out and about - 2016
18 August 2016 ............ Down the coast to Troon
Had a trip further down the coast to Troon - it has a very nice town centre, that looks as if it enjoys quite a lot of commercial success.
The south end has a good very popular beach, and then it is into golf course country.
Like Ardrossan, Troon has a huge harbour area that sits behind a natural breakwater that curves out from the main coastline - and like Ardrossan, it has a huge marina - not a very inspiring picture, the marina didn`t lend itself to providing somewhere from where I could take a good photo.
But if you like pictures of lots of masts ......
Outside the natural breakwater now, and it was still too hazy to get even a whiff of Arran or Ailsa Craig, but I could just see right up the coast - somewhere up that picture is Ardrossan and Saltcoats.
Look how clear the water is, even though it is rough -
I couldn`t see Arran or Ailsa Craig, and I believe that - if my map gets it right - on a very clear day you should also be able to see Sanda Island and the very bottom end of the Mull of Kintyre. Pity about the haze.
However all was not lost, because a few kilometres out from Troon lies Lady Isle - so here it is - along with a few more cormorants.
The lighthouse on Lady Isle is somewhat unusual in that the light sits on a platform that is accessed via an external staircase.
I must confess that, after my few days spent there, I was rather taken with this part of the Ayrshire coast, from Ardrossan down to Troon. It has a lot going for it.
It has the benefits of a coastal location, without many of the disadvantages of the west coast of Scotland further to the north -
- not so much rain - fewer midges
- a great feeling of space
- fabulous sea views over to islands and mountains
- fabulous sunsets
- great beaches
- miles and miles of off-road cycle routes - with few hills !
- it`s even got Cal Mac ferries !
It doesn`t of course have mountains on its doorstep, although there are some significant upland areas down to the southeast.
Although there is plenty of sea, I don`t think that it has the islands and tidal currents which make sea kayaking so much more rewarding and challenging.
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From a wider point of view, the area has more advantages -
- excellent transport links - both rail and road - the M77 comes right down to Kilmarnock, so Glasgow is less than an hour away - dual carriageways all over the place - Prestwick airport is just down the road
- loads of high quality housing
- loads of the big four supermarkets - Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, and Sainsburys
- Irvine has a huge retail park - I didn`t go down to Ayr, but I expect there will be some pretty good shopping there as well, Ayr is a big place
- golf course country just down the road
- two big marinas
Interestingly, the brownfield redevelopment area of Ardeer Peninsula provides great potential for commercial uses that require big areas of land.
There could be an interesting parallel with what Swansea University have done with the similar brownfield site beside Crymlyn Burrows, where they have built a whole new campus, the Bay Campus, right on the beach. It is a superb location.
Would Ardeer Peninsula be a good site for some kind of similar academic or marine research centre - it is right beside the sea - there are several universities in Scotland doing various forms of marine research - would there be any advantage in developing some kind of shared facilities - a sort of marine research centre of excellence ?
The inland tidal waters between the peninsula and Irvine may provide berthing for smaller boats up beside Irvine.
The satellite views on Google Maps shows the existence of Irvine Harbour, which may accomodate bigger boats - if not, there are huge harbours at Ardrossan and Troon for bigger boats.
The satellite views also show a wharf on the north east side of the peninsula, but whether it is still useable I have no idea.
Head up the coast and there is a plethora of sea lochs for sheltered water research sites.
Head west around the Mull of Kintyre and the whole Atlantic is waiting.
And there is a ready made starting point with the Big Idea, which is just begging for somebody to find a use for it.
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