Isle of May

Got up at 6.45 am and out the house by 8.00 am. I`d pre- booked the ferry after last weeks disapointment to this famous "Jewel of the Firth" lying 5 miles out to sea so I didn`t want to miss it again. (You just phone up and leave your name).
Didn`t feel guilty about Alex as I got the distinct impression he wouldn`t pay the £18 fare needed ("It doesn`t even have a trig?") and I didn`t want to miss my puffins for another year now I had a better camera this time around.
Easy drive up via the M8,Forth road bridge and Glenrothes listening to stirring themes from Zulu(the film soundtrack) then Atlanta`s finest- Cat Power booming out from my cheap stereo got me to an already vibrant Anstruther 2 hours later and checked in at the kiosk.There was already a queue forming and 2 people who hadn`t pre- booked ahead were turned away.
Can`t believe how popular this little jaunt has become nowadays.
Boat was jampacked but my fellow passengers were a friendly lot,mixed young and old from all over the world and UK wide going by the accents.
As we were heading for a nature reserve there were some serious birdwatchers on board with cameras to match.The usual big zoom guys, a large furry microphone man and assorted giant binoculars you could probably kill anything lumbering across the african plains with.
I was almost ashamed to pull out my own tiny zoom in public.It was such a wee winkle.
It was a flat calm crossing and an hour later,with no puking, we landed on bird central, home to around 200,000 seabirds on a slim blade of rock 2 klms long.Roughly 30,000 guillemots,twice that many puffins, lesser numbers of razorbills,terns,shags and eider ducks plus a large breeding population of grey seals.
I was one of the first off the boat and got busy with my tiny pocket zoom.
Puffins were everywhere, whirring around in the air above our heads like chunky little clockwork toys
The one picture I really wanted though was the beak stuffed with sand eels.The classic shot.
I could bore the ass off you for ages with puffin shots as I took over a hundred so here`s some other birds.According to the handout guide its only shags on the island but I didnt see any crests on some of these.Cormorants perhaps?
Apart from the wildlife there is also a long history (5000 years) of people living here.Monks,pirates,smugglers,lighthouse keepers and even a small village at one time.
Now its only the nature wardens but there is a small bothy in the low lighthouse that you can book for a stay on the rock.
You only get 2 to 3 hours on the island but its enough as its fairly small and keeps the human disruption from impacting on the birds too much.
You have to keep to the marked paths but even at that there were puffins waiting to get near their burrows with beakfuls of sand eels too shy to brave the massed cameras assembled nearby.
Any place like this is a fine balancing act between accomodating wildlife and tourists.
Still, at least they are not getting bombed,eaten or shot at as in times past.
All too soon it was time to go and folk shuffled reluctantly back to the boat with memories and pictures.


Arrived back in a now sunny Anstruther at 3 o,clock. ( It had been dry but dull when we left)
Having driven a good way to get here I was in no hurry to rush back with the day improving so I decided to walk from Anstruther along a section of the Fife coastal path to St Monans around 5 klms away. This is a nice section with sandy beaches, clifftop villages and history thrown in.
Its also nice to walk along the edge of folks back gardens in summer as you never know what you might find on the Costa del Fife.

There was even an old salt works near St Monans.A time when salt was much harder to come by which gives its name to Prestonpans and Saltcoats.
As usual I was too late yet again for the St Monans sea queen festival. (Boo Hoo!) a yearly tradition in this little fishing town I`ve always been curious to see for myself.
Never mind.Somewhat wearily I headed up through the empty harbour filled with fluttering bunting,evidence all around me of a gala day packing up , to arrive here!!
As you can see this had everything you might need in a bus shelter as long as you weren`t looking for a pleasant interior or a seat. Bus shelters nowadays offer little comfort if you are elderly or infirm. (Not talking about myself here)
I flopped down against the outside wall, watching swallows skim over the still green corn fields enjoying the sun until the bus arrived after 20 minutes.
Big crowd of good looking Goth girls got off the bus as I got on.Really cute dark makeup but a bit too worldy wise to be sea queens I`d suspect.Probably been sea queens a few years ago though.They sure do breed `em beautiful in St Monans judging by these fine examples.
No photos as I`m quite fond of my teeth.
Sadly, at my time of life,a big feed is all I`m after at the end of a long hot day so drove home thinking about food in kitchen and what I was going to do to it.
I decided I was going to give it a right good seeing to and here it is............
Boy ! What a feed !! Couldn`t wait to chow down on this masterpiece.Lashings of curry powder and spices and a wee cheeky tin of beans and sausage as a garnish.
Minted!!!!!
Then this ..
Man! What a Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dumbarton Castle.Lang Craigs.Doughnot Hill.

