The Spectacular Firth of Clyde. Saltcoats and Arran. Act Two. The Death of Celebrity?

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West Kilbride beach near Farland Head. This is the continuation of our trip along the Clyde Coastal resorts. The weather was fantastic with crisp clear light and great views.

A dump of snow made each hill stand out in profile, even ones under 3000 feet that wouldn't normally get a second glance.

Although not Munros the Cowal and Argyll hills are still hard to ascend- many of them rugged, steep, wild ground underfoot, with few paths to summits.

And Queen above them all the Island of Arran- the crown jewel in the Firth of Clyde.

One of the Arran ridge. Entertaining and narrow in summer conditions with several scrambling sections along it- in winter, under snow or ice, a more serious proposition.

Not being hill-walkers my two companions were happy just to sight-see from the car although we did get out briefly in selected places to walk around. After a long spell of poor weather- rain, snow, endless grey days etc, this was a rare beauty of a day, forecast in advance, so several yacht races were taking place out on the water.
It made for excellent photo opportunities on the day- especially as my companions always seem less than keen to appear on the blog- which I find both annoying as a photographer yet also very refreshing as I have the exact same attitude towards myself appearing, just by natural inclination so I can't really complain. I'd rather take landscapes instead anyway. As Boy George sagely noted recently in an excellent and funny TV programme I watched.... pre- internet it used to be fans were just pleased to see celebrities as famous individuals- but now it's fans photographing themselves with some celebrity or other as mere background wallpaper to be seen beside. Much harder to be a genuine celebrity and star these days when every other bugger normal considers themselves one as well. The focus has shifted entirely in the 2000s and switched right around...  now everyone on the planet has the potential for a diva sized ego and the seductive means to promote, encourage and increase their profile every day online. Can that really be healthy for society in the long run though, especially for youngsters who think that's normality and can't remember any kind of life without living online and being judged and valued through it ? Obviously, I know myself how seductive that can be (as a major online star since 2009... and I'm still a star... it's the blogs and the Mars Bars that have got smaller! ) and I'd imagine that's very addictive for most folk but not so good for real stars although people are still willing to pay cash for live concerts thankfully. Mind you, with proper nine to five traditional jobs going down the toilet you need something to feel good about.

The Cal Mac ferry with the sun hitting  it.

A lone white house on the Ardmore Peninsula.

A large service ship off Arran- one used for erecting wind turbines and bound for Greenock docks- its previous port of call being Liverpool.

Another view of the Arran Ridge.

And another. Being so cold visibility was excellent.

Another yacht race taking place off Largs- this one lining up for the start presumably.

Next up came Saltcoats and Ardrossan beach where we did park to go for a proper walk along the sands. Arran behind.

It was a real surprise to find Saltcoats so busy on a winter's day and the large seafront car-park here was almost full. We just managed to get a space. Of course I was one of the original divas of the internet darling, having had a well known blog for the last ten years promoting places in the Central Belt that people wouldn't normally think to go... so I can honestly claim sole credit for this unexpected winter tourist boom in such an unlikely spot. No need to thank me. Perversely, I wasn't best pleased by this new situation as it's only ever been all about me... and only me  normally:)  What if I couldn't get parked at all or parked in any other favourite resort if this alarming trend/ influx continues? Would visual documented history and great photography die out on the west coast!? It doesn't bear thinking about....Admittedly we arrived fashionably late in the day, around 3:00pm- but that was all part of our splendid plan.

Day trippers enjoying Saltcoats promenade. By this time the sun was fully out.

The wide expanse of Saltcoats beach. For a winter's day it was busy and popular here but I preferred an empty sands photo instead....like the good old days wondering why nobody else ever came here anymore. Be careful what you wish for....  Besides, why should I promote someone else on my blog! A mere stranger in my ointment.... A non famous interloper... on my beach.  Take your own pictures you johnny come lately gatecrashers!
Probably due to stagnant wages, food prices rising in the shops, families watching their money...  more info online etc,...  the more traditional no frills holiday resorts like this one seem to be enjoying something of a limited revival.... like vinyl records. Six year ago Saltcoats in winter would never have been this busy I don't think even on a sunny day.... and it is after all a  monkey see- monkey do world we live in.

