Sands of time run out in Skipness Chapel graveyard.

Just behind the beach at Skipness is the 13th century Skipness Chapel. It is also known as Kilbrannan Chapel and is dedicated to St Brendan.


The graveyard is pretty full and is still in use. There are five medieval recumbent slabs amongst the more modern stones.


This one dates from 1721 and, quite clearly, the sands of time have run out for AJ and AM.

19/03/2009

Skipness Castle

We chose the shortest crossing of the Kilbrannan Sound and made for the low lying Skipness Point, which extends for about a kilometre into the Sound.


The approach to the beach is dominated by the bulk of Skipness Castle.


Our approach was hindered only by by a strong eddy which was making its way south in the bay, despite the north going flood out in the Sound. The water here is crystal clear and we floated above our shadows, moving steadily over the rippled sands below.


We landed below the Castle and it was obvious that its builders had chosen this position to control the Kilbrannan Sound (between Kintyre and Arran) which is the approach to Loch Fyne and the upper Firth of Clyde beyond.


The castle was built in the 1200's by the MacSweens as a defence against raiding Vikings. It then became part of the fiefdom of the Lords of the Isles and was extended several times until the Lords of the Isles' lands in Kintyre were forfeited to the Crown in 1476. The castle then passed into the hands of a branch of the Campbell family, who were loyal to the Crown. They built the tower house in the 16th century. The Skipness Campbells finally abandoned the Castle in 1867 when they fell on hard times.

19/03/2009

Sea kayaking across the Kilbrannan Sound.

As we paddled out of Loch Ranza into the Kilbrannan Sound, the wind began to drop.


The Kilbrannan Sound is the body of water which separates the west coast of Arran from the Kintyre Peninsula.


In mid channel we looked back to the distant Cock of Arran....


...and forward to the Kintyre peninsula. Phil, who is a professional photographer, expressed some considerable concern when I held a Canon 5D Mk II a few centimeters above salt water!

19/03/2009

Loch Ranza and its two castles.

As the ferry approached the jetty at the village of Lochranza on Arran, we decided that Loch Ranza would warrant some exploration before we set off on our long paddle back to Portavadie where we had left the car. The village of Lochranza nestles under steep hills on the shore of its eponymous loch. Some parts of the village get no direct sunlight in the winter as the sun never rises above the hill behind.


Leaving the ferry jetty, we paddled towards Loch Ranza castle. It has a superb defensive position on a narrow spit of land which projects into the loch. The castle was first built by the MacSweens in the 1200s but the L shaped tower house you see today dates from the 15th century.


Robert the Bruce came here in in 1306 and the castle was associated with the Scottish Kings for a long time thereafter. It was used as their base during battles with the Lords of the Isles for supremacy over the west coast and the Hebrides.


Many years ago Loch Ranza was a major base for the herring industry. Hundreds of small herring fishing boats sheltered in the loch, when great shoals of the "silver darlings" filled the Clyde. The herring have long gone and as reported in a yesterday's post, no fish are now landed on Arran.


As we paddled out from the Loch Ranza, the great rocky ridge of Caisteal Abhail soared above the hills behind the loch. Several granite tors castellate the ridge like battlements and the Gaelic name means "forked castle". Caisteal Abhail is Loch Ranza's second castle!

19/03/2009

Bottlenose dolphins cruising in the Clyde!

There is a pod of bottlenose dolphins cruising the Clyde at the moment. We saw them in the mouth of Loch Fyne, just south of Tarbert. The captain of the MV Loch Tarbert called us up on deck to witness an amazing display of leaping cetaceans. I have never taken so many photos of splashes!


How many dolphins do you see playing in the ferry's wake!


After all the excitement the MV Loch Tarbert motored on and after one and a half hours we disembarked at lovely Loch Ranza on Arran. This white van from a local hotel reversed down the slip to pick up several boxes of fish that had been put on the ferry at Tarbert. Amazingly, despite being surrounded by water and fishing boats, no fish are landed on the island. So now we know where the hotels get their fish!

19/03/2009

Up to the elbows in it!

Many sea kayakers, the world over, know Gordon Brown of Skyak either from attending one of his courses, like I have, or attending the Scottish Sea Kayak Symposium. Many others will know him only through his excellent book "Sea kayak" published by Pesda Press.

I am delighted to hear that my friend, and fellow sea kayaker, Simon Willis is currently making a series of instructional DVDs with Gordon. As Gordon is one of the most respected BCU level 5 coaches and Simon is a very experienced journalist and broadcaster, these should be really worth watching out for.

As you can see, Simon is up to his elbows in hard work!

Tarbert castle and East Loch Tarbert

After a breezy crossing of Loch Fyne, we slipped into the shelter of East Loch Tarbert under the grey walls of Tarbert castle. The name Tarbert lets you know that this is a narrow neck of land, separating two arms of the sea and that it was where the Vikings dragged their boats overland from one body of water to the other.


A castle was first built here by Magnus Barelegs in 1068. The present structure dates from the 13th century and was extended by King Robert the Bruce in 1325. The tower house, which is the most visible part of the ruins today, was added by King James IV in 1494.


We paddled deep into the recesses of the Loch and came to the small town of Tarbert with its multicoloured houses and rattling yacht masts.


We landed on a patch of seaweed...


...from previous experience, the mud at low tide is very foul smelling!


We enjoyed a lunch in the early spring sunshine, while waiting for the ferry to arrive.


After lunch we paddled back to the ferry jetty at the mouth of the loch. CalMac have recently changed their policy on carrying kayaks on ferries. They used to charge a flat £5 per single trip but they now go free! The only thing is, you need to be able to load and unload the kayaks yourself and not cause delay to the rest of the ferry traffic. A trolley is really the only sensible way to achieve this, especially if you are loaded with camping gear

19/03/2009