I Visit Arran Again

It is actually been over two years since I have been on Arran for work.  The cost of getting my car across on the ferry,  inhibits me from a casual trip across . . . so when work is picking up the tab, all systems are go!

I thought that if the the ferries were running and if I could get somebody else to come along and if the forcasted gales stayed away long enough, I could squeeze a dive into my working day.  It would have to be meticulously planned and dive after my last appointment at lunch time and before the 4:20 pm crossing.

I broadcasted my plan to my dive club on Wednesday and the first volunteer was young David, a trainee.  He hasn't been diving in a while and would like to just "get his chops back".  Fine!  The dive I planned was a shallow dive in Lamlash Bay.  Easy in and easy out on sand, staying shallow because in our short winter days, light is often very poor.

I had to get up at about 04:00 to be out of the house by 05:00.   I picked David up at 06:00 just outside Castle Douglas and then drove north to Adrossan.  When I got out to go buy tickets for the ferry, it was very windy.  I was starting to resign myself to just a day out on the island, scrapping the dive because of the weather. We caught the 09:40 crossing from Adrossan to Brodick. 

Though there was a little pitch and roll on the way over, by the time the ferry entered Brodick Bay, the sea was very calm.  The wind direction mean that Brodick was sheltered.  Force 5 winds but there is barely a ripple on this bay.  

We managed the usual tourist stuff, buying cheese and soap.  We didn't really have time to get to the brewery, distillery or chocolate shop as we had a different agenda today.

Over in Lamlash Bay where the dive was planned there was a slight chop on the water, but nothing that would stop me from going in.  I must say that it doesn't take much for me to call off a dive, so the conditions were really quite okay. 

David and I DID manage to get a dive!  Because I was intimidated by the wind, I cut our dive from one hour to half an hour.  I was afraid that the wind would change direction during the dive.  That has happened before.

This is us getting ready - You can see the wind whipping my hair.  I put my hair into two plaits when I dive.  It is so much easier to manage and much less painful with a tight neoprene neck seal.  If I don't braid my hair up, it gets pulled and that hurts.

Once you're under the water, there is no wind.  There was a bit of current in the bay the further out we went, but as for bad weather, that was all on the surface.  We saw some wonderful stuff!  David was the first to spot some long-legged spider crabs.  They are very spider-like in appearance.  When I looked them up in my books afterward, I discovered that they stick bits of stuff on themselves for camoflage as they don't have much in the way of defense.  Staying hidden is the best way for them to stay alive. There were very few starfish.  Just a couple of little tiny ones, hidden between rocks.


My buddy also spotted a little humpbacked shrimp.  I noticed a seaweed with blue iridescence on it.  That was beautiful!  I was unsure about where the no-take zone starts and stops in Lamlash Bay.  Taking a sample of this pretty seaweed wasn't going to happen.  I wouldn't do that anyway.  If I'm in again with my camera, I'll get a picture.  I won't take the camera in when I have a trainee with me.  All my focus is on them and the dive.

On Friday afternoon, at the end of the working week, I managed to get a dive.  It was a beautiful dive too!

Many thanks to David  for coming along and being such good company.  It was a lovely lovely day out.

Another Trip to Arran

I know I've written about going to this island before! This time it was different. No really! I took George with me this time AND the weather was awful! The weather wasn't so bad that the ferries wouldn't run, but the stormy seas made the ferry roll a bit. While we were waiting for the ferry, George and I ate some E. Lots of E! We ate some other letters of the alphabet as well, but we focused most of our efforts on the letter E.
Once we were on the island and I had finished my work we set about seeing the sights. It was too stormy for the seals to be viewed. I'm sure they hide when I come to the island with other humans. I only ever see them when I go to Arran with just Polly for company. Again we bought soap, cheese and chocolate but we also met up with one of the islanders.

I called the day before and made arrangements to meet up with Sean Ferris a member of the Arran Subaqua Club. George and I met up with Sean in a little cafe at the end of Lamlash pier where divers, fresh from the boat and still in their dry suits are more than welcome! I was SO pleased I did this. Sean was so full of information and offers of assistance when asked about diving on the island. He had printed out a depth chart for Lamlash Bay and another section of water, just south of Lamlash Bay that has a spectacular dive associated with it. I got to keep these charts!!

Sean's enthusiasm for diving on his little island was boundless. It turns out that we have a common interest in nudibranchs! (small world huh?) Sean is also keen to see the rare and endangered basking sharks that can be found around Arran in the summer. He has said that he'll text me if any show up this year. What a guy!This is the office for the ferry across to Holy Isle. This office can be found at Lamlash Pier mere steps away from the cafe where George, Sean and I had our tea.
This is Lamlash Pier - with Holy Isle just off in the distance. I've never been there.
If one looks a little to the left while standing near the pier one will see the part of Lamlash Bay that has been designated as the no-take-zone!