 My God, I've just realized how very important I am to the Scottish economy! I caused this seaside rush to the beach all by myself...A true trendsetter! Somebody should hire me for tourism purposes right away..... but never forget dear readers if I'm ever headhunted away from these shores to far more elegant locations abroad for glamorous photo shoots.... I was showcasing these areas first!  Me- all me!!!!!! Me, Me, Me!!!!! and I'll not change one bit as I've always been a natural born narcissist with the solar system spinning around my pram linked to every smile,, laugh, or frown since birth- but now there's trillions of me out there ... it's so annoying and unfair.   Follow my world online ... '# Me @ why I'm so completely special... but every other ********* is too these days apparently' :o(

After the delights of the beach- (Alas, although sunny it was too cold and windy for sunbathing so I still don't know how many secret tattoos Anne and Belinda have or haven't got under their jackets.) Damn Scottish cold wet summers.  A lifetime spent in a shapeless cagoule is no fun at all. Nine long years without a sun kissed naked body glimpsed, apart from my own sad carcass reflected in the mirror after my yearly bath and tidy up.
Anyway, after a bracing beach walk along the sands we walked in the other direction to here- which is the newly restored southern walkway leading to Stevenston and Ardeer. This used to be heavily broken up, full of holes, and prone to flooding and giant waves during winter storms hitting the railway line, stopping trains running but last year they restored it as it's part of Route 73 National bike trail and also the multi day long distance Ayrshire Coastal Path. It's now a beautiful cycle ride or walk but from a photography point of view it's been drastically tamed as people used to get huge breaking waves here captured on camera 30 feet high and now they don't.

Hundreds of boulders dumped into the sea below the wall diffuse the big waves before they hit full force against it so no more great crashing wave action at this hot spot. Wah!!!! Nice railings though.
To be continued- the last part.
PS. Naturally, I have a gallery of the best and highest waves ever photographed at this spot...well, I would do, wouldn't I?.... but luckily I have very little ego so I will not mention a link to that earlier fantastic post as I'm the modest, self effacing type.

But instead...........here's a brilliant one of me, and only one of me.... on Gran Paradiso ( High Paradise) 4,061 metres, 13,323 feet.
Aren't I brave and handsome? :o) A mountaineering colossus staring over the vertical edge in disgust at the 10,000 foot pimples scattered below :o) No ropes required as usual for me and hands casually placed in pockets caressing my mighty balls of steel. No crawling about on my knees and ass here. Although it's one of the easiest 4000 metre peaks in the Alps to climb it has fantastic views from the summit as it sits alone on an offshoot from the main alpine chain yet close enough to the surrounding giants to appreciate them properly. This is not the official summit but a free standing tower/ pinnacle nearby...that looked suspiciously higher from some angles so had to be bagged just in case.  "Top of the World. Ma... it's yer wee boy!" Undoubtedly, one of the highlights of my life this trip.
This excellent and atmospheric video link of the Aosta region and ascent up Gran Paradiso really captures the beauty and essence of this memorable area. Takes me right back to a very special holiday and moment in time. Fleet footed Chamois and heavy horned Ibex grace the slopes below the snowline in summer. Although an easy snow plod this Italian giant has a knife edged summit ridge of shattered, tottering pinnacles and is one of the most beautiful mountains I've ever climbed. This video also shows my pinnacle near the end, immediately before and right after the Madonna summit statue close up- rock climbing and scrambling is never easy with crampons on and this tower is balanced right on the very edge of the cliff at a worrying angle. The views from Mont Blanc summit were not that special as everything else around seemed rather flat and unassuming below, even the Matterhorn-... on Paradiso however ridge after ridge, peak after peak, soared high above or far below our feet, and some peaks close by were on the same eye level but super enhanced somehow so it's well named and the highest mountain sitting completely within Italy. ( all the other large Alpine Italian peaks straddle the border with summits shared with another neighbouring country.)
Even if you are not into climbing hills this is an excellent short travelogue and visual extravaganza of the entire region and well worth seeing.










 

The Spectacular Firth of Clyde. A Day Gallery. Act One.

