SW SCOTLAND MARCH 2006

 

 

It's a truly great part of the country and one I'd ignored for years mistakenly thinking that the real Scotland only starts N & W of Loch Linnhe.

 

This trip got me thinking of other potential trips:

  • Coast hugging on the north and south sides of the Solway Firth,

  • Lochside hugging in the Argyll Forest Park

  • and, best of all,

  • Leaving the van on the mainland and island bagging by bicycle. Most of the islands can be quite easily thrashed around (smaller ones dawdled) in a single day and bikes are very cheap on the ferries. On some they're even free.

  

 

 

 

180306: Carlisle, Dumfries, Stranraer, Ayr.

 

 

 

 

We saw more snow in Dumfries and Galloway than we did anywhere else.

 

 

Cumbria from across the Solway Firth.

 

Bengairn and the Solway Firth

 

Wigtown Bay and the Fell of Fleet.

 

 

Wigtownwards.

 

 

Fell of Fleet.

 

 

Loch Ryan

 

The Mull of Kintyre in the background

 

Cairnryan.

 

The totally astonishing Ailsa Craig.

 

 

Later I was astonished to find that it's 1,109ft high!

 

 

 

 

That really is Northern Ireland out there.

 

 

Me and Michael Flatley, eh, taught him everything he knows. Arran in the background.

 

 

Muffin Island, as I like to call it, and tiny Sanda to the right.

 

 

 

 

(Arctic) Arran.

 

 

Sanda Sound towards the Mull of Kintyre.

 

 

If you know a restaurant with a better view...........

 

 

Ayr India

 

 

 

That night we stopped on the Caravan Club (non-members welcome), site at Craigie Road, Ayr, KA88 0SS, tel. 01292 264 909. Before bed we used our (nasty Chinese) electric thermostatically controlled fan heater and we slept on a duvet with a double duvet on top. The sleeping bags were kept in reserve and in the morning there was no ice on the single-glazed windows (which was a bit of a let down).

 

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