The Bass Rock, as photographed from the shore at North Berwick, is a spectacular sight.

Whilst, from the landward side, North Berwick is dominated by Berwick Law.

I’ve loaded the pictures of the trip, including Dirleton Castle & Craigmiller Castle
on Flickr.

I’m sure that Grant will forgive my trespassing on his area for a very limited time, but I thought you might like the following photograph of Edinburgh Castle taken last Monday evening.

Later the same night, while we were waiting for a bus, we listened to the Group Simple Minds performing in Princes Street Gardens. I tried to take a photograph of the stage from a moving bus and the following interesting result ensued.

Apologies for the delay in posting, but I’m on the road at the moment and I don’t know when I’ll have access.

Note how much the eagulls honour the statues!

P.S. I should have mentioned that the photo is of Wellington Square, Ayr and it should of course have read ‘… seagulls honour…’

On the way back from walking in Culzean Estate yesterday, we drove round by the coast road via the village of Dunure.

The original Dunure Castle was in existence earlier than the 13th century, but these remains date from a later period. It was the residence of the Kennedys of Carrick, to whom the lands were granted in 1357. The 4th Earl of Cassillis, Gilbert Kennedy, entertained Mary Queen of Scots here from 4th to 7th August 1563 when she visited the west of her country.

There is a story that, in 1570, in the dungeon of Dunure Castle, Gilbert Kennedy roasted alive the Commendator of Crossraguel Abbey, a crown appointee by name of Alan Stewart, in order to force him to transfer to Gilbert some of the lands belonging to the Abbey. The Commendator yielded after two turns of the spit!

However it is also said that the Commendator survived his injuries and lived to a relatively peaceful old age.

Another 2 for 1 offer today!

The first photograph was taken by me on 17 August 2006 just outside Girvan. Although there are no machines in site, you can tell by the size of the rolls (approximately half a ton weight) the level of mechanization required for this type of farming.

The second photograph was taken by one of my late parents-in-law at an unknown location not long before the start of World War 2.

Now I’m not one to yearn for nostalgia (!) and I know the demands for production are much higher now, but does anyone else long for the slower, quieter (and more eco-friendly) farm methods back then?

Just sour grapes from me since I’ve given up even trying to play the d****d game.

I’ve forgotten who I’m quoting from with the title, but I’m sure he/she will forgive me for not attributing it.

This picture was taken this afternoon (good weather here yet again) at Belleisle Golf Course, one of a good few owned by the Local Authority and available for play by anyone – if they can afford the green fees. I suppose the cost isn’t all that high when you consider how long it can take to get round!

This course is NOT one of the typical seaside links courses which abound all along the Clyde Coast.

Sticking with yesterday’s nautical theme, here is a picture of the last sea-going paddle steamer Waverley as she enters Ayr harbour yesterday for the last time this season.

{23/08/06 Mea Culpa – I’ve been told the last sailing from Ayr this season is next Monday, 28/08/06.}

The sound of her paddles ‘slapping’ the water, especially when changing from forward to reverse, has to be heard to be believed.

I’ve loaded my full set of Waverley pictures of yesterday on Flickr.

In my youth, which wasn’t yesterday, there were still several boats which went cruising ‘doon the watter’ during the summer and that was well past the heyday of the Clyde Steamers racing each other to get to the pier first.

As a slight contrast

the modern cruising population likes it’s comfort!

Well, yesterday late morning and afternoon turned out to be much better weather than expected.

So much so that we went to the RSPB reserve at Lochwinnoch. I didn’t include any ph0tographs from there since

1. it is not in Ayrshire,
2. there weren’t many birds to see and
3. the ones you could see were miles away.

From Lochwinnoch we went to Largs in North Ayrshire and I took this photograph of the Largs to Isle of Cumbrae ferry arriving to discharge its load at Largs.

Although Cumbrae isn’t in Ayrshire either, I’ll probably, sometime in the future, post some photographs from there as well, as the only transport route to the island is through Ayrshire.

Since I’m not sure what the weather will do today, I’m posting a photograph taken a couple of days ago.

This view of the Low Green, looking out over Doonfoot to the Brown Carrick Hills, shows all that remains of Ayr Burgh’s Common Lands, granted under Royal Charter to the Burgh in the 14th century.

The green has mainly been used for sports and games, including, in the 1870s, a croquet area for ladies. Ayr Thistle and the Ayr Academy Football Clubs also used the green in the 1870s, but then football matches were banned due to the turf damage.

The Burgh Council started making improvements to the area in the 1880′s with, in 1881, the first part of the Esplanade and the sea wall which was washed away the following year and had to be rebuilt. In 1892 a public fountain was presented to the town by James Steven and erected on the green while in about 1887 a bandstand was built. It remained at the Low Green until 1951-2.

The Royal Flying Corps used the Low Green as a landing strip from the beginning of World War I until 1916, when they moved to the Racecourse.

Ayr’s Wallace Tower is a neo-gothic structure (113 feet in height) re-built in 1834 and replacing the original tower which had been acquired by the Town Council in 1673 from the Cathcart family of Corbieston. It is not clear how the Wallace name originated, but the tower has, on the front, a statue of William Wallace by the local self-taught sculptor, Sir James Thom (1802 – 1850).

The ‘new’ tower still uses the clock which was referred to by Burns in his poem, The Brigs of Ayr (1786).

“The drowsy Dungeon-clock had number’d two,
and Wallace Tower had sworn the fact was true:”

William Wallace (c1270 – 1305) is considered one of Scotland’s heroes, 13th century leader of the Scottish forces in the struggle to free Scotland from English domination. Depending on your point of view, either a patriot or a terrorist.