Castles in the sky (A to Z challenge)

Arran has a number of castles around the island and it’s fair share of historic ruins.  What’s left of the castle at Kildonan surely will not last much longer if the weather we have experienced in the last couple of years continues.  The edge is severely eroded and it won’t be long before it tumbles onto the shore.

The remains of the tiny Lochranza castle sit on a spit that guards the entrance up the glen and is frequently visited by the red deer that freely roam around the village. And of course there is Brodick Castle.

Kildonan Castle

But my heart belongs to ‘the castles’, known as Caisteal Abhail.  This is an area in the mountains with some wonderful and surreal rock formations, likened to castle battlements.  There is no easy route up to the top (or down), but hikers can be rewarded with 360 degree views, right across the Kintyre peninsular to the Isles of Islay and Jura.  Route descriptions to get up here can be found on the Walk the Highlands site (a great resource for hikers of all abilities).

Views are very weather dependant!

B is for Brodick & Brewery

Keeping to my theme of 'Arran in Focus' day 2 is relatively easy as the main town on the Isle of Arran is called Brodick.  For the majority of visitors, this is where they will disembark from the ferry (a second ferry services the north of the island in summer) and where most of the shops can be found.  Apart form the supermarket all the shops independent and have some unique gift ideas along with some amazing Arran food products.  Sitting on the east side of the island, Brodick meanders along the promenade giving fabulous views of Goatfell (weather permitting) and across the bay towards Brodick Castle.

Overlooking Brodick Bay

For those wandering to the outskirts of Brodick past the golf course, the castle has superb grounds with an amazing collection of rhododendrons, including some giant species. This is also where Arran Brewery can be found; my favourite is Arran Blonde.

Brodick Castle

There are a huge variety of walks around Brodick, showing off the diversity of this small area.  Red squirrels can frequently be seen in the forest and woodland around the castle, seals on the coast and many varieties of birds. Also dotted around are several standing stones - most unmarked and just part of Arran's landscape.

For those wanting food, be warned there are no chains here (Costa Coffee, Macdonalds etc.), most food outlets pride themselves on using local produce and seasonal foods.  The Auchrannie has just revamped it's 1869 restaurant and is now serving a tapas style menu, and the Douglas has a lovely bistro style bar.  Not forgetting the new Fiddlers bar, Brodick Bar, Cafe in Bilslands, Arran on a Plate and a little cafe at Duchess Court.

There is so much more but some of the fun is finding out for yourself - keep reading as I work through the Alphabet of Arran.

A to Z Challenge - A is for Arran

I can't really believe I have just signed up to another challenge, not enough that I'm doing a 365 day project (Day 82), but now I am playing the April fool and have joined an A to Z challenge for the month of April.  Oh, I hear you say, there are only 26 letters in the alphabet and there are 30 days in April; well apparently we get Sundays off for good behaviour!  But back to the challenge.  I am already completing a monochrome project over a year and have to admit (as previous blogs and cheats will support) I crave a bit of colour and this, hopefully will allow me to satisfy that need with a daily blog of a colour photo.  Now that doesn't mean I won't repeat the photo in B & W for my other project, but it will depend on what subjects I come up with.

So what's my opening gambit with the letter A?  I came up with all the usual ideas, apple, architecture, aphids, arm (april fool), before I realised it may be a good idea to introduce me, my business and my blog which happens to start with a letter A!

I run a little business called Arran in Focus.  Arran is my passion, a little island off the west coast of Scotland, often referred to as Scotland in Miniature.  It is a truly wonderful place, with stunning scenery and wildlife.  I loved it so much that a few years ago I decided to chase my dream and move here (giving up a career and city lifestyle).  Unfortunately, my previous life didn't provide sufficient resources to be able to become a lady of leisure, so I started up a small photography business doing workshops and training (along with the odd wedding and commercial work).

So this is my opening gambit into the challenge, I'm now off to buy a banana!

Black and white rainbow (and another cheat) (Days 61 - 72)

Some things work and some things don't and I often get some things wrong.  One of them being the first day of Spring, as mentioned in my last blog, was clearly on the wrong day! So lucky me, I get to do it again in this blog. And it may not be the only 'failure' I admit to in this blog. 

Day 61 - Night time photography

On 11th March - Day 61, I ran the last of my night time photography workshops for the year.  I tend to run these in the winter so that its dark early enough to get a session in without staying up all night. We were lucky to have a clear starry night where it was very cold but dry.  I also set my camera up to capture my car with painted light as well as the stars. And  we played with ghosting, light and had a lot of fun.

