Some Arran Wildlife

On a beautiful evening I went for a paddle in Lamlash Bay to cool down.

There were lots of small fish but I'm not sure what kind.

There were small flatfish too but I didn't manage to get a photo of them as you could really only see them when they were moving. There were shrimps...

 

 

... and there were lots of hermit crabs. The water was warm and beautifully clear.

 

 

In fact the water was so warm that it didn't do much to revive me, which was the original idea behind going for a paddle in the sea! However something else did much to revive me...

The sea creatures didn't seem too bothered by the presence of my feet. First this crab ran right over me, then I spotted a very busy hermit crab...

It was testing out a new shell for size. I knew that hermit crabs were soft bodied and that when they needed a bigger shell they had to find an empty one and then move quickly before any predators caught them, but I've never seen it actually happening before. This hermit crab spent ages getting the shell into the perfect position, then he quickly nipped into the bigger shell. He then maybe thought it was a little too big as he then scuttled back into his old shell again, before finally moving back into the new shell and heading off.

What a sight.  It certainly made my day!

Crowning the Queen

I went along to watch the start of Lamlash Gala Week. It always starts with the crowning of the "Heather Queen" with some entertainment, but from that it has grown over the last few years (it's been years since I've been in Arran at the right time for it) and it's now a big event, with stalls, bouncy castle, races, food and lots more.

It was a beautiful day, which probably helped draw the crowds...

There were lots of stalls and competitions, including the slingshot. We didn't see anyone actually managing to hit one of the buoys.

I was most amused to see the Heather Queen, after sitting demurely on stage throughout the proceedings, let her hair down and enjoy playing in the sun!

There used to be a whole week of events following the crowning of the Heather Queen, but I didn't see anything else or any advertising for anything else while I was there.

Easter in Arran

I'm finally finding time to sort through the many photos taken over the last few months, and catch up (hopefully!) on some blog entries.

Last Easter I went to Arran for a few days.

One of the places I visited was Brodick Castle - it's a great place to visit in the springtime.

This pheasant posed beautifully for me.

I spotted this plant on a visit to a friend in Balloch, growing wild on the shores of Loch Lomond. We weren't sure what it was, although it looked very alien growing there. Then I spotted it beside the pond at Brodick Castle. I think it's skunk cabbage. It didn't seem to smell of skunks, but then again, I wasn't that close...

It's a great time of year in the castle gardens, with the rhododendrons and azaleas in flower.

I loved the magnolia too.

Camellias.

Busy bee.

The daffodils were also in full bloom.

Back in Lamlash and the sun was shining on Holy Isle.

A good time of year.

Changes

Normally when I return to Arran all is much the same as it always was, or with only the odd change. This time though there seemed to be a lot of dramatic changes - all in a small area, my old 'stamping ground'.

This is for my friend Ann who won't be able to see the changes in person as she now lives in Australia.

The old church in Lamlash is finally being restored. It's been talked about for as long as I can remember (i.e. since I was a small child, first holidaying in Lamlash when I was at primary school.)

I'm not sure who now owns it - for years and years there was talk of it being turned into a festival theatre.

Lots of changes at the Marine too...

It looks really weird to see it like that, minus the room we used to stay in! Although it does make it look more like old postcards I remember being shown as a child by the owners.

Time will tell whether the changes are all for the better.

Arran Maritime Festival

There was a festival, based around Arran Yacht Club in Lamlash, arranged around the expected (hoped for?) visits of the tall ships to Lamlash and the rest of Arran. I saw around 18 of the tall ships (out of around 37 taking part in leg 1 of the Tall Ships Race) although I believe there may have actually been 24 of them visiting Arran. Several others visited ports on the Ayrshire coast or Campbeltown on their way to Greenock.

Lamlash pier area was very busy throughout the festival, but especially on Thursday.

There were dinghy sailing and power boat trips (organised by Lamlash Yacht Club). And kayaking taster sessions and more with the Arran Adventure Company...

I wanted to do a power boat trip, but the timings and popularity of the trips meant I had to miss out as I was already booked on a kayaking trip that afternoon. The power boat trips were apparently running late as the attendees were being invited aboard some of the tall ships. My brother and sister in law went on a trip and got aboard the tall ship 'Dolphin' for a look.

COAST had a stall at the pier, with some displays, and divers were regularly bringing back 'creatures from the sea' for folk to see. My young nephew loved this display and the young man manning the stall was extremely helpful and geared his information just right for a 5 year old. I was very impressed! The same 'young man' was showing his own younger side later on, dressed in a wetsuit and leaping with wild abandon off Lamlash Pier as I kayaked by!

The Corrie longship was  out in the bay (this view from the doorway of Mum & Dad's conservatory!) and later on, while kayaking, I saw it being rowed around the pier area. Another thing I'd have had a go at if I'd had the time...

The bay just seemed to get busier and busier...

... and in the evening the pipe band played at the end of the pier which was just lovely.

Whilst the pipe band were playing, crews were being ferried ashore from the tall ships. Often the boats stayed off the end of the pier, watching the pipe band and allowing the passengers to take photographs. It felt a little like the paparazzi zooming about in the boats taking photos of the celebrities on the pier!

Mostly, the folk on the pier probably felt like the crews in the boats being ferried ashore were the real 'celebrities'. This boatload was from the Christian Radich, which won the 1st leg of the race from Waterford.

After the pipe band finished performing, attention moved to the yacht club where there was a beer 'tent', barbecue and more music.

'Fish & chips' sang sea shanties, extremely well...

They were then followed by a ceilidh, and as dusk fell on the bay the ships were still visible by the lights on their masts...

The next day felt like it might be an anticlimax, but we saw lots of boats leaving the bay (sadly not in full sail) and were then rewarded with some great views of the Europa, which we'd first seen arriving into Lamlash Bay in full sail 3 days previously.

I can't wait for the next instalment of the 'tall ships story' as I should be meeting up with some of them again in both Orkney and Shetland.

Tall ships in Lamlash

It was great seeing so many tall ships calling into Lamlash Bay last week, as they finished the race and before heading to Greenock.

The first one (the Eurpoa) came in on Tuesday evening in full sail. A great sight.

More ships gradually arrived over the next day.

Not all of them picked the best places to anchor! This one (the Irene I think) spent a good 2 hours moving about the bay, presumably deciding on the best place to anchor....  She was gone by the next morning, presumably creeping out of the bay under cover of darkness (on the high tide about 4am).

A few ships left on the Thursday morning, which dawned grey and wet. I got rather wet taking these photographs.

It was worth the wet walk to Clauchlands though, to see the Eurpoa pass in (almost) full sail.

It was interesting to check online (on the Sail Training Association's website) and see what was heading in our direction...

The bay was filling up with more tall ships, and thought were turning to the Arran Maritime Festival, which had been arranged in the hopes that several ships would call in...

A tall ship, by the way, is not necessary one with many sails, or, in the words of the Sail Training Association's website, "not necessarily one of the glamorous square-riggers". Apparently a "tall ship" (as in the terms of the Tall Ships Race) is "any monohull sailing vessel of more than 9.14m waterline length, provided that at least 50 percent of the crew are aged between 15 and 25 years and that the vessel meets Sail Training International's safety equipment requirements." So now you know!

The "glamorous square riggers" are still my favourite though ...

... although the traditional style yachts with the brown sails are very nice too. The boat on the right here is the Swan, from Shetland. I've actually been at her helm while she was sailing in Kirkwall Bay!