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A compilation gallery of three different trips around the Firth of Clyde Estuary, coastal towns and villages over the winter period. Two undertaken by myself solo and one more recently with friends Anne and Belinda. As Easter just past was something of a washout- cold, windy, rain and snow- and they didn't bother going anywhere I decided to show them some of the best highlights the Firth of Clyde has to offer as a consolation prize- turning their trip into a scenic extravaganza of well known spots but also some secret places. This is Dumbarton Rock and Castle with yellow gorse in full spring bloom. A closer inspection however reveals a black dragon lurking on the rock- which I can only assume is some kind of wayward tarpaulin as they have had scaffolding up here all year to do repairs. That's the obvious simple answer as dragons don't exist in Scotland, not around the River Clyde anyway. A logical explanation every time.

A small lighthouse near Port Glasgow and an even smaller low tide island. In a new budget strapped reality TV programme two groups of unlucky/plucky individuals may be stranded here- one party from a local run down council housing estate and one from a posh neighborhood forced to fend for themselves, live off the land, hunt animals, and explore the surroundings working together as a team. Too far fetched an idea?

A beautiful and brightly coloured Shelduck nearby, one of the UK's largest ducks and my favourite meal along with oven chips. Even stranded on a tiny island food can be had. The sea will provide.

The equally beautiful Eider ducks- very tasty in thin slices- both species having feathers and colours  resembling painted silk on the plate, up close and personal. Good eating in a duck I'm told if you can hunt one down dressed in a loincloth and carrying a makeshift spear.

Harder to catch but a meaty mouthful all the same- Sandpipers and a lone Redshank. On reflection maybe it's better sending the stranded group to a tropical island instead to eat the wildlife there for entertainment purposes as it's exotic and no-one will complain as much. Nature is after all there for our entertainment, apparently. It's a funny old world at times. I mention this as I wonder how we will look back on this decade 35 years from now as we currently compare the strange old, quaintly dated, 1980s programmes on TV recently with the much more enlightened TV version today? During the 1980s it just felt completely normal, mostly, living through it... or in modern parlance- "it was what it was" back then. Now that we are living in a far more enlightened, supposedly equal environment era, we would never screen a period middle ages drama (competing with the internet mainly- TV's major threat these days) where most of the women portrayed in it routinely strip down naked almost every episode apart from an old women and a young girl while the male actors get to keep their clothes on mostly. You couldn't possibly get away with that sort of rampant gender inequality today without complete outrage happening surely :o)
What? It's an extremely popular show worldwide !? Who would have guessed that!

Meanwhile, the Cowal and Argyll hills unfold in full winter splendour...demurely covered up.

Seen after heavy snowfalls over the mountains just past the Easter break.

A container ship in the Firth of Clyde off Greenock.

Glasgow tower blocks seen from Greenock. The red and white one -possibly Anniesland Tower.
 It seems to me that we are fighting wars on all fronts at the moment- not only a new, fast evolving, cold war but technology and innovation wars and what they will bring to society... the various complex internet addictions plaguing humankind, introduced fairly recently...leading to potential cyborgs in a few decades time once internal IT implants develop fully?.... increased narcissism/ and loss of self directly related to number of likes/ dislikes/notion of  self-worth online etc /.... identity and complete personality theft via modern 3D graphics, home control gadgets, and data advances in the near future...where you could potentially copy anyone with perfect recognizable mannerisms and looks as already seen in certain games today... increasingly unstoppable fake news with the death of conventional media outlets...artificially manufactured wars to make the super rich even richer, get rid of overcrowding problems, or grab vital assets like oil reserves and minerals... the ever growing divide between rich and poor worldwide...blah, blah blah.....ah, these are always exciting times to be alive in----usually looking back in nostalgic hindsight- Hey...just like the 1960s were....and with all that distraction going on who can be bothered with boring wildlife, leaving the EU, and general planet health I wonder?

Gourock in mid-winter. I was pulling out all the stops on this trip for scenic delights. Always seize the day by the throat is my motto and squeeze really hard! Fiddle merrily away while Rome burns regardless.  Hedonism above virtue and self sacrifice! :o)  A and B usually visit these places in summer so a deep midwinter trip was a complete novelty for them- as were the ribbons of mist hanging over the mountains.

Evening sunlight hits Brucehill in Dumbarton with the Lang Crags behind.

Football match observed from Lyle Hill.

Gourock as night descends over the town.

Two forms of flight. We invented it of course- birds just copied us- a well known, well documented fact in 2040 in an era after paper news has ceased altogether and we really lose the plot.

Sea kayakers off Gourock. Hardy people given the freezing conditions and the inevitable wave spray in choppy seas.