Day 62 - Bowser comes out to play

After spending the evening out and leaving the dogs at home, the next day Bowser decided he wanted to come to work with me.  This is very unusual for him - he is a true duvet dog (I call him my living teddy bear). He prefers to stay in bed all day and just have cuddles. I should clarify here that its his own bed and not mine! So I rewarded him with a walk on the beach - his favourite place.

Day 63 - Misty cobwebs

Thursday and the island was enveloped in misty fog that hung around most of the day.  I was amazed by the number of cobwebs around - they coated the heather in a tangled mess, all saturated with moisture.  Despite looking hard I could not find any of our 8 legged friends that were responsible!

Day 64 - Rescue helicopter

When ever I see an emergency vehicle, including the rescue helicopter I always think 'someone's having a bad day', and it makes me appreciate my lot.  I can never understand people when they get irate from being held up by accidents, I was always just grateful it was not me. But maybe this only comes from working the sharp end of life for many years.

Day 65 - Greylag geese

On a happier note I am used to seeing large flocks of Greylag geese around Shiskine at this time of year, but I had never noticed them in Lamlash before.  Earlier in the week I had seen 6 Canadian geese in the bay, but on Day 65 I found a flock of about 70 Greylags near to the outdoor centre. They were still there yesterday (21st).

Day 66 - Common Gulls in flight

 I do like photographing birds, especially in flight, where even the most common of birds can look wonderful (well in my opinion)! There are several large flocks of common gulls around the island, with quite a few juveniles mixed in, the odd black backed gull, herring gull and other sea birds.

Day 67 - A testing couple of days

I want a new lens (amongst other things) but am not sure if I can justify it - or really need it; so despite the rain I set off to test a combination of body and lens that I don't usually use to see if that would do the job instead and I could save that money and put it towards a different coveted new lens!! But after setting foot out of the door the rain lashed down and I couldn't really put it through its paces albeit I did enough to be able to cross that lens off my list (and move the coveted lens up a bit).

Day 68 - Pharos through the window

 Another day where it decided to rain the minute I got my camera out, and storms were forecast.  This boat appeared in Lamlash bay, and through AIS  I identified it as the Pharos, which was built in 2007 and is a bouy laying vessel. The following day it was off Lochranza.

Day 68 - Take 2 (black and white rainbows)

 On the same day but a little further round the coast at Brodick, the sun briefly put in an appearance and created a wonderful rainbow.  Curiosity got the better of me and I wondered what a rainbow would look like in black and white! I'm not quite sure about the effects of rain and light and at the moment cannot explain the bizarre ripple effect, so feel free to comment below.

Day 69 - Lunch time convoy

For the next 12 weeks I am making the dash to get the lunch time convoy across the String.  In the mornings I am using the Ross which is a road I love for the scenery even if it's not an ideal commute. The chap was happy to pose for the camera and said everyone was very friendly.  Regardless of our feelings on closure I don't think anyone doubts the roads need repairing!

Day 70 - Baby fir cones

Oh but how this photograph needs colour.  These cute little buds the size of my little finger nail are bright pink with little green tips. Black &white does not do mother nature justice.  So I apologise for the 'cheat' but the colour version is at the bottom of the blog (that's 2 cheats in 72 days - I'm not sure if that's good or bad). Oh and I think today is actually the first day of Spring?

Day 71 - Trees

 There is something about trees and the form they take.  Changing throughout the year, from naked stark shapes to vibrant green and autumnal decay - I am fascinated.  This one seemed to be weeping fine strands, possibly of lichen but I couldn't reach it to see. I reminded me of a blood vessel diagram - no morbidity intended, from large artery to fine capillaries.

Day 72 - Hardy souls

I cannot begin to describe how cold it is today.  The wind is cutting through my fingers as I take this picture, my ears have fallen off and my nose hurts.  I marvel at the crew on both the boats as they must (I assume) be enjoying themselves. As a former winter kayaker, I understand their drive to be out and the pleasure derived from it. Whatever our passions, it is just about getting on and doing it.

The 'cheat' - Baby fir cones 

Spring has sprung! (Days 51 - 60)

Amazing how a little sunshine makes everyone feel so much better.  Being able to go for a walk in just a jumper and leaving the back door open to allow the fresh air to blow through, without a puddle in the porch. Not that all of the last 10 days has been lovely!

Day 51 - First day of spring

It seemed fitting on the first day of spring to photograph one of my many daffodils before they got smashed to the ground in high winds and more torrential rain.

Day 52 - Mist netting to ring birds

The return of Siskins and Goldfinches to my garden tempted the islands only licensed bird ringer to put up a mist net as I had noticed that none of my birds had rings.  My garden could easily be mistaken for an Alfred Hitchcock set when large flocks have a feeding frenzy.  It's not unusual to have over 100 birds at the same time. Needless to say, the birds aren't quite as stupid as we think and many managed to avoid the nets.  I did however, find out that I have a lot more Coal tits than expected - 17 in 2 hours - and I still see lots without rings.

