Читать книгу The Ayrshire and Arran Coastal Paths - Keith Fergus - Страница 10

INTRODUCTION

A wonderful sandy beach leads towards Bennan Head (Day 8)

Ayrshire, is that where the poet Rabbie Burns was born?

If the question asked was ‘what do you know about Ayrshire?’ this may well be the answer. But there is more, so much more. The fantastic Ayrshire Coastal Path strikes its course for 94 miles from Glenapp in the south to Skelmorlie in the north. Add to this the Arran Coastal Path, which circumnavigates its way round that magical island for 60 miles, and what you have is a truly magnificent coastal walk.

But coastal walking is just along beaches is it not?

Well, yes and no. Yes, the Ayrshire and Arran Coastal Paths travel over beaches (and beautiful beaches at that) but this route also journeys across a magnificent and diverse landscape that is home to some remarkable scenery, while a substantial portion of the route takes you away from the well-beaten track and enables walkers to observe the rugged beauty of the coastline and enjoy its peace and quiet. Furthermore, the coastline has a wealth of wonderful architecture: from the instantly recognisable castles Culzean and Brodick to smaller, hidden gems such as the Kennedy Mausoleum and Glenapp Church. Add to the mix a series of sublime beaches, secluded coves, fantastic wildlife, erratic rocks and boulders, a historical legacy of huge importance, world famous golf courses, old paths and roads and, yes, Scotland's most important literary figure Robert Burns, and you have an enormously rewarding long-distance walk.

The route can be walked in 11 days by an average walker but, despite it being well waymarked, a substantial portion crosses some surprisingly remote ground, open moorland and rocky terrain, so reasonable map and navigational skills are a prerequisite. The route is well served by an excellent public transport infrastructure and therefore it can also be broken down into lovely one or two-day sections.

The Ayrshire & Arran Coastal Paths begin in the tiny hamlet of Glenapp and cross wild, open moorland to reach the village of Ballantrae. Travelling north, the route passes through the bustling towns of Girvan, Ayr and Troon to reach Ardrossan, where the ferry crosses the Firth of Clyde to Brodick. Four wonderful days are then spent circumnavigating the coast of Arran, taking in Brodick, Lochranza, Blackwaterfoot and Kildonan. Back on the mainland, the route's beautiful coastal scenery continues on its way to Largs and its culmination at Skelmorlie. This is Scotland's celebrated wild and windswept west coast at its finest.

A Short History of Ayrshire

Like much of the British Isles, evidence shows that there has been human activity in the area for many thousands of years but it was not until the early part of the 12th century that the historic shire of Ayr, with borders stretching from Inverclyde in the north to Galloway in the south, was established. The ancient districts of Kyle, Carrick and Cunninghame were amalgamated at this time to form the shire and Ayr became (as it still is today) the area's main town. Prior to this Carrick belonged to Galloway while Kyle and Cunninghame were, surprisingly, part of Northumbria. Going back even further to the second century, southern Scotland was home to the people known as the Damnonii. Very little is known about the tribe but they settled in the likes of Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire and as far north as Stirlingshire, possibly occupying the landscape in and around the fort of Dumyat.

Largs, at the northern end of the Ayrshire coastline, played a momentous role in Scotland's development when the Battle of Largs was fought on the outskirts of the town on the 2nd of October 1263. The battle was crucial in bringing to an end the Scottish-Norwegian War and settling disputed lands along much of Scotland's western seaboard, which had been in Norwegian possession since the 12th century.

Ayrshire also lays claim to being the birthplace of both Robert the Bruce (in 1274 at Turnberry) and William Wallace (in around 1272 at Ellerslie), although both Dumfriesshire and Renfrewshire (the Bruce and Wallace respectively) have always contested this. What is definite is that much of the early lives of these two national icons were played out in Ayrshire. The Bruce held the first meeting of the Scottish Parliament at the Church of St John in Ayr, the year after his famous 1314 victory over Edward II's English army at Bannockburn. Wallace torched an English garrison at Ayr in 1297 in what has since become known as the ‘Burning of the Barns of Ayr’.