I didn't take a photo of Sean for the purposes of this blog. I didn't want to confirm any growing suspicions he may have that I may be a nut job.
I did try to take some photos of this miserable looking flock of oystercatchers with their cormorant buddy and some unidentified wading bird. It was hard to get a picture with the camera I have, a lack of a tripod and sideways rain. The flash kept highlighting rain drops. Here is the best of the bunch.

I reported my meeting with Sean to the rest of our dive club in Dumfries. It has rekindled an interest in a diving weekend in Arran with members who have dived in the waters around the island in the past. Just now, the water is too cold for me, but I am really up for a diving weekend in the summer!

Day Trip to Arran

I haven't been to the Island of Arran for a couple of months. The last time I tried to go to Arran, the seas were so rough that the ferries weren't going. They stayed safe in the port until the waves calmed down. The forecast was for a bit of blustery weather, but nothing that would stop ferries from going.

I prefer to have company when I go across to Arran. It is a long day and the island is such a joy that I always like to have somebody to share the views and sights with me. The Man of the Place had to work and our youngest, George has school so I invited my friend Kay along for the day. She was happy to accept.

It was 5.30 when I set out from Whitelees. I picked Kay up at 6.00 and we were on our way.
See the blackness of a Scottish morning! This was taken in our drive.

We stopped for a quick breakfast and were at the ferry port in Ardrossan on the spot of 9.00 to pick up our tickets and get on the 9.45 crossing to Brodick.(winter crossing schedule)
Nice man at the ticket desk in Ardrossan. He blushed when I asked if I could take his photo.
Even though I do this a couple of times each year, it is still so FUN to take the car on a ferry!

It was a little bumpy getting out of the port but nothing too terrifying. Even though the sun had risen, low cloud obscured the view of the island during the trip across. Kay and I had coffee in the on board cafe and looked out the rain spattered windows. We both wished we could wipe the windows so we could see out better. It was cloudy and blustery on the island but from time to time throughout the day, we'd get times of sunshine.View towards the peaks from the road that goes across the centre of the island.

I dashed across the middle of the island to the new surgery at Shiskine. After stopping there for a bit, it was back to the Brodick side to show Kay where the seals normally sit.

Because I had somebody with me, there were no seals to be seen. When I am on the island by myself I can see up to 30 seals at a time. They'll be up on the rocks. There will be little seal pups and the colony will be barking away. This time there were a pair of swans, a couple of herons, cormorants fishing, a few eider ducks, a grey wagtail on the rocks plus a wren but no seals. The tide was pretty far out at about 11.30 so I said we'd try to get back there later on in the afternoon. The tide will be higher later and we will have a second chance for seal spotting.Then we had a flurry of activity. We stopped in Arran Aromatics and then went into Brodick so I could make my presentation.

Completing my appointment and leaving the surgery Kay was nowhere to be seen. I knew exactly where to find her. Four buildings away from the health centre is the James Chocolate factory/shop.The staff were quite happy for me to take photos through the glass viewing window. It reminded me of my friend Robyn who has just made a career switch from journalist to confectioner. Was there ever a better job shift? If you ever fancy a bus man's holiday during your visit Doc, I'll take you over to Arran!My last appointment of the day was in Lamlash, now made famous by being the site of Scotland's first No Take Zone! - I am determined to do a dive or two in this new area!

Kay and I had a late lunch of deelish Cullen Skink (smoked haddock chowder) and bread that is baked on the island at the Brodick Bar and then tried one final time to see if we could see some seals . . .
We found two seals but they didn't come out of the water. You can see a seal's head an the wake it is making as it swims along. That's it.
There are some stunning Scots pines right next to the road. Winter days are short this time of year and at 3.15 the sun was well on its way down. It did make for some beautiful light.

After buying some cheese, Kay and I returned to the port. We were booked on the 16.00 crossing back to the mainland. We were met by some tense faces when we got to the seafront. There was a technical difficulty with the ferry. (don't like the sound of this) One of the hatches wasn't sealing properly. The boat won't sail if one of the doors won't shut. Naturally Kay and I think that perhaps we won't be getting off the island today. Oooh! That would be an adventure! I was secretly hoping that would happen.

We left the car in the marked queue, told the ferry staff we were going for a coffee (Would they like one?) and went to the cafe across the road to sit in comfort. They had the BEST iced gingerbread there. Kay and I shared a slab with our coffee.
The sunset had some beautiful purples in it.

The ferry did show up - it was late because of the earlier techinical fault - but we got off the island. I was hoping to have to find a bed and breakfast, get sloshed on what ever is brewed/distilled on the island and have a rare old time and getting off the island in the morning. Going home was better. I got in at about 21.30 (9.30 pm). It was a long, but really nice day.