Day 53 - Beach hut at Dougarie

Monday is my busiest day of the week and I ended up snapping a shot of the beach hut at Dougarie. Believe it or not this is a listed building.  I always thought that a building had to be 'special' to get listing status so I'm not sure how a beach hut qualifies.

Day 54 - Shovelling seaweed at Machrie Bay Golf Course

 Work continues on the island to repair damage from the earlier storms, and this could take months if some of it is ever repaired at all! The Machrie Bay Golf Course sea defences are badly damaged allowing the sea, rocks and weed to collect on the first tee.  So much debris was deposited, the only way to clear it was to bring in a digger.

Day 55 - Uninspired

 Wet, windy, cold and feeling a bit grumpy (due to having a cold), I totally lacked inspiration or energy.  The dog walk was short and although I had my camera, my head was down as I trudged along a path.  Barbed wire seemed a fitting photo to illustrate my mood - especially as I didn't make a good job of it!

Day 56 - Dried 'thistles'

I keep seeing these thistle type dried seed heads on my walks.  I have no idea what they are, but I quite like the look of them.  What you can't see in this photo is the little bit of blue sky, that sets them off perfectly (I'll have to post that one on my facebook page).

Day 57 - Brodick Bay 

For anyone who follows my facebook page, this photo may seem familiar.  It's on one of my regular walks and last year I took a student to this point for some landscape work.  It's a lovely view but it was a bit windy - actually more gusty than windy.  Once gust actually rocked my tripod, and its not a light one!

Day 58 - Budha

Weekend again, but no rest for me as I had holiday cottages to photograph and a few other requests including hens and this Buddha. After balancing on a beam to photograph a mezzanine floor, used as a bedroom, without incident, the calm of the Buddha and meditation area were lovely.

The news tonight was dominated by the highest temperatures of the year so far and how people were out on the beaches, typical of a 'Londoncentric' BBC broadcast.  We, meanwhile were still wrapped in cloud and rain. Meanwhile I found some fungi on a rotten log to photograph. But next week is looking good.

Day 60 - Hen

The hens previously mentioned on Sunday (Day 58), were not overly cooperative, although I did get quite a nice shot of the cockerel.  They are all Rhode Island Reds - lovely birds and good layers.  I will keep going back until I get the shots required, and the hen did come out of the scrub on my last visit - although she kept turning her back on me I did manage this shot. 

Day 58 - Cockerel 

Had to put in the extra photograph as he was strutting his stuff so well!

Last days of Winter (Day 41 - 50)

Officially these are the last 10 days of winter but forgive me it I don't put away my warmer clothes just yet, last years snow at the end of March is still fresh in my memory!  I don't seem to have got quite as wet in the last few days and have managed to time my dog walks quite well.

Day 41 - Swans at Lamlash

The swans at Lamlash seem to grown in number and can usually be found around the pier. Up close these really are huge birds with an average wingspan of 7 foot. They are very strong birds but not aggressive, however they will vigorously defend their territory and nests! Being a coward, I tend to give them a lot of room.

Day 42 - Dyemill footbridge (one of 3)

A few minutes from my house is the Dyemill Forestry area.  I spend quite a lot of time walking this area and can go miles along the tracks.  So it becomes the 'usual' dog walk and as such I tend to take it for granted. In fact it is one of the prettiest walks around with several waterfalls and footbridges, along with a large variety of flora.  It has already provided several photo opportunities for this project and I'm sure that will continue.

Day 43 - Part of the Crozier Sculpture

On another walk, this one near Brodick, a selection of sculptures by Tim Pomeroy can be found along the trail.  At the moment parts of the walk are cordoned off due to the high winds and loose branches above the path, but other areas have been opened up as restrictions on a plant disease have been lifted. Winter is a great time to find and view the sculptures as the plants have died back so they are easy to view.  This one is called 'Crozier' and was inspired from newly unfolding fern and bishops crooks.

Day 44 - Hazel Catkins

On Saturday I noticed some catkins - they actually looked like they had been there a while.  Tree identification is not my strongest subject, but I think this could be Hazel as the catkins tend to be out between January and March. Catkins are often called 'lambs tails' and I don't think this needs any explanation.

Day 45 - Fun on a quad bike

Sunday it turned out nice so I went off on a longer walk and met several people along the way.  It's good to see the Forestry Commission tracks being used for recreation and these included, walkers, dog walkers, horse riders and a small group of quad bikers.  I know some people don't like the quad bikers being on the tracks, but I like to see young people out and about and on the tracks they are not churning up less robust paths.  This group were well aware of me and my dogs and passed with care.

