Scotland - Castle Douglas to Isle of Arran

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Tuesday 3rd May 2011 Castle Douglas to Isle of Arran 97 miles.....................
Well here we are on day 4, no sign of any internet – lucky if we get mobile phone signals!! We watched TV last night and saw that we have two days of good weather left before the rain moves in so we decided to move north and try to get to Oban for Thursday.
We didn’t want to miss anything though so it was an early start to Threave castle.....a half mile walk took us to the River Dee and views of the ruined 14thC castle with a bonus of talking to an RSPB person who was there watching an ospreys nest. We were also lucky enough to see the male osprey standing next to the nest preening himself!
Onward to ‘the most beautiful drive in Scotland’ which was extremely pleasant – I wouldn’t actually say the best views I have seen but certainly an overload of gorse, bluebells, azaleas, colourful hedgerows, red kites soaring, blue sea, islands and a couple of castles! Because of the sunny weather all the scenery seems to be very clear and quite spectacular – rolling hills and sea and wild moors with gorse and sheep with their lambs.
We stopped at Culzean castle and country park for a couple of hours and did the clifftop walk through the bluebell wood to the Swan Pond, viewed the outside of the castle with its beautiful formal gardens and walked around the huge walled garden admiring the flowering tulips and anemones.
We then missed the coastal road but took the B7024 into Ayr stopping at the Robbie Burns museum to see the monument and Auld Tom O Shanter and Souter Jonnie from his poem Tam O Shanter! Walked across the 14thC Brig o Doon (Bridge over River Doon) and walked through the house where he was born and lived for seven years of his life.
We decided to take the 18.00hrs evening ferry from Ardrosson to Isle of Arran, so we are sat having a cup of tea in the sun waiting for the boat! Its an hour crossing so once we get onto the island we will find a campsite at Lamlash......that the plan!!

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Photos

Chris on the Brig o Doon!
(Bridge over River Doon!)