Beautiful dusk reflections at Largs Marina (Day 10)

During the early 13th century much of the land along the mainland Ayrshire coastline was owned by the Kennedy Clan, which had separate factions including the Bargany and the Cassillis Kennedys. The history of the clan is a hostile one, with much blood shed over the centuries. Other major landowners within Ayrshire included The Wallaces of Craigie and the Montgomerys of Eglinton. The first traceable Kennedy ancestor is John Kennedy of Dunure, who was granted the lands of Carrick in 1358 by King David II and, as land equalled power, John Kennedy became one of the most influential men in the southwest. In 1360 he made the crucial acquisition of Cassillis House near Maybole, which would eventually become the seat of the Kennedys. In around 1457, the head of the family at the time, Gilbert, took the title 1st Lord Kennedy and this title was thereafter handed down to future generations. Later, in 1509, the title Earl of Cassillis was created for the clan and the first to bear it was David. Succeeding him as the 2nd Earl of Cassillis was his son Gilbert (simultaneously he became the 4th Lord Kennedy), who seemed to set the tone for the family's successive generations by being involved in several unlawful deeds, which would then typically necessitate acts of retribution, usually by the Bargany faction of the Kennedy clan.

Almost six miles of uninterrupted sand lie between Barassie and Irvine (Day 5)

The 15th and 16th centuries saw Ayrshire under control of the shire's churches and abbeys, but with the religious upheaval of the Protestant Reformation in 1560 the ownership of land instead came under the control of local landowners. Roman Catholic attempts to regain control of Scotland after 1560 gave rise to the Covenanters, whose supporters fought to uphold the Reformation. The turbulence of the time led to much infighting and many deaths in Ayrshire.

Agriculture, mining, fishing, steel-making, shipbuilding and manufacturing textiles such as cotton and cloth have all played an important part in the development of Ayrshire in recent times, although with the decline of heavy industry within the region (and more recently the closing of the Johnnie Walker whisky plant in Kilmarnock) it has relied somewhat on 20th century industries like computing and chemicals.

However, tourism has come to play a major role in Ayrshire's economy and this is mainly due to one particular sport and to one man. The sport is golf. Ayrshire is the only county in Britain to contain three golf courses that have played host to an Open Championship, with Prestwick holding the very first in 1860, followed by many more. Prestwick has now been taken out of the tournament's rotation but many have also been held at Turnberry and at Royal Troon, which both remain choices for the organisers. The one man who has created a cottage industry in his own right is Robert Burns. Born on the 25th of January 1759 in Alloway near Ayr, Burns' poems are renowned world-wide. He has become a cultural icon for Scots, both in Scotland and in the many expat communities around the world.

A Short History of Arran

Lying some 15 miles off the Ayrshire mainland, Arran translates (depending on the source) either from the Gaelic Ar Rinn as ‘place of the peaked hills’ or from the Irish Arainn, meaning kidney-shaped. Certainly, both make sense. Gaelic plays a large part in the names of Arran's spectacular mountains (Cir Mhòr and Caisteal Abhail, for instance) while Old Norse has left its mark on Glen Rosa, Glen Sannox and the island's highest peak, Goat Fell, which climbs to 2866ft (874m) above Brodick Bay; itself a translation from the Old Norse Breithr Vik, which means Broad Bay. This association with the Old Norse language stretches back to around the 9th or 10th centuries, when Arran was under the ownership (as were many of Scotland's present islands) of the Norwegian crown. It was not until after the Battle of Largs in the 13th century that it fell into Scottish hands. In fact it was at Lamlash Bay on Arran's eastern side that Norway's king, Hakon IV, reassembled his defeated army after the battle.

Again, like the Ayrshire mainland, people have left their mark on Arran for more than 5000 years. The wonderfully bleak Machrie Moor, with its amazing stone circles, is just one spot on the island that contains evidence of human activity from that time. Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age sites have all been excavated.

