Ailsa Craig and the Orange Ball

Katie, Jessica and I headed down to Troon for a wee while this afternoon as the weather was just amazing.

This was the view not long before we left to head home.

Ailsa Craig
Sitting in the Firth of Clyde the profile of Ailsa Craig is easily recognised when viewed from the Ayrshire coast. Approximately 10 miles from Girvan it is nearly two miles in circumference and rises to 1,110 feet (338m). The island was formed as a result of intense volcanic activity 60 million years ago.

As a result of being a strategic landmark in the channel between Ireland and Scotland the island has a long history going back to the late 1500s when a castle was built to protect the island from Spanish invaders. The island was used as a prison during the 18th-19th century. From the mid-19th centuries, the island was quarried for its rare type of granites, Ailsa Craig Common Green, Ailsa Craig Blue Hone and Ailsa Craig Red Hone all of which were used to manufacture curling stones. The floor of the Chapel of the Thistle in St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh is also made of Ailsa Craig Common Green granite. Ailsa Craig is uninhabited and is now a bird sanctuary and home to large numbers of various species of birds including gannets,razorbills,kittiwakes, herring gulls, shags,fulmars, puffins and black -backed gulls.

The 2 Johnny's are away to see the WWE Live tour at Braehead.......hope they both enjoy it!

Di