Exploring

Breakfast and a chat with the owners of the B&B - apparently their main business comes from the dark sky park observatory nearby - will have to bring A&N sometime. We set off for a wander before catching the ferry and started with Culzean castle. Great thing about having a National Trust membership is you can just pop in to properties like this and not feel you need to stay long enough to get your money’s worth from the entrance price! Gorgeous views across the sea and lovely weathered sandstone outside - loved the kitchens.
Then took S on a bit of a nostalgia tour for me through Dunure and Ayr to see the beachfront, the Electric Brae (couldn’t remember how it works!) the rocks where we collected whelks, my first house and the famous ice cream shop (where we sampled the much coveted fancy oyster with a single scoop). So weird to see familiar names and places from so long ago, but discomforted by the change in the beach wall (although seems odd they’d change it but definitely different!).
Up to Ardrossan for the ferry and I tried to read once we were settled in the bar but fell promptly asleep! Once we arrived we set off on a drive round the top half of the island - spotting seals at several points (extra) - and having a walk along a very pebbly beach doing the usual beachcombing which I love. Basically sunny but with some glowering dark clouds just ahead of us all the time.
Back to check-in at our B&B (less upmarket than last night!) and put the heaters on before we went out for dinner. Lovely to sit at a blazing fire in armchairs drinking the rather unusual Arran gin (tasted very earthy/mineral-ly, not sure I’d buy a bottle!). Dinner was a lovely selection of ‘Scottish tapas’....all very delicious and we really enjoyed our selection before another seat by the fire for a while. Knew I’d fall asleep if we stayed there much longer so we headed home for a (very) early night.....