Monday, November 10, 2008

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

Sunday, November 09, 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

Saturday, November 08, 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

Friday, November 07, 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.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

A meeting with Garnock Canoe Club in Culzean Bay.


Leaving Culzean we paddled across the broad expanse of Culzean Bay. Arran and the Holy Isle were clear on the western horizon....


.... and Turnberry Point and Ailsa Craig stood out to the south. However, our eyes were on the coast to the north. David was due to paddle south from Dunure to meet us.


Instead of a solitary David we met him with members of the Garnock Canoe Club: Duncan, Dave, Jim, Alison and Alison.


Duncan Winning OBE is a long standing member of the Garnock club which has a fine reputation for training its sea kayaking members. Gordon Brown is a former member and Richard Cree is another current member.


We had a good chat before we all paddled northwards, bound for Dunure.

Tony, David and I paddle this coast regularly but this is the first tme we have met anyone on the water! First we met Alan then the Garnock club! Sea kayaking in Scotland is a growing activity.

02/11/2008

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

The Culzean Coastline


From Turnberry Point we crossed Maidenhead Bay (in truth it was not our first time) and found ourselves at delightful Port Carrick at the south end of the Culzean coastline.


Long winter shadows stretched across the sands but the north end of the beach was bathed in wonderful low winter sunlight.


Port Carrick is a great place to stop for lunch. In winter you will have it to yourself but at the height of summer it can be very popular.


After a sandwich we paddled out to sea under an amazing sky. The sunset promised to be fantastic!


We turned a corner and found ourselves in a bay with a shingle beach backed by a round bath house, a ruined laundry and Dolphin House.


The next headland is dominated by the magnificent Culzean Castle. It was built for the 10th Earl of Cassillis by Robert Adam in 1770. Its great central staircase is actually built within the interior of the original square keep which is now surrounded by these newer and more ornate walls.

What a wonderful coastline Culzean is and I haven't even mentioned the caves or the blow hole!

02/11/2008

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

A chance meeting at Turnberry Point


Approaching Turnberry Point, we entered a maze of rock channels.


We kept our bearings as long as the distant peak of Goatfell on Arran remained in view.


We rounded the Point in calm conditions but the Stevenson lighthouse and ancient walls of Turnberry castle both told of turbulent times.


Then we met Alan from Ayr out on a solo paddle from Maidens. He has just recently started sea kayaking but has already some great solo trips round the Cumbraes and up the Bute coast to his credit. He asked if he could come along. We explained that we might need to spend some time at Dunure and then he would need to paddle back to Maidens on his own. Alan was happy to join us and we were very happy to have his company.

02/11/2008

Monday, November 03, 2008

Turnberry Bay


We set off from Turnberry beach with Ailsa Craig on the horizon.


The settled conditions promised a perfect day and the bank of cloud on the horizon promised a spectacular sunset.


We paddled below the bank of sand dunes which separate the famous Turnberry links golf course from the sea.


Behind us the Brest Rock beacon shimmered at the edge of the reflection of the low winter sun. Above us a pair of swans powered up the coast towards Turnberry point. We followed at a more measured pace.


The "Four Castles of Carrick" is one of our favourite routes. It is 23 km from the launch site at Turnberry to the landing at Seafield in Ayr.

02/11/2008

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Dunure Sunset


A small ridge of high pressure announced the arrival of summer 2008 in Scotland. I expected a cracking sunset and thought a view out to Ailsa Craig from Dunure, with the castle as a frame, would be worth a trip. Unfortunately we arrived in Dunure 1and a half hours before sunset. What does one do in Dunure on a freezing cold afternoon?

The wait was worth while.


Once the sun had set the air temperature dropped rapidly.


We still had 9km to paddle back to where we had left our shuttle car at Ayr.


Once the golden glow left the southwestern sky...


We were left in the darkness of the winter's night. Before we rounded the Heads of Ayr and came to the glow of the town's lights, we had an amazing view of the stars. We did not arrive back at Ayr until 2 hours after sunset.

02/11/2008

Saturday, November 01, 2008

The Sounds of Luing and Cuan


On leaving the Grey Dogs, we entered the Sound of Luing and made our way up the east coast of Lunga. This is one of the surviving houses. We then entered the maze of tidal channels between the north of Lunga and its neighbouring islands.


Returning to the Sound of Luing again, we started a ferry glide across the now flooding north going tide. We were headed for the island of Luing on the east side of the sound. Looking north we could see all the way up the Sound to Insh, Fladda with its lighthouse, Easdale and Seil.


Looking south down the Sound, the tumbling crags of Scarba were lost in the mist.


Working our way up the east shore of the Sound the tide accelerated us north past Dubh Sgeir with its light and the lighthouse of Fladda.


We found the MFV Rambling Rose tied up in the sheltered inlet of Cullipool. In 2001 she went to the rescue of a yacht which went aground in a force 8 August gale, the family were saved including their 18 month old baby. The Rambling Rose was a scallop dredger operated by brothers Eoghann and Alastair MacLachlan. The Scottish Government recently banned scallop dredging in the Firth of Lorn and she has been modified for prawn fishing.


Rounding the northern end of Luing, we paddled east into the Cuan Sound between Luing and Seil. We eddy hopped through the Sound against the west going flood spring tide.


Turning round, we blasted back down the Sound..


...until we were ejected into the Firth of Lorn. The Island of Mull provided a backdrop as we made our way back to our starting point at Ellenabeich on Seil.

What a fantastic weekend in the tides between these glorious islands.

31/08/2008