ARRAN COASTAL WAY: DAY 1

I have set myself a wee challenge of walking the Arran Coastal Way, a new long distance path of 65 miles. Awoke today to find a Met Office Severe Weather Warning for the area, but I am inured to the pessimistic outlook of these guys in the Met Office - it probably wasn't going to be that bad - or was it?

We walked the first section, nine miles over rough terrain from Lochranza to Sannox, in surprisingly good time. Perhaps we would taken longer had it not been too cold to linger over the views. Certainly there was much for pause and wonder. Among other wonders, this is the site of Hutton's Unconformity. Hutton's discovery was a bit of a jolt for those who thought the world was created four thousand years ago. We were more taken by the pounding sea and the mass of wild flowers especially the primroses. But for the geologists among you, I offer some of the Carboniferous Old Red Sandstone which awoke Hutton's curiosity.

The promised heavy rain held off until we were an hour from our lodgings. Our host kindly took our wet outer layers and plied us with hot tea and homemade shortbread, a foretaste of the delicious dinner to follow. Weather, what weather?

THREE THINGS TO BE GRATEFUL FOR:

Very efficient wet weather gear
Gannets, oyster catchers, and a wee brown bird we couldn't identify
Uncomformists of all sorts