After Viking rule ended things became very complicated, especially when Scotland's King Alexander III died in 1286, leaving no immediate heir (the nearest descendant was his four-year old granddaughter Margaret, the ‘Maid of Norway’, so named for being the child of King Eric II of Norway and Alexander III's daughter, Margaret). Things were complicated even further by the Maid of Norway's death in the Orkney Islands in 1290, which occurred during her crossing of the North Sea to be crowned Queen of Scotland. Over the next 20 years or so Scotland's claimants to the vacant throne were plunged into a variety of feuds. One such rivalry eventually led to the 1306 murder of John Comyn (known as ‘The Red’ Comyn) in Dumfries by his then competitor for the crown Robert the Bruce. This was an infamous event in Scottish history, having occurred at the altar of the town's Greyfriars church.

In the same year, the Bruce was crowned King of Scots. After defeat in battle against occupying English forces he fled Scotland for a time, ending up on Rathlin Island off the Northern Ireland coast, before ultimately finding his way to Arran and taking shelter at King's Cave, a short distance north of Blackwaterfoot. It is claimed that this was the setting for his famous encounter with the determined spider, which refused to give up building its web on a slippy cave wall until it succeeded. This gave the Bruce the inspiration he needed to return to the mainland and continue the fight for Scottish independence.

Over the subsequent centuries, and certainly in some part due to its position in the Firth of Clyde, Arran became continually caught up in various dynastic struggles (particularly between the clans of the Stewarts and the Hamiltons). Its population decreased in 1828 during the Clearances instigated by Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, the 10th Duke of Hamilton, and it was hit hard by the Potato Famine of 1845. The number has varied over the years, but the current population of the island is around 5000.

By the end of the 19th century Arran had finally begun to establish proper links with the mainland, with piers having been built at Brodick, Lamlash, Whiting Bay and Lochranza. Since then agriculture and tourism have become the backbone of Arran's economy. When the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry began making regular, daily sailings to the island in the 1970s, Arran became one of Scotland's most popular tourist destinations.

Arran's Geology

The wonderful natural arena of Arran was formed around 400 million years ago and its layers of rock, including Dalradian and Ordovician schists as well as red sandstone, have made the island a playground for geologists for decades. James Hutton, the ‘father of modern geology’, visited Arran in the late 1800s and found evidence that transformed his ideas concerning the earth's age and formation. The island is split by the Highland Boundary Fault Line, a geological fault that traverses Scotland from west coast to east and which separates the country into its two distinctly different regions, the Highlands and the Lowlands. Arran's northern half is dominated by igneous rocks formed around 50-60 million years ago while the southern end is formed by Devonian and Carboniferous rocks estimated to be around 380 million years old. Yet it wasn't until the beginnings of deglaciation at the end of the last Ice Age, approximately 10,000 years ago, that the magnificent mountains of Arran started to emerge from under the ice and the island's wonderful glens began to gouge their way through its landscape.

Looking along Arran's peaceful western coast from The Postman's Path (Day 7)

There are many wonderfully erratic glacial boulders clearly visible right round Arran's coastline and the huge, shapely boulders at Corrie are particularly beautiful.

Wildlife

The Ayrshire and Arran Coastal Paths are teeming with wildlife and feature a particularly diverse birdlife. This ranges from common coastal species like the black-headed gull, herring gull, oystercatcher, razorbill and guillemot to seasonal birds such as the common tern, grebe, golden plover and goldeneye. The great cliffs near the Heads of Ayr, Ballantrae and round much of Arran are home to birds of prey including buzzards, kestrels and sparrowhawks while the wilder, open landscapes above Glenapp and Largs accommodate moorland birds such as grouse, curlew and meadow pipit.

On quieter sections of the route you may well spot a reclusive roe deer, a contrast to the many sheep and cattle on view. Both common and grey seals are a regular sight off-shore, especially round Arran. The marvellous sight of a sea otter may also be glimpsed round the island's coast. Basking sharks (the world's second biggest fish), dolphins and minke whales have also occasionally been seen, especially from ferries. Arran is one of the few remaining areas of Britain where there is a healthy population of red squirrels, its larger grey cousin never having been introduced to the island.

Holy Isle, sitting just off Arran at Lamlash (a short ferry trip to the island leaves from the harbour at Lamlash), is home to wild goats, Soay sheep and Eriskay ponies. Rabbits, hares, adders, lizards, toads, butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies can also be seen along the Ayrshire and Arran coasts if you keep your eyes peeled.

