A West Coast Storm.

This was a spur of the moment affair.Woke up early,5:00am,with a splitting headache. (No, not drink related, sober to bed.) After a cold shower and a couple of painkillers back to pillow land and lay in the dark listening to the wind outside battering the trees in my garden, trying to get back to sleep.
Didn`t manage that but after seeing forecast had a different idea to get rid of my continuing headache as I didn't fancy having it all day.
Left house at 8:30am and headed for Largs to try and capture the first big storm of Autumn.Gusts predicted to reach a possible 70 miles an hour combining with a high tide at 9:30am.
It was windy in Glasgow but far worse as I neared the coast,a few small ripped off branches thudding against the windscreen on the way down the tree lined steep hill into the coastal town.Wah! My poor new car!
To those who have only visited this place in sunny conditions in summer it looks something like this I`d imagine.


Fond memories of ice creams and hot dogs when I took this.Mmmmm!
Largs during a winter storm is a whole different ball game but fun none the less.
I must have timed it nicely as I struggled to hold on to the open car door, parking across the street from the sea front to avoid the salt spray.Opening the boot to get the rucksack was an epic adventure in itself.My poor new car!!
The same viewpoint of Largs now looked like this.

Just the thing to get rid of a sore noggin with a gentle stroll along the seafront.The Victorians had the right idea.And it was quiet, just a few hardy souls struggling to the shops in town or the odd mad nutter like myself taking a morning constitutional along the railings.

It was very refreshing.The hammer of heaven pounding the coastline with an audible roar and thud of boulders crashing into the sea defences.Magic stuff.I got a few more cold showers taking these pictures making me wonder why I`d bothered with the one indoors.



Amazingly, the ferry was still running.Tough or what!
I first discovered the beauty of a big storm down the west coast only last year having spent all my time before that clinging onto the sides of hills in bad weather.What a twonk was I.
Last year, by accident, in Troon I witnessed the full glory of the light. (and several facefulls of spray and seaweed.)


I was hooked.I was a storm chaser.



Not only a high gusting wind is required,high tide and an obstacle like a breakwater or cliff comes in handy as well.

And after every storm comes the serene calm.


And if your very lucky with a zoom and a sunset dial on your trusty camera you may even get this.


And calm for me as well.Headache now gone,blown away by the sea.