A ship in the Firth.

Dumbuck Quarry and Rock. Like Dumbarton Castle rock another volcanic plug in a hot bed area with over 50 other examples of volcanic ancient eruptions existing between here and Edinburgh to a geologists experienced eye.

 Dumbarton again in this one with Doughnot hill 374 metres, under snow. A volcanic lava escarpment frozen in time. It makes perfect sense for me nowadays to use the car less and take the bus more as I can save between £10 to £30 in petrol each time by doing so but it's also nice on trips to stop anywhere that takes your fancy so all three of us thoroughly enjoyed this scenic car ride... and the best was yet to come.... to be continued.

A cracker of a video now. The first mountain we climbed on our backpacking trip across the French/ Spanish Pyrenees many years ago, the 11,000 foot high mountain chain creating a physical and geographical border between these two countries was a holiday to remember and it gets a full chapter in my novel 'Autohighography'.
 The Pic du Midi D' Ossau was the first major rock peak we climbed on that trip, - a 2884 metre, 9461 foot soaring spire with the easiest line being an entertaining scramble not unlike Curved Ridge on the Buachaille Etive Mor, 1022 metres- only higher. We had a rope with us but never used it once as we had been intensively scrambling and rock-climbing in Scotland beforehand in preparation for this trip. I must have been not too shabby then in my prime as I wouldn't attempt it today without a rope I don't think..Camped at the Pombie Hut on the first day, then experienced a full scale biblical thunderstorm, sheet lightning, and floods overnight then climbed the peak in the morning as the mists cleared and the vultures took to the skies. A good link here to a superb video giving you a real taste of what the Pyrenees have to offer the adventurous visitor.  Professionally put together, gripping stuff and better than most things on mainstream TV recently, although I did like the history prog shown a few days ago about Jesus' Female Disciples: The New Evidence-  key woman getting erased from history (nothing new there)  in a now male dominated church. Well worth seeing.

Corrour Station. The Walk Out. Classic Munros in Winter.

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Binnein Mor 1130 metres, 3,707 feet high.
In the morning we tidied up the bothy, gave the rooms a sweep then cleaned out both fireplaces... leaving behind enough spare coal, wood, kindling and firelighters to give the next folk walking in a good fire. With decades of hard earned experience we now carry coal or wood into most bothies as before that we often had problems finding dead wood dry enough to burn lying outside and we usually arrived after dark on grim wet Friday nights anyway, after work. Shows how much coal we carried in when we had good fires both nights then a morning fire (burning combustible rubbish) before we left. We also carried out a bag of unnecessary rubbish as well as our own empty cans. Even at that the packs felt a lot lighter which was just as well as I for one had bruised shoulders from the 'beast of burden' walk in.

With the usual Highland luck it was a cracking sunny day of warm sunshine and hardly any wind for our departure. A weather god's loud raspberry after the brutal conditions suffered the day before on the Corbett Glas Bheinn. Also cracking and snapping loudly was the river as the late March sunshine melted the overnight ice sending sizable sheets of it tumbling down the rapids and waterfalls. A lovely tinkling sound to hear. No wonder our ancestors worshiped the sun. You can scrape a car windscreen for ages coated with thick ice yet within a minute, driven from frozen shade over to a sunny spot it will melt completely by itself as if by magic. Sitting outside the bothy in a sheltered hollow it was actually warm- a rare event in Scotland- even in summer.

Although this photo taken on the journey in looks flat it doesn't show that the path out from Staoineag to Corrour is relentlessly uphill most of the way so it wasn't the gentle hike back we were expecting.

There is nothing else at Corrour Station. This is it... but what there is here is delightful.

Not only fantastic views of surrounding peaks- best seen under snow.

But also distant views across Rannoch Moor of the Bridge of Orchy range of mountains. Beinn a Chreachain, 1081 metres, Beinn Achaladair, 1039 metres and Beinn an Dothaich, 1002 metres.
One of the great Central Scotland  day walks in spring sunshine is an ascent of the first two mountains here through Crannach Wood then up the Mount Fuji like slopes to the glistening snow draped broad ridge. A canter along all four Munros, (Beinn Dorain, 1076 metres, being the hidden end peak viewed from here) is an epic day out but once you reach the ridge-line a surprisingly easy four summit romp with superb views unfolds... or just the first two mentioned if returning to a car.