During spring and summer the sheer variety of wildflowers is fantastic. Bluebells, red campion, wood anemone, field mouse-ear, common scurvy grass, sea campion and sea pinks are just a small selection of the plants that quite literally brighten the paths.

The first ferry docks at Brodick after crossing the Firth of Clyde from Ardrossan (Day 6)

For much of the route the conspicuous outline of Ailsa Craig (also known as Paddy's Milestone as it lies approximately halfway between Belfast and Glasgow) is a near-constant sight and there are regular sailings from Girvan for visitors to the island. A day trip is highly recommended. The granite sentinel rises to over 1100ft from the Firth of Clyde and is a Sight of Special Scientific Interest as, with nearly 40,000 breeding pairs, it is home to Britain's third-largest gannet colony. Even from the mainland, or from the southern and eastern shores of Arran, you can see these fantastic seabirds circling the seas round Ailsa Craig. Fulmar, kittiwake, shag, razorbill and (since the eradication of rats on the island in 1991) an increasing number of puffins also breed here. In the 1860s puffins had numbered in the hundreds of thousands before the rat managed to hitch a ride onto the island. Ailsa Craig's position, some 15 miles from the Ayrshire coast in the Firth of Clyde, and the fact that footfall is limited, means over 200 species of plants have been recorded on the island.

Getting there

Air

The Ayrshire coastline has its own airport. Glasgow Prestwick Airport www.gpia.co.uk 0871 223 0700 (UK), 00 44 1292 511000 (International), sits on the outskirts of Prestwick and has excellent connections to other British airports and many European destinations.

Sea

A ferry from Larne docks at Cairnryan, which lies only a few miles from the start of Day 1 at Glenapp. There is also a ferry from Larne that docks at Troon www.poferries.com 0871 66 44 999 (UK), 01 407 34 34 (ROI). For Arran, daily services leave Ardrossan for Brodick and from Claonaig (Kintyre) to Lochranza www.calmac.co.uk 01475 650100.

Rail

Scotrail, www.scotrail.co.uk 0845 601 5929, provide excellent rail links to the Ayrshire coast with a direct link to Largs, Ardrossan, Ayr and many of the Ayrshire coastal towns from Glasgow Central station.

Bus

Scottish Citylink, www.citylink.co.uk 0871 266 33 33, run direct services from Edinburgh or Glasgow to Stranraer, which stop at Glenapp. Stagecoach, www.stagecoachbus.com 01292 613 500, run a direct service from Dumfries to Stranraer and then another from Stranraer to Glenapp.

Road

From Glasgow follow the M8 south to junction 22 and exit onto the M77. Follow this south for approximately 15 miles until the M77 merges with the A77 and then continue south, following signs for Stranraer. The A77 continues through many Ayrshire towns and villages such as Maybole, Kirkoswald, Girvan and Ballantrae to reach Glenapp, which is approximately 11 miles north of Stranraer. If travelling from the south follow the M6 and cross the border to join the M74 at Gretna. Leave the M74 at Junction 22 (Gretna) onto the A75 and follow this for around 90 miles, going through Dumfries and bypassing Castle Douglas and Newton Stewart to reach Stranraer. From there follow the A77 north for 11 miles to reach Glenapp.

Getting Around

Trains

Scotrail provide regular, daily trains from Glasgow Central to Wemyss Bay (a short walk from the north end of Skelmorlie) and to Ayr. No direct rail service links Glenapp with Skelmorlie although all the towns along the Ayrshire coast have their own stations.

Buses on the mainland

There is no direct bus route between Glenapp and Skelmorlie but Stagecoach operates regular, daily services to all the towns along the route.

Buses on Arran

Stagecoach provides an excellent bus service right round Arran. Regular, daily services leave from Brodick Ferry Terminal and stop at all locations en route.

All public transport information should be checked before setting out. See Appendix C for various options.

When to Go

The routes can be walked at any time of the year, but the months between April and October offer the best conditions to enjoy them. Some sections are long (as far as 18 miles) and, although these can be broken down to suit, they do require ample daylight. During winter the beginning and end of the route may well finish in the dark.

