North of the Island and home

Having completed the south of the Island(Brodick – Whiting bay – Kildonan – Machrie – Whiting Bay), today we decided to go north. This involved a very quick reminiscence trip to Brodick Castle, home of many a boyhood woodland and castle adventure:



We then drove past Corrie and down to Lochranza, via a quick toilet stop at North Sannox. I don’t remember the mountains looking so impressive:



Lochranza is much sleepier than Brodick. It too sports a castle, beach and ferry(to Cabletown). Although Brodick castle is rumoured to have hosted Robert the Bruce at some point, it has that kind of country house feel. Lochranza castle on the other hand is ruined, so feels much better when you are an 8 yr old child running about with a plastic sword.



Lohcranza itself has a new distillery since the last time I was here. It unveils it’s first 10 yr old malts next week. I must be getting old!!!



Today is a much slower day, we drive round the top of the isalnd ond on to Machrie, before returning across the middle of the island, which lets you dricvwe througfh the picturesque stirng rioad(It’s windy). I remember it with dread as a child, because it menat a really long drive, but 20 miles is a far shorter drive now, and the views of Goatfell are immense.

I’ve been really lucky with the weather. The light hits on the mountains, making them crisp against the blue sky. Bad weather can also make for some good views, but I’m glad it’s sunny.



I feel sadness at leaving Arran(It took me ten years to come back last time), but I’ve got so many interesting and new trips ahead of me, that I can’t stay long, and another day on the island without climbing Goatfell would’ve done my box in.

Standing Stones - Machrie

Once you are on the south of the Island(On a good day), you look onto Kintyre. Kintyre is the peninsula on the other side of Arran, from the song Mull of Kintyre. It’s so clear today, that you can see Ireland between Kintyre and the island of Sanda.



We are continuing round the island to Machrie. The sun is now high in the blue sky. Arran ignores the cliché of Scottish weather in the summer. In 15 or so trips in early July, I’ve seen more sunburn than I’ve seen umbrellas.

We can now see Goatfell and it’s surrounding peaks. Although technically I think we’re still in Ayrshire, we get a vista more associated with the highlands.



We have now come to Machrie, to see another of Arran’s attractions; The standing stones. Standing stones, most famously at Stonehenge, are extremely old relics of past civilisations. These stones in Arran are from a round 2000 BC.

The walk of around a mile takes you along a dirt path in front of the mountain vistas and through fields of sheep, who look on wondering what you find so interesting about their field.



The Machrie standing stones are the remains of six round burial grounds surrounded on their circumference by boulders. Not all are still standing, but the most impressive are one 3 or 4 meter tall standings tone which stands alone, and a collection of about 3 standing stones.






It’s a mini Stonehenge, very peaceful, and very picturesque, and since it is a short drive and a miles walk, shouldn't be missed. As a burial ground, it makes a pretty good resting-place. It lies on a plain(Machrie means plain in Gaelic), surrounded by mountain vistas.

Kildonan Seals

Once I was on the island and settled, and we’d had a wander along the bay in Brodick to the bakers, we decided to take a walk that my parents take quite regularly. For want of a better name, we’ll call it “Kildonan seal spotting”.

Kildonan is a small village on the south east of the island. Going south on the island is interesting. Brodick has a constant flow of walkers, climbers, cyclists, children and golfers, but going south, you get further away from that.

I’m amazed how short a distance it is from Brodick to whiting bay (where my parents are staying), and then whiting bay to Kildonan. Distances took much longer when we were kids. I remember hours on end in the back of the car, all listening to Queen greatest hits, or playing gameboys. It could be that I’ve been in NL for too long, or that the weather is good, but the scenery is encapsulating. It’s great to be back.



As usual with Scottish weather, although it looked shitty an hour ago, now it’s blue skys and we get to look over a small Island (Pladda) and Ailsa Craig. Ailsa Craig is a dome shaped island low on the firth of Clyde. It’s sometimes called “Paddy’s Milestone” because of it’s proximity to Ireland, but we’ll stay in Kildonan just now.

