whispers of horse island

this flat rocky island a mile of the Ardrossan north shore and the harbour was gifted to Philip de Horssay by the abbot of Kilwinning Abbey
it is a safe haven for varied sea birds but a deathtrap for ships after Ardrossan harbour was built about 1800, that beacon was built in 1811 and a lifeboat stationed at the harbour soon after
xtra - my 2015 blip taken shows the Arran ferry passing near the island
title is taken from a 1999 book with chapters about the birdlife and the saga of shipwrecks