The spring, summer and autumn months also provide the best opportunities to view the wonderful plants and animals en route and allow the walks to proceed in, hopefully, reasonable weather.

It also has to be taken into account that on Arran there is always the chance, particularly during winter, of strong winds. These could lead to ferry cancellations that would leave you island-bound with disrupted plans.

The routes cross a lot of farmland, therefore be aware that during spring the lambing and calving season is in full flow.

Accommodation

Autumn leaves in Currarie Glen (Day 1)

The Ayrshire and Arran Coastal paths are well served with accommodation including various hotels, B&Bs, hostels and campsites. Naturally, however, there are a few areas that prove to be exceptions. There is no accommodation at all in Glenapp and very little after Ballantrae until you reach Girvan, apart from some off-route options that would require you to make other travel arrangements, as well as adding extra time into your schedule. Bearing that in mind, this book has been written so that each day finishes where there is somewhere to stay. The further north you go on the mainland the more there is a marked increase in your options. Arran is also very well served for overnight stays although places to stay between Lochranza and Blackwaterfoot are sparse. Accommodation should be booked well in advance, especially in summer. There is a basic accommodation list in Appendix B but for up-to-date details please contact the Ayrshire and Arran Tourist Board www.ayrshire-arran.com 0845 22 55 121.

Legend says Bennane Head was the home of the notorious Scottish cannibal Sawney Bean (Day 2)

Food and Drink

Like the variety of accommodation on offer, the route is predominantly well served for refreshments with many shops, restaurants, cafés and pubs but, similarly, there are some areas where these facilities are thin on the ground. There are no options on Day 1 until you reach Ballantrae, while those between there and Girvan on Day 2 are also limited. The same can be said for Arran, where a lot of the route is well away from the beaten track and it can prove to be several hours before any shop is passed. Consequently, adequate supplies of food and drink should be taken, particularly when options for buying food and drink are limited.

Money

While the hotels, restaurants, pubs and shops along the route will take both cash and credit cards, be aware that a few may not and, as the route is predominantly rural, it may be a couple of days until a bank or ATM is available. It is always best to carry enough money to cover at least two days' walking. There are several post offices en route with cash withdrawal facilities, while many of the larger supermarkets offer a cashback service.

Ayr seafront from Deil's Dyke (Day 4)

Keeping in Touch

All of the major towns and some of the smaller villages along the route have post offices. Internet access is limited to the larger towns and although mobile phone reception is generally good, there will be times when it is restricted in more remote spots.

What to Take

If you are setting out to complete the Ayrshire and Arran Coastal Paths in one go then a light rucksack with waterproof, maps, compass and a change of clothing for the evening are essential. There are also a few burns and rivers to cross as well as some boggier sections that may result in wet feet, so a change of socks is recommended. A lot of the walking is rough so a good pair of walking shoes or boots is vital, as are good navigational and map reading skills, which may be required depending on the weather.

A note of tide times is important (see the Timing section), as the height of the tide on several occasions will determine when to start your day's walking. If the route is to be broken down into one-day sections then all of the above applies. The exceptions are that a lighter day pack would suffice and that it is necessary to take a note of public transport times, as the routes are linear and require buses or trains to return you to your starting point.

Waymarks and Access

Waymarks throughout the route are excellent but when crossing open stretches of moorland keep your eyes peeled for the relevant marker posts. Similarly, routes can take several turns through the streets of busy towns so keep a close lookout for directional changes. The route follows accessible land and has been set up with the full co-operation of landowners, local councils and residents. It passes through farms, near to people's homes and gardens, golf courses and the streets where people live. All this must be taken into account when walking the route and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code must be obeyed.

Margaret, Ballantrae – one of the many charming boats to be found en route (Day 2)

THE SCOTTISH OUTDOOR ACCESS CODE

Many people make their living along the length of the Ayrshire and Arran Coastal Paths and many more visit the area throughout the year. Furthermore, the route is home to an incredible diversity of wildlife. Please be aware of all this when walking the route and exercise your access rights responsibly. You can do so by following the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, the main points of which are listed below.

To find out more about the code please visit www.outdooraccess-scotland.com.