Day 46 - View from the Dougarie Estate office

Most folk don't enjoy Monday mornings - something to do with going to work - but I have a lovely drive to an office with a view.  My hours are flexible as I work for several different businesses as well as my own - but I try to keep people in regular slots (keeps my brain less cluttered) and Monday every hour is booked and I know it's a long day.

Day 47 - Tulip stems

Oh dear, one of those days.  I'd reset my camera and formatted the card, and clicked off a quick shot to test a new setting then went out and left the camera behind (It happens to the best of us)! So ended up using the test shot of tulip stems.

Day 48 - Dogs on Sannox beach

A quick walk on the sandy beach at Sannox before a meeting and we were joined by a lovely dog that lived nearby and belongs to one of my photographic students so is well used to posing for a camera.

Day 49 - River Iorsa low level walk

On the west side of the island a range of low level walks can be found.  One of these is along the River Iorsa, along a rough track, crossing fords, right up to a boat house at Loch Iorsa. As the ford was very high we only went as far as that before turning round and enjoying the sunshine and views on the way back.

Day 50 - Rhododendron leaves 

And yesterday, day 50, I took a walk from Cladach through the woodland and Cnocan Gorge.  The giant rhododendron are starting to flower in huge swathes of pink and purple and I was totally distracted by the amount of colour around, rusty orange, vibrant greens and fresh pinks dominated the walk, all made better by sheens of rainwater and the odd glimpse of sunlight!

A mixed bag (Days 31 - 40)

Day 36 - My Valentine Days Picture of Jim

I now seem to be getting into the swing of this and must admit to finding it a little easier with the odd day of sunshine - ok that may be an exaggeration, but it hasn't rained every day and it could be described as positively bright on occasion!

Day 31 - Snowdrops: The flower of hope

Spring is definitely on the way and my snowdrops (a topic I have previously covered) have put on a good show over the last few weeks, the daffodils are starting to poke their heads up and so are the croci.

Day 32 - Heather showing some early colour

Strangely enough my heather has also started to bloom, which I was not expecting until May or June! However these are probably confused plants as I rescued them from a B & Q store last year for 50p as they were essentially dead!

Day 33 - Clouds lift to show the snow capped mountains of Arran

For most of the last few weeks we have had snow on the mountains and when the clouds clear this looks awesome. Inviting and scary all at the same time; Arrans mountains are definitely not to be underestimated in full winter conditions.

Day 34 - A visit to the Business Gateway office

The bad days have seen me catching up with paperwork - a worthwhile exercise as the tax man has now paid me back some money - and I'm starting to get ready for the coming season.  I always find it interesting to see how other people work and am amazed at the different styles of office (good and bad).  Not everyone has a tuba sat in the corner.  But that's what you can find in Derek Shand's office.

Day 35 - Surreal steam

Thursday afternoon was another cold one, and I was running a catch up session for a couple of students where we needed to be outside, so I took the opportunity to grab a shot of the stream before returning home.

Day 37 - North Glen Sannox bridge

Friday the 14th was memorable, and not just for being Valentines day. It started bitterly cold and yet again my students turned up for their outside lesson the last one of a short course where all their skills are put into practice - hard when fingers are frozen to the core! In the final exercise I found some warmth in the Holy Isle Ferry cabin on Lamlash pier where Jim (see above) was good enough to let me photograph him.  Men with beards are very photogenic and this is my favourite picture from the last 10 days. The afternoon brought the island to a standstill with vicious snow storms and howling gales.

Day 38 - Remains of Kildonan castle 

A free weekend loomed and I was frustrated at not being able to get into the mountains due to a leg injury but shorter low level walks, just to the snow line kept me out of trouble and meant that I could take both dogs (Bowser isn't fit enough to do full mountain days).  A saunter up North Glen Sannox followed by a day on the beach at Kildonan ensured I had sufficient exercise and fresh air.

Day 39 - Watson

Monday came round quickly, and with it more of the wet stuff - it's hard to believe we were all screaming drought two years ago. Tuesday and day 40 was fine again in the afternoon, so I decided to take a walk somewhere a bit different to usual and explored a little of the coast around Imachar.  The sea was calm so it was great for bird spotting - albeit the majority were too far away for a photo.  The Eider duck seem to have survived the storms well and large flocks floated off the shore, along with smaller groups of razorbills.  Other divers were there (photo's still being looked at for id purposes) including the Great Northern Diver, Black and Red Throated divers.

Day 40 - Shags at Imachar