the local facilities, as I am sure my ancestors did.

The clear waters of Brown Head, Arran.

We cut across Drumadoon Bay, which is backed by the village of Blackwaterfoot, and made landfall at...

...Brown Head. The water here was crystal clear but the extensive boulder beach, which lies at the bottom of the headland, extends for 4 kilometres and...

...virtually prevents landing.

However, as it was approaching LW, we found a little strip of sand below the rocks on which to land.

Somehow we had managed to paddle right past this narrow clearing which has been made through the rocks. This was obviously used by our ancestors who wished to launch boats here.

I had spotted an otter as we approached and found this half eaten sea urchin at the edge of the sparkling sea. I went for a swim in the cool clear water then...

 ...dried off in the sun on the grassy machair of a...

...raised beach while Tony went for a walk. The machair was filled with buttercups and would have made a great place to camp but Ailsa Craig (on the horizon) was still some way off and it made sense to carry on round the Arran coast.

Diverse plans, sills and dykes at Drumadoon.

After leaving King's Cave we paddled sailed south on Arran's remote west coast towards...

 ...the great basalt sill known as The Doon. The flat summit was an extensive Iron Age hill fort.As we passed below basalt columns of The Doon...

 ...towards Drumadoon Point, we caught sight of our destination for the following evening....

 ...Ailsa Craig was still 32km distant.

 There was some tide running round Drumadoon Point but...

 ....to its east the clear green water was calm in Drumadoon Bay where we...

...stopped for first luncheon on a convenient basalt dyke on Blackwaterfoot beach. The dunes above the beach gave some shelter from the rather chilly north wind. There was a little further diversity in the weather forecasts. Some were predicting F2-4 northerly the following day others were predicting F4-5 northerly. We decided to go for Ailsa Craig if it turned out to be the former. At F4-5 northerly the 24 km crossing to Ailsa Craig followed by a 16km crossing to Girvan would be a bit out of our comfort zone so we would head north to Brodick instead. We spent some time texting our plans home and to Phil who hoped to paddle solo out to Ailsa Craig the following day and join us for an overnight camp on the rock.