1 Take responsibility for your own actions.

2 Respect people's privacy and peace of mind. When close to a house or garden, keep a sensible distance, use a path or track if there is one and take extra care not to disturb at night.

3 Help land managers and others to work safely and effectively. Do not hinder land management operations and follow advice from land managers. Respect requests for reasonable limitations on when and where you can go.

4 Care for your environment. Do not disturb wildlife, leave the environment as you find it and follow a path or track if there is one.

5 Keep dogs under proper control. Do not take them through fields of calves or lambs, and dispose of their waste properly.

Maps

Four Ordnance Survey Landranger maps (1:50,000 scale) cover the Ayrshire & Arran Coastal Paths.

For the mainland

 Sheet 76 Girvan

 Sheet 70 Ayr, Kilmarnock and Troon

 Sheet 63 Firth of Clyde

For Arran

 Sheet 69 Isle of Arran

Furthermore, six Ordnance Survey Explorer Maps (1:25,000 scale) cover the route.

For the mainland

 Sheet 309 Stranraer and the Rhins

 Sheet 317 Ballantrae, Barr and Barrhill

 Sheet 326 Ayr and Troon

 Sheet 333 Kilmarnock and Irvine

 Sheet 341 Greenock, Largs and Millport

For Arran

 Sheet 361 Isle of Arran

Emergency Services

All emergency services (including mountain rescue and coastguard) can be reached by dialling 999 or 112 from a mobile phone. Make sure that mobiles are always charged.

Using this Guide

The book has primarily been written as a continuous route, although each section can be walked as a day route using the area's excellent public transport. Each day has been written to finish where accommodation, meals and provisions are easily attainable (except Lochranza, Day 6, which has hotels but no shop). Further points to remember are as follows:

 Some of the sections can prove quite long and if this is the case then the route can, in most cases, be broken down further into easier chunks.

 A couple of sections do not pass a shop en route, so it is advisable to stock up on the day's provisions before setting out.

 A couple of alternative routes, as well as optional detours, are marked on the relevant maps within the book.

Timing

Route information boxes list the approximate times that you can expect routes to take. These are based on the abilities of a reasonably fit walker and take into account mileage, the difficulty of the terrain and the level of ascent and descent. Some of the routes cross rough, uneven ground, which can significantly slow your progress, so give yourself enough time to complete each route and consider the weather conditions and how much daylight you can expect at different seasons in the year. Ensure you take into account variables such as rest stops and time taken for photographs. As can be expected of coastal walking, the tide can also play its part in considering how long each route will take to complete.

Weather vanes near the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum depict the poet's greatest works, such as Tam o' Shanter (Day 4)

Ardrossan's North Bay grants another wonderful view of Arran (Day 10)

It is crucial that tide times are thoroughly checked before setting out, as several sections can be impassable or extremely awkward at high tide. This can result in slow progress and could therefore prove disruptive to your plans or could even mean missing the next ferry, bus or train. Go to www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast/tides for relevant information. Sections where the tide may prove problematic are highlighted in this guide's route text, so check the information on the website before setting out.

One or two days?

Some of the longer routes can easily be broken down into shorter two-day sections. On the mainland Day 4 Dunure to Troon and Day 5 Troon to Ardrossan could be broken down further by spending the night at Alloway, Ayr, Prestwick, Troon or Irvine. All have accommodation as well as a selection of bars and restaurants to enjoy a night out. Details can be found in Appendix B.

Four days or more?

The four days on Arran could be easily extended to a week, allowing plenty of time to explore the fantastic island. Both Corrie and Sannox have accommodation, which, if you do choose to spend the night, would allow two days to complete Day 6 Brodick to Lochranza. Catacol or Pirnmill could be reached from either Corrie or Sannox but there is limited accommodation on Arran's western side. There is then very little in the way of accommodation between Pirnmill and Blackwaterfoot. The only place to stay between Blackwaterfoot and Kildonan is the fantastic Lagg Hotel and a night spent here is great. Options then increase at Kildonan, Whiting Bay and Lamlash, as each offers a variety of accommodation and places to eat, meaning the time spent on Arran can be extended to suit.