Just 3 weeks later we are back to Girvan and setting off on Ayrshire Coastal Path - Part 2. It's as if we never left, and our blog also has a seamless change of authorship as Jennie gets a rest. We arrive on a Friday and have a nice leisurely meal without any aches or pains and just before catching the sunset over Ailsa Craig, (Gaelic Aillse Creag meaning "fairy rock") the mysterious mirage that seems to gaze peaceably across at us over the next few days. It's stone is uniquely quarried to make curling stones, which I find fairly uninteresting. What I do find exciting is that it has a gannet colony to rival that great monument of Scotland's East Coast, the Bass Rock. I wonder if the gannets of East and West have ever met each other. Do they get on? I will take no sides in this debate. We're not expecting to see any gannets today but we do start the day off well with a huddle of turnstones (just about visible in the picture below) Before midday we get a couple of quality butterfly sightings in, a small copper followed by a slightly shabby looking common blue. There is a washed up sea anenome, a lot of jellyfish and a hell of a lot of seaweed. I could pretend here I know something about tides, but alas I know nothing. I suddenly spy a large bird floating in front of Ailsa Craig. Is that a ... swan? I'm not quite sure what a lone swan is doing here but then a little bit further on we see a collective of them, quite visibly tucking into large clumps of seaweed. The mute swan, so called because it hardly makes any noise. There is no-one else here but us. We stand and watch them a while listening to the sound of the waves. This is an indescribably beautiful and peaceful scene. We enjoy beachcombing and birdwatching on a sunny day as we head towards the attractive Turnberry lighthouse, built by David and Thomas Stevenson in 1873. I was hoping to get a closer look at it, but then Donald Trump got involved and we were disappointingly redirected off the coast to trek across his massive Turnberry golf course. I hate doing this, I am paranoid about being hit by a golf ball and there are plenty of signs to remind me this is a distinct possibility. But I survive and we dutifully follow paths like good ramblers. We soon reach Maidens which has a shop and we think we've just about earned some kind of ice cream. The official guide suggests Girvan to Maidens as a section so we know we have done 8.1 miles from Girvan. But we shall not cease from Mental Fight until we are as far away from Trump as possible (he's not about, incidentally). We are soon walking through the attractive surroundings of Culzean Castle country park and receive a stunning view across Culzean bay. It is curious being largely alone for long sections of a walk and then turning up somewhere like a country park where there are hundreds of people having an easy day out. We should do that some time. No, this is better. Around this point Jennie starts getting nervous that I don't know where our accommodation is, because I don't, but I do know there are only about 3 houses along Croy shore and it has to be one of them. We find it and because we arrived much earlier than planned we have time to enjoy the lovely sea view and sunset. We've had a beautiful day's walk, bring on the next day's adventures. Matthew Bird sightings
Wheatears - mainly female Stonechat Chaffinch Starlings Swallows - all preening - perhaps in preparation for the migration? Swans - eating green seaweed (yum yum) Cormorant - Matt pointed out a baby cormorant practicing it's wing-drying technique Lots of oystercatchers in a flock Possible grey wagtail - black throat prominent but yellow throat? Very confusing Goldfinches Sanderlings Turnstones - LOADS Heron x 3 croaking loudly in flight Curlew Butterflies Small copper Common blue Tortoiseshell Large white
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