Yippee! Summers here.
Now its really going to be a challenge weather wise. Ironically, from past experience, the next couple of months "the so called Scottish summer" may well be the hardest time yet to avoid a soaking and find long hours of sunshine on the hill.
Due to an increase of heat and moisture in the air the mini monsoon season usually kicks in around now making sudden thunderous downpours a possibility anywhere as 16 unlucky bullocks found out on Sunday (killed by lightning sheltering under a tree near the Lammermuirs.)
Give me a winters day anytime for finding stable dry weather.June,July and August can be a nightmare to predict if its sultry.
Alex being on hoilday in the U.S.A (lucky old sod) for the next two weeks I roped in Gavin as my good companion for the day ( his dog Millie was elsewhere)
We were planning a little boat adventure but it was fully booked so a last minute alternative was needed.
Seen forecast,phoned Gavin and suggested Dumbarton Castle,the Lang Craigs and Doughnot hill instead.This was an area he`d only been to as a climber on the famous rock itself but had never visited the castle or the Kilpatricks behind.
I was sure he`d be impressed as this is yet another overlooked but cracking area for walkers.

So, 10.00am. Visited castle first (£4.60 entry fee) on a grey, misty Saturday as better weather was predicted to creep in soon.Spent a pleasant hour wandering round the castle,visiting both rocky summits,learning the history of this impressive fortress of the Britons,one of the oldest fortified strongholds in the UK,occupied since the 5th century.
Its worth a visit and a great place for views and photographers passing the time while the weather steadily improved.

When hazy sunshine burst through we set off for the hills.There are several starting points for this walk.You can drive up from Milton and park at Overtoun house itself where there is a tearoom in summertime.

Having local knowledge of the area I parked discretely at the lesser known back gate posts, halfway down Campbell Avenue which is left at the top of Garshake Road. OS 756418.
Soon we were walking through mature,high canopy, woodland on the track up to the big house itself.This is an impressive structure built in the era of great estates (now run by a christian group I believe) but this still beautiful house and grounds are fairly run down and underused, money being in short supply in West Dumbartonshire.
Paisleys Gleniffer Braes country park is in a similar condition though like here is every bit as scenically splendid as the money rich mugdock park above Bearsden.
Having said that, its easier to escape people here than in crowded Mugdock and after hearing whats proposed for the Loch Lomond wallabies if more money was forthcoming it would probably just change things and first to go might be one of the wonders of Overtoun.The feral spreading glory of the upper rhododendron forest.

At this time of year it is a splendid sight,all the better for being wild and unchecked.
This is where we headed next as I had my eye on a steep little gully, an obvious gap in the southern edge of cliffs.

The Lang Craigs are the real jewels of this walk.Not high but if you can find a prettier escarpment anywhere I,ll be surprised.
An easy ascent through a maze of flowers brought us to the mouth of the gully and we climbed hanging vegetation and a few dripping moss walls to reach the top.

We had lunch here watching buzzards being mobbed by crows, admiring the extensive views over Renfrewshire and the Firth of Clyde.It was muggy and very warm,blue sky in patches mixed with dark lumps of cloud.

