Drumadoon

My alarm went off at 04:45, and we were all out and in the car by 05:45 for the drive to Troon to catch the ferry to Arran.  Not normally being up and about at that time, we were blown away by the spectacular sunrise behind us.  Thankfully it was a very smooth journey and we were there in plenty of time.  As the Arran ferries are all to pot, this ferry is hired in from Pentland Ferries, and as such there is no catering on board, which was a disappointment for the boys, who were hoping on a breakfast.  It’s maybe just as well there was no catering, as it was initially a very bumpy crossing. I am not a great sailor, so I was not looking forward to the crossing, however, the wind must have dropped, as it became much smoother the close to Arran we got.
 
First stop was a cafe in Brodick for breakfast, and what a feast it was.  The boys went for the full monty, while I went for something more restrained, though still very filling.  It was all delicious.  We then picked up a few provisions and headed over to Blackwaterfoot, where we are staying with friends for a couple of days.  After a lovely catch up, four of us went for a walk along the beach and around by the golf course,  Three of us then continued our walk to  Ballygowan Fort, having passed the sign to it so many times over the years.  It is not a walk I would recommend.  It was so wet, and I definitely had the wrong shoes on, and it just got wetter and muddier and I got to a point where I just gave up.  TT and R continued for a bit longer, until they too retraced their steps.  I was delighted to see them appearing again.  Although they had probably only been gone about fifteen minutes, it felt much longer to be hanging around in the back of beyond on my own.  We took a different route back down, which was probably slightly drier, until I slipped – mud everywhere.  All in all, not a walk we would ever recommend.  However we did spot a golden eagle, so not all bad.
 
Once back at our cottage, there was just time for a quick hose down and turn round to get ourselves out for dinner over Brodick way.  We had a really lovely meal, with lots of chat and laughs.  We had all eaten well, especially BB!  We then retreated back home, where we all had a night cap and Kummel made an appearance – a new drink to me.  After our early start, I could hardly keep my eyes open, so was early to bed.
 
These are the spectacular cliffs at Drumadoon.