Just back from a short holiday on the beautiful island of Arran. The weather gods were exceptionally kind and, though we arrived to a light shower, it just got better and better for the duration of our stay.
Great place for a short break – stunning scenery, wildlife (spent an afternoon sunbathing on rocks watching a pod of porpoises in the bay) and great food – spoilt for choice! Several golf courses for the golfers among us – Machrie course looks really good, especially the cakes in the clubhouse restaurant 🙂
Beautiful as it is, Arran did have its deadly side during the war, mainly on the hills above, and the Heritage Museum has display boards showing the air crash sites on the island including many photographs and also some of the Lilypad landing strip which was tested at Lamlash Bay. Also in the garden is a propeller memorial to those who lost their lives in these crashes. According to a letter in the extensive and very well-organised archives this belonged to B-17 “Skipper and the Kids”.
Also at the museum was this lovely old petrol pump –
By: Newforest - 10th October 2015 at 12:40
Great report, thanks!
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/areaarra/
For the benefit of our overseas viewers, much information above!
By: Mothminor - 10th October 2015 at 10:36
Thanks, Meddle. Yes, Ailsa Craig really was a surprise! I was the same – only previous sight of Arran being from Ayr. It’s well worth visiting but would advise anyone to do a weather check beforehand.
By: Meddle - 9th October 2015 at 22:12
Wonderful photographs. The closest I’ve been to Arran is Ayr beach though, I must confess, it makes a wonderful backdrop to airshow photographs! Ailsa Craig looks fascinating.
By: Mothminor - 7th October 2015 at 18:59
Took a trip out to Ailsa Craig on a Rib (rigid inflatable). Very exciting! Lamlash Bay has a few relics lying about from its naval past. Anchor was one of 3 used by RN ships in WW2 and the framework is of a towed target for submarines.
Ailsa Craig came as a bit of a surprise where its industrial past was concerned. The remains of an old railway and tramway are still there and the points on the railway still work! The Gas Works building was obviously quite an attractive piece of architecture in its time. The Fog Horns are massive – must’ve been deafening when they went off.
We did go to see the birdlife – the Craig is home to many seabirds. My wee camera struggled to cope though with the movement of the boat and the fast moving targets. It was fascinating to watch the gannets in particular – fast, agile, amazing dive and aerobatic performance!! Not at all ungainly lol.
Last couple of photos of the stunning sunset on our last night on Arran –
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October 7, 2015 at 6:29 pm