Of Kintyre buzzards and giants.

We lazed on the sands of Skipness for some time but finally, a dipping sun told us it was time to depart.


The Kintyre peninsula north of Skipness is a road-less wilderness, which tumbles from the hills into the sea. This buzzard was quite unperturbed by our passing.


Eventually we came to a sign of previous habitation. Winter storms kept carrying away the end of the wall which separated the Campbells' lands from the wilderness. Their livestock would escape each spring and be devoured by the beasts that roamed the wilderness. Eventually the Campbells approached the famous giant, Finn McCool, and asked if he could build a wall strong enough to resist the force of the winter waves.

After much deliberation (giants are not particularly quick witted) McCool said he could build such a wall but the Campbells would need to supply him with six red haired maidens, fifty buckets of mutton stew and one hundred and fifty buckets of heather ale. The Campbells agreed, the deal was sealed and McCool built his wall in just a day. He then fell asleep, partly due to his labours and partly due to the effects of a large meal and full strength heather ale. The maidens escaped quite unharmed.

McCool's wall still stands to this day.

19/03/2009

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!