A missing monkey, a castle and an electric brae!

After crossing Maidenhead Bay we left Ailsa Craig astern and slipped through a gap into the lagoon behind Glasson Rock.


We found ourselves in the shelter of a delightful cove. The sands of Carrick shore lie at the foot of wooded Barwin Hill. A path at the back of the beach leads up to a pagoda in the woods. This was built in 1860 as a summerhouse by the Kennedy family of nearby Culzean castle. It is one of only three pagogas in Britain and is the only one built of stone. Its lower level hosed an aviary but a monkey was also kept here and Ayrshire folk still know it as the "monkey house". I worked at Culzean as a seasonal ranger/naturalist in the 1970's but by then it had become a ruin. It was expertly restored in 1998, though the National Trust for Scotland has drawn the line at reinstating a live monkey!


Leaving Carrick, we paddled on under the walls of Culzean Castle.


Children on the parapets pointed and waved excitedly at us, though I doubt we made up for the missing monkey!


After clearing the headland of Culzean, we were faced by another broad expanse of water, this time it was Culzean Bay. On the hillside above Phil's head can be found Croy Brae. This is an Electric Brae and if you are silly enough to listen to your kids and switch your car engine off when going downhill, powerful magnets in the earth will haul your car to a stop and another car load of kids will smack into the back of you. Highly entertaining stuff and all in all, South Ayrshire makes a great day out!

A sunny and calm Maidens morning, before the storm.

Back at the beginning of November we had a couple of sunny days before the wettest November on record in SW Scotland and NW England.


We set off from Maidens in Ayrshire. To the south, the distinctive outlines of Turnberry lighthouse and Ailsa Craig characterise this part of the Firth of Clyde.


To the west the equally distinctive outline of the magical island of Arran floated dreamily on the other side of the Firth.


It was calling strongly to us... but a crossing to it would need to wait for another day.


Instead we were bound to the north, along the rocky fastnesses of Culzean and Carrick to the little fishing hamlet of Dunure. There we would meet David in the pub!

Sannox Synchronicity: a day trip to Arran.

A day trip to Arran, a 30.7km paddle from Portencross and return by the Brodick/Ardrossan ferry. November 2009.


The approach to Glen Sannox on Arran from the Isle of Bute.

Dawn till dusk

A new dawn for Portencross castle

Queuing up the Clyde!

Crossing the bows of Dauntless

Sannox synchronicity

Approach to Sannox

Paddling under a cloud

A glimpse of winter sun

End of a winter's day on Arran

And then our boat came in, without chips!

And then our boat came in, without chips!

We had landed on a little sandy beach right beside the ferry terminal at Brodick. We had not long to wait until the MV Caledonian Isles arrived from Ardrossan. One of the great pleasures of sea kayaking in Scotland is being able to make use of the ferries that serve the islands or cross the long sea lochs. We frequently use them instead of a car shuttle and they open up a number of longer routes to paddle on a short winter day.


Calmac has two advantages as a ferry company. First of all they carry sea kayaks for free. Secondly, they serve an excellent chicken curry. My usual request is for curry with half rice and half chips. This simple request is usually met but not on this occasion. I was told it would need to be all rice or all chips but not both!


Half chips apart, we had enjoyed a really fabulous winter day's paddle to Arran. We left a car at Ardrossan at 8am, shuttled up to Portencross where we left the other cars and were on the water by 0905. We landed at Brodick at 1530 after 31km and had plenty of time for the 1640 ferry home. The vista of the Glen Sannox hills on the approach from Bute must be one of the best sea kayaking views in Scotland. We had it to ourselves, you should give it a try!

End of a winter's day on Arran

As the sun set a chill breeze set in...


...so we crossed Brodick Bay at a cracking pace to keep warm.


From the far side of Brodick Bay we watched as the clouds began to gather round the summits of Arran's rocky ridges


Below the darkening slopes of Goatfell, a few cottage lights came on and our day was nearly over.

A glimpse of winter sun

As we left the mountains of Arran behind the sun blinked through a gap in the clouds.


We basked in the low winter sunshine as we let the tide carry us round Merkland point.


The slight breeze faded away to nothing...


...and the clouds even lifted to reveal the snow covered summit of Arran's highest mountain, Goatfell, 874m.


The top of Goatfell was still catching the sun but at sea level the sun had already set. We now set off on our crossing of the broad expanse of Brodick Bay towards the ferry terminal at Brodick where we intended to catch the ferry back to Ayrshire.

Paddling under a cloud

We slid into the sands of Sannox Bay under cover of low grey clouds.


From the point, we looked back to Bute and the Little Cumbrae islands, which had been our stepping stones on the crossing.


Away to the east, the Ayrshire hills were lit by low winter sun. The blades of the windmills were stationary.


As we paddled under the mountains that rose above Arran's eastern coast, the clouds began to lift towards the summits.


Entering Brodick Bay, the sun broke through and we drifted gently in the tide. We were in no hurry, we were in plenty of time for the ferry.