Kildonan is a sleepy little village, with a few houses, a hotel, a campsite and a beautiful view. We are here because a mile’s walk along the rocky beach is where grey seals bask on the rocks. So we walk along the beach, sand, rocks and seaweed. It’s great climbing over the rocks. Memories abound of running around when the biggest disaster that could befall you was a skint knee.



As we walk along, we see two heron’s on the rocks. I’m pretty surprised. Heron’s are common in NL, but they used to be a pretty rare sight in Arran. Now they are two a penny.

Eventually, we get out to a line of rocks which protrude into the sea. At the end of the rocks there are about 15 seals basking on the rocks. First we have a good look at them through the telescope, and see their curious puppy dog like faces, then I decide to move out across the rocks to get some photos. I’ve done this before as a kid. You need to move from rock to rock, but each time you reach a new rock, you have to stay still for a minute or two so that the seals get used to you. If you misjudge it or move too fast, you lose one. It’s like a computer game, you have 15 lives, one wrong footing requiring a reflex wobble, and you lose one.

Eventually I get down as far as the rocks will let me. I’m not close enough for close ups, but I manage to get a few memory shots.



This is the beauty of digital photography. I take a photo of the same seals from every rock in case it’s the closest I get without them moving away.

Each seal who has slid off, then sits in the water with it’s eyes sticking out of the water watching you. They look like overweight slobs, but they will move like cats if they decide you are a threat.

The Ferry to Arran

And so to a trip that I first took this week in 1980 when I was about 2 months old; The ferry from Ardrossan in Ayrshire to the isle of Arran. Arran is an island in the firth of Clyde (i.e. an island on the outlet of the river Clyde.) Arran is about 50 miles around, and about 10 miles across. It has it’s own island called the Holy Isle, and it’s most prominent point is a peak called Goatfell (874m). You can see Arran from most of Ayrshire, and much of Scotland (I’m told one of the peaks you can see from Ben Lomond is Goatfell)

It is a popular holiday destination for tourists. Among these tourists are my parents. My family went to Arran every year from 1980 to about 1991. I’ve been back a few times as a teenager with a tent and a case of beer, but this is the first time I’ve been to Arran with my parents since 1991. They are over for 2 weeks, but I’m just taking a visit for the weekend. I’ve realised that 1991-2005 is 14 years. I feel old. That’s pre-Pearl Jam.



The ferry itself brings back so many memories. You get the ferry form Ardrossan, which is barely 45 mins from home, yet once you are on the ferry, it feels like you are going to a different country. Even now, stepping foot on the ferry felt so exciting, the smells, the sounds etc. I remember once you were on this ferry as a kid, you felt completely detached from home life.(This was pre mobile phone).

The ferry to Arran is probably the closest place to my home where you can find a wealth of Scottish voices. It’s proximity to Glasgow, means that it is a feasible day trip. Arran is sometimes referred to as “Little Scotland”, because you can get a little taste of everything – mountains, Lochs, distilleries, beaches, castles, fishing, golf, history – everything.



Slowly Ayrshire disappears in the slipstream of waves behind the ferry, and Arran slowly emerges from the cloud. I am standing looking over the whole of Arran, as the Foo Fighters blast on my iPod. I am full of Adrenaline at this island of memories coming closer to me – I forgot how beautiful it was. This really surprised me – I’ve seen this so many times, that I just wanted to sit down and read my Daily Record, but there’s not time for that. Maybe I’ve got a Scotland deficiency problem due to the flatness of Holland. There must be a herbal remedy you can take – I would imagine it is alcohol.

Sunrise over Palma de Mallorca

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Originally uploaded by furbyx4.

I'm in Palma de Mallorca for a conference.(life sucks eh?)

This is the view from my hotel room at 7am. Actually life does suck - 7 days living out of a suitcase getting up at 7am, and then doing work/socialising/networking till late at night.

I've managed to catch a cold by swimming in the outdoor swimming pool.
Mallorca is pretty nice. As always I wish I had time to see more of it, but needs must. Chopin lived here for a year and composed much of his later stuff here, there looks to be some more interesting scenery elsewhere on the island, Palma is basically a tourist resort, except for a small old town, a nice cathedral, and an old castle.