After lunch we traversed the full line of cliffs before going for a frontal assault on Doughnot hill(no pics of trig or hill just to annoy Alex,Hee hee!) The path through the trees here can be muddy but can be avoided
Views from the top were extensive of high open tableland. a huge area of empty hills only 30 minutes drive from Glasgow.I`m always amazed that this area is so little frequented having criss crossed the Kilpatricks on several
occasions end to end and rarely seen a soul.
You can go to " wilderness areas" much further north and be pushed to find genuine solitude yet I,ve never been disappointed here. Queens view,the Whangie,Duncolm hill and over the Slacks to Duntocher is a real classic day out in any walkers diary and the first sight on a sunny day of the glittering metropolis below after crossing such a void is breathtaking.
We patted the trig for Alex then wandered down Overtoun glen, the promised clear blue skies arrived on cue and it started to get very warm indeed.
A good day out with fine company and a touch of sunburn,painfully obvious when I had a shower later that night.Very weird considering it was the most overcast day yet.Must have been burnt by the sheer beauty of the flowers.

Later that afternoon,as I live nearby, I forced my weary old legs up the hill again, sitting high above the Erskine Bridge just to take this blue sky picture of sunny Glasgow.Now thats dedication!

Glasgow.A kaleidoscopic cycle tour.

Alex was feeling ill when I phoned.Despite our blog name he doesnt like it when its too warm ( not far off 80 degrees on sunday) so a sudden attack of man flu was called for."You`ll have to go it alone" He croaked."I`m counting on you.Feeling a bit rough."
Where to go? No challenge in finding the sun this weekend it was golden and roasting uk wide a la chicken on a spit.The challenge was simply to enjoy the day.It looked like I was soon going to be grafting hard at work in sweaty conditions so I wanted an easy day out.
The answer? An old favourite of mine that never fails to lift my spirits.Cycling around half of Glasgow and Paisley from my house on the western outskirts of the city.Its got everything. A true Kaleidoscope.
Although this is an urban ride it is surprisingly green and pleasant with large sections linking up meadows and parks.
So took the mountain bike and followed the Loch Lomond cyclepath from my house down past Glasgow Harbour (nice flat biking along the waterfront)
This is just the usual glass and steel towers common on UK wide new build waterfronts. Ok, but I just wish They had a bit more verve, boldness and individual style like a lot of continental projects I`ve seen.
So, continued into Glasgow centre intending to take the wee riverbus which runs to Braehead only to find its now on Loch Katrine plying its trade and the river is now an empty desert again.Gutted! It was a real tourist attraction for the city and brightened up many a journey for me on its decks.R.I.P. Thanks Glasgow district.Tourism is safe in your hands.
Back to Bell`s bridge then and detoured to take this pic of the Angel building with the aforesaid winged one looking pretty hot high above Paisley Road Toll.
After that it was a short distance to Festival Park which is cycle friendly and has a man made stream system you can follow leading you out to Ibrox. Smashing wee park ,shame about the usual heatwave rubbish though that people leave in their wake.BB Qs, takeaways,cans of drink.If they carried it in etc.
Next up, after a merry canter through the picture postcard scenery of back street Ibrox.....
it was into the cool shade of Bellahouston park.
My usual steady uphill push past the much enlarged dry ski runs (3 now) of the Glasgow ski centre brought me to my favorite seat atop the hill for a lunch stop and a great view west towards the Barrhead braes and the southern arc of Glasgow.
Although still in the middle of the city all you can see in this direction is trees, green rolling hills and more trees.My next destination,the vast and leafy Pollok country park lay ahead.
As I sat gumming down on my spicy chcken slice a fat old man was happy.After 15 minutes of sitting down,sweat tricking freely,I knew the bike was the right choice for really hot weather like this as a constant breeze dawdling along kept things pleasant and cool.Alex.Take note!
Had another wee detour just to take a picture before entering the north gate of Pollok park as there is a smashing short link section above the south side of the M8
with good views
Altough this is just off route from what I consider the best classic circlular route
the beauty of this tour is that most parts of it have many different options so its never the same route twice once you know your way around.
Cycled happily through the dappled woods of Pollok Park until I came to Pollok House.Done well here and managed to get this people free pic of the grand house without getting a kicking as maw, paw and scantily clad females of all ages wandered around.I was very careful where I pointed my camera.I only wanted this one iconic shot.
Next up skirted Pollok on quiet roads (Crookston Castle is worth a visit,can go to the top usually.Chain your bike!) then followed the slow meanderings of the White Cart water through the green meadows and inward pointing spiked railings of Leverndale hospital grounds with its dark tower a reminder of its past.Had a few mad relatives incarcerated in here when I was growing up but its quiet and serene mostly nowadays.
This is a lovely stretch of track leading into Paisley with gentle ups and downs along the river.You can continue through this town and out past Bridge of Weir to Greenock on the cycletrack but I cut off it down to Barshaw park as I was going through Renfrew and the ferry which would take me back near my home.
All in all this is a great little day out with endless variety.Braehead waterfront promanade, X scape and the newly constructed ferry village park next to it are all worth a look see on the bike as well.You could do this from anywhere near this route or park and bike from Braehead or Pollok park. Allow 3 to five hours depending on your speed and, or curiosity.
As I said in the title. Kaledoscopic man! Ma eyes are knackered! (No sunglasses as yet). Alex, you missed yerself boy!

