Ayrshire and the Firth of Clyde

Posted by sloeburn

03 – 14/06/24

I have wanted to take a ferry from Ardrossan to Campbeltown and ride up the west coast for several years, but the summer-only service keeps becoming a never service. This was an attempt to go this sort of way anyway, starting at the Mull of Galloway and heading north. I was over-ambitious and it didn’t quite work out as planned, so I spent some time on Arran and Bute instead.

This trip featured midges, rain, an eye that was stuck closed overnight and a fungal cycling short issue.

  • A glimpse of the Barr Hill from the train
  • Hillend Campsite, Auchinleck
03/06/24 – train to Auchinleck
  • Questionable route choice
  • “In memory of Jean Galloway Hunter Blair, 1890 -1953, whose wish it was that a shelter should be built in this place”
  • Straiton
  • Straiton
  • Carrick Forest
04/06/24 Auchinleck – Glentrool
  • Morning hail storm in Glentrool
  • Glenluce
  • Glenluce
  • Sandhead
  • Approaching the Mull of Galloway
  • Foghorn (no longer in use)
  • Mull of Galloway lighthouse
  • Location for filming The Vanishing, based on the Flannan Isle mystery
  • Isle of Man in the distance
  • From the Mull
05/06/24 Glentrool – Mull of Galloway
  • Dirniemow Bridge – felt like I was in The 39 Steps here
  • Cross Water of Luce and railway line
  • Near the Ayrshire/Dumfries & Galloway border
06/06/24 Mull of Galloway – Barrhill

Cuckoo at Dirniemow

  • Excellent shop and PO in Dailly doing filled rolls
  • Campsite at Culzean Castle
  • Aldi packet risotto 5 stars
  • Looking towards Arran
07/06/24 Barrhill to Culzean Castle

  • Lumpy bit from Maybole over Brown Carrick Hill
  • On to NCN route 7 to Troon
  • Ayr
  • My old shared flat in Troon, first floor bay window was my room I think
  • North Bay from Barassie
  • Troon – Brodick
  • Brodick
  • Wet and midgey
  • Glen Rosa
  • Glen Rosa campsite
08/06/24 Culzean Castle – Glen Rosa, Arran
  • Breakfast in Brodick; Troon Ferry on the left
  • Goatfell rage
  • Lamlash
  • Holy Island
  • Above Kildonan; Pladda and Ailsa Craig
  • Lost dog, who found me
  • Blackwaterfoot. Many bus stops had furniture provided.
  • Up the String…
  • …and down
  • I saw a few of these…
  • …first one I though was a dog’s gravestone…
  • …but I think they might be art
  • Glen Rosa campsite
09/06/24 Loop of southern Arran
  • Corrie
  • The road up from Sannox to Lochranza
  • … and looking back down
  • Descent through Glen Chalmadale
  • Lochranza campsite
  • Deer still in residence
10/06/24 Brodick – Lochranza
  • Leaving Lochranza
  • Tarbert…
  • …I came here one before, in 1993, and still recognised it
  • Tarbert – Portavadie
  • Portavadie
  • There was no information about this, but it was cool
  • Kyles of Bute
  • Glendaruel campsite
11/06/24 Arran – Cowal peninsula
12/06/24 Cowal Peninsula – Bute
  • Ex-church by North Bute cemetery
  • St Colmac stone circle
  • Ettrick Bay
  • St Ninian’s Bay
  • Field of fox gloves
  • Scalpsie Bay and the highland boundary fault
  • Kilchattan
  • Scoulag entrance to Mount Stuart
  • Mount Stuart
  • Mount Stuart gardens
  • Serpentine Road
  • Rothesay
  • Bute Yard
13/06/24 Isle of Bute
  • Leaving Rothesay
  • Wemyss Bay
  • Wemyss Bay train station
14/06/24 Home from Rothesay