Temptation in the Tan and a very verdant Little Cumbrae.

We slid across a glassy sea towards...

...the Tan which is that...

...narrow strip of water which separates Little Cumbrae from Great Cumbrae. Beyond the Tan the Arran mountains rose steeply from the sea.

As we cleared Farland Point on Great Cumbrae we were able to look back at the little town of Millport but we were not tempted by its ice cream shops and chip shops and...

...we continued across the Tan towards a...

...very verdant looking...

...Little Cumbrae.

The Tan was uncommonly calm and it was easy...

...to spot the many porpoises that inhabit these waters. In the distance the Arran Ferry MV Caledonian Isles was crossing from Brodick to Ardrossan and Ailsa Craig rose temptingly in splendid isolation on the horizon. So tempting was it that Phil, Tony and I paddled out and camped on the rock just 12 days later.

We could now see our destination for second breakfast...

 
...the Little Cumbrae castle.

Carbon foot print on the Clyde.

On the 11th of June, we set off from Largs Marina into the Hunterston Channel in the Firth of Clyde. This view shows three aspects of energy production. Coal was being unloaded from a bulk carrier and raising clouds of black dust even before it was burnt. A giant wind turbine, at 177m tall the biggest onshore turbine in the UK (a prototype for offshore installations), was not turning and the Hunterston B nuclear power station was quietly generating away in the background. If humans want a big population long into the future and want to burn energy at the current rate, only one of these is a workable solution...

We have long talked about making the pilgrimage to St Blane's  Church and Monastery at the south end of Bute. So we turned our backs on the industry at Hunterston and set off for the islands of the Clyde. We were blessed to have the company of David for the first time on a camping trip since our trip round Tiree in 2011. You might have noticed that I have been using some VE paddles recently (that's them in my blog title photo above). So had David!

David wasted no time in plucking mine from my deck while I was taking a photo. He too is now a convert to VE paddles. I would need to get them back as soon as possible!

These beautiful carbon fibre paddles are made in the UK and it is always a great pleasure to use something that has been manufactured locally and not transported half way round the World, costing the environment in the process.

Alien rocks but no OCD in Brodick Bay.

 South of Corrie, on Arran's east coast, the woodland comes right down to the...

 ...red sandstone rocks that line the shore. The rocks have eroded into...

 ...the most amazing contorted shapes.The rocks looked like something out of the Queen's lair in a hive of Aliens

We driftede into Brodick Bay under the wooded lower slopes of Goatfell.
.

 This fine beach tree stands in the grounds of Brodick Castle.

We were not really trying to catch the 12:30 ferry  which is probably just as well as we missed it. Our good friends Andrew and Colin (who also sea kayaked to Brodick that morning) did make it and waved to us as the MV Isle of Arran pulled out of the dock. At this point we noted that we had covered something like 96.6 km since we had started our trip .We had plenty of time to paddle round the bay for a little to take our trip up to 100 km but we took a savage delight in paddling straight to the pier. Never let anyone accuse us of being obsessional about such things.

After a relaxed unpacking we were in plenty of time for the 13:50 MV Caledonian Isles back to the cars at Ardrossan on the mainland.

Despite very mixed weather we had enjoyed a fantastic circumnavigation of Arran. Ian, Mike and I were sorry our trip had ended and were already looking forward to the next time we could paddle together....

Consternation in Corrie, guaranteed sheep and seal sightings threatened.

From the wilds of Sannox on NE coast of Arran we came to the little village of Corrie. For such a small place...

 ...it has a surprising three harbours. This old sea wall survived the severe storms of last winter almost unscathed but some of the more recent walls were not so well built and suffered badly in the storms last winter.

This old fishing boat is now a house boat in one of the harbours.. She has seen better days.

Towards the south end of the village you are (almost) guaranteed to see a seal.

This wooden seal is usually fixed to a rock just offshore. It was carved by Marvin Elliot who lives and works in the village. During the last winter there was great consternation in Corrie. Visitors to the village were no longer guaranteed a seal sighting. The Corrie seal was carried away by the winter storms but was rescued by a couple who found it on Turnberry beach some 52 kilometres away to the SE. Fortunately for Corrie. The finders appear not to have had a wood burning stove.

The southern harbour of Corrie has three sheep for bollards.

 The one at the north end is black and has turned its back on the other two....

We spent some time drifting in the calm off Corrie. As we enjoyed a hazy view of Holy Island we reflected on the last few days of exploration and companionship and realised that our trip would soon be over.

Lingering on the sands below the glacial symmetry of the Sannox mountains.

 Beyond Fallen Rocks on Arran's NE coast the land becomes more heavily forested and gave the clear water a beautiful green tinge.

 The forest hid the view into the interior mountains until we came to a gap where the North Sannox Burn enters the sea and...

 ...suddenly the stunning view of the Glen Sannox mountains was revealed.

As we approached the next bay, which is the outfall of the Sannox Burn, we caught sight of Holy Island on which we had camped 4 nights previously. This was the first indication that our little trip was coming to an end.

 A white post announced our arrival at Sannox Bay which we entered with several...

 ...seals in tow.

The wide sweep of the sandy bay compliments the glacial symmetry of this beautiful glen and the rocky ridges of its granite mountains.

We enjoyed the perfect location for a leisurely luncheon. We lingered in the sunshine not wanting the trip to end too soon.

Between Fallen Rocks and a hard place, a voyage from Cock.

We woke at Cock to a fine breeze from across the Sound of Bute. It was pretty good at keeping the midge numbers down. It did not take long to have breakfast and we were...

 ...on the water by 7am. From only a few metres offshore it would be very easy to miss the industrial heritage of Cock. I all looks so wild and natural. The dawn chorus was still ringing in our ears as we set off..

 ...eastwards along the north coast of Arran. Although it was cloudy there was a warm glow in the eastern sky above...

 ...Garroch Head on Bute and The Little Cumbrae.

We soon passed Laggan cottage which is part North Sannox estate. No road leads to the cottage, only a rough footpath climbs high over the hills. It is possible to hire the cottage from the Arran and Sannox Estates who can be contacted at ccff.arran@virgin.net .

 Your only likely neighbours will be otters and...

 ...red deer.

Beyond Laggan we came to Millstone Point. Near the SE corner of the beach there is a millstone lying on the beach. It is quite tricky to spot from the sea unless...

...someone has marked it with a piece of driftwood in the axle hole such as we found on a previous visit.. According to Tucker in Millstone making in Scotland, Millstone Point was one of only 26 millstone quarries in Scotland. The hard gritstone at Millstone Point was suited to the manufacture of monolithic millstones such as this abandoned one on the beach.

As we continued south east it was easy to see how effectively the hard gritstone has resisted erosion by the sea. The rock has not broken down into cobbles and plunges straight into the sea without forming a beach.

This remote section of the Arran coastline is an absolute treat to paddle. Successive ridges plunge steeply into the sea until...

 ...you arrive at one which has literally fallen into the sea.

 Whoever called this place Fallen Rocks clearly had a gift of words.

 In relatively recent times the upper old red sandstone conglomerate rocks slipped at their junction with the hard gritstone rocks we had just paddled past..

The scale and extent of Fallen Rocks is best appreciated from the sea. From the coastal path (which passes behind these blocks) you actually see very little of the rockfall.