St Abb`s Head.

Forecast time.Off we went to the far east again as it was cloudy or raining most other places. (What a surprise)
What started off as a throwaway bet in the pub has grown to a firm commitment to see if we can go a full year in scotland without getting a soaking.As you,ve probably guessed we,ve both served apprenticeships in the usual mist, rain and snow and we are determined we`re not going to take it anymore! Summer is always out there it just takes a bit of finding some days ,thats all.
Parked in the £2 car park above St Abb`s then wandered down to the harbour for a wee snoop around...



Very popular with divers from both Scotland and England this place, as its the start of an underwater eden of caves ,rips and steep"hanging garden" dropoffs.After a tour around we climbed back uphill to start the route where we found this handy board...



A gently ascending climb on short grass took us to the start of the cliffs and sea stacks.



After that every new turn and bend opened out to further views of stacks and cliffs asking to be in the camera lens.Here`s an intrepid old coffin dodger nonchalantly balenced on the end of one.



Seabirds...Guillemots,Razorbills,Kittiwakes and Fulmars clung to every ledge and a few dedicated snappers with serious zoom intentions clung to cliffs nearby braced above the waves on tripods.



Soon we reached the lighthouse and left most of the tourists behind going on to further stacks and cliffs before reaching the famous headland itself where a little scramble was called for to test the nerve.



Having been down to our local mountaineering club recently and given a lukewarm reception to our sunny sunday exploits(i.e. sad old gits-well past it....humour em,they`ll be dead soon!) we decided to pull out all the stops and show these young whippersnappers what it was like in an era before ropes.
Not having sufficent comely madiens hair to chop off and weave into a confidence line just like in the old days, we soloed up the near vertical grass in style.
Ha! Eat your heart out men of St Kilda,these two old gits will do anything for a photo opportunity!
(Dear milk tray ad,here is our c.v....."having swam from the boat with the chocs stuffed down our boxers" etc....)



After the adventure of the cliffs we headed inland at Alex`s insistance to bag the usual trigs,fundamental skid marks and assorted little lumps of white sticking out of fields in the middle of nowhere.(What,s wrong with that boy!The cliffs man, the cliffs!)
A great remote epic can be done, if your lucky enough to be without a bagger, all the way to Fast Castle missing trigs and wee white sticky up bits en route.
Anyways the views were suberb, as always, all the way back to the car.
We then motored to Eyemouth (interesting big harbour) for further trig adventures round the back of a sports centre .
Incidently,Eyemouth has more curry houses,chinese takeaways and kebab shops than I`ve ever seen in a small town main street before.
Must be a hell of a laugh in the toilets at chucking out time.Facilites being at a premium hereabouts.




All in all a brillant day on what must be some of the most varied and exciting sea cliffs in scotland. A real five star gem of a outing.



Divers returning to St.Abbs.....