Inside this humble looking building a surprise awaited.

It was rather posh inside, with polished tables, a range of food being served and a bar/cafeteria/ restaurant serving section with staff behind it to cater for your every whim- within limits. After the spartan bothy experience this was somewhat overwhelming so we settled for a glass of coke and a mars bar although the venison burger buns, with all the trimmings, looked nice and not that expensive. Compared to other transport waiting rooms I've been in this was sheer indulgence but I suppose they have to pull out all the stops to get ordinary rail folk to use it in such a remote spot. There is nothing else around here, apart from hills, moor and lochs, so any captive audience has to be kept amused in comfort, once they have admired the views. Having had a full breakfast in the bothy beforehand we were still stuffed. It's not open in the worst winter months.

As the inside of the building was playing host to a group of railway enthusiasts/volunteers/ rail network officials we sat outside as it was still sunny and warm.

This is us here talking to one....

...and this is the newly converted building open for tourists to stay in. £110 a night apparently but the views from the glass lookout must be impressive. Link, reviews, and photos here. Damn! Getting hungry just looking at the food :o)
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g3590876-d3377054-Reviews-Corrour_Station_House-Corrour_Scottish_Highlands_Scotland.html

The next stop down the line- Rannoch Station- also has a bunkhouse and static railway carriage accommodation although a minor road also reaches that community so it's a slightly larger collection of buildings surrounding the station but still remote, marooned in the centre of the moor.

When the train arrived our weather luck held and it was a spectacular two stop ride across the moor past some of Central Scotland's most iconic Munros and mountain ranges. Buachaille Etive Mor, 1022 metres, a favourite peak for rock climbers.

Creise, 1100 metres in profile.

The train rumbled past the Glen Coe/ Glen Etive/and  Blackmount ranges- looking far higher under snow than 3000 plus feet. It's not a Bullet Train so you get plenty of time to admire the views and for me to avoid window glare. No frozen extremities this time around. Sheer luxury behind glass on a cosy seat not curled in a ball in a wind tunnel- lying on an ice sheet.

 I could get used to this mode of transport/comfort and the train was fairly busy with seasoned rail travellers drinking in the scenery while sipping malt whisky... watching the world go by.

Loch Tulla and Stob Ghabhar, (goat mountain in English) 1087 metres, another fantastic classic Munro.

And they kept on coming once off the train at Bridge of Orchy station and back in John's car. The mountain wall of high peaks and huge overhanging cornices above the train station. In the early days I knew a girl in a club who fell through one of these deceptive overhangs- plummeted 500 feet down the mountainside- but was unscathed apart from bruises, thanks to luck and soft snow depth. From the ridge above they can be hard to see for walkers and she was ten feet back from the edge when she suddenly disappeared - one of the hazards of winter mountaineering. A lot of  mountain accidents happen in the first  couple of years before you gain a real understanding of the dangers involved- avalanches- loose rock, power of swollen streams you have to cross etc...

icy slopes, seen here, being another factor.

Ben More, (big hill) 1174 metres and flat topped Stob Binnein, 1165 metres viewed from Tyndrum.

Beinn Mhanach, 954 metres, seen from Auch. Did this one many years ago in pouring rain and mist and we waded the same river three or four times knee and thigh deep, going in then coming out, following the track. It didn't make much difference as we were already soaked by that time anyway so just kept boots and trousers on until the car where we rang numerous pints of water out our sodden gear and socks by hand. Ah, the good old days of going up hills no matter the weather...

And a last one of Ben Lomond, 974 metres, looking like a pyramid from this angle. A great trip and thanks to John for the invitation, company, and driving duties-allowing me to take these photos.

A classic oldie and one of Joni Mitchell's best songs. Growing up in a cold wet country I can easily identify with the lyrics to this number. Although partly written about the fading folk music scene where she grew up..... inland Canada has long harsh winters but warmer, drier summers than ours.... you can tell which season she preferred....and as soon as I heard this decades ago it captured my feelings perfectly as well. A love/hate relationship with winter and a lifelong yearning for a warmer climate that many must also feel across the UK given the popularity of sunny holiday destinations abroad. I just turn Scotland into my sun-drenched oasis instead. It can be done. Actual warmth is far harder to  conjure up though, even in summer, where T-shirt only days are few and far between.
Nice imagery in this video. A work of art in itself.