An Arran Amble - Kilbrannan sunset

Good wild camping spots are surprisingly difficult to find around Arran's coast.  For much of the way public roads hug the shore and where good spots might be found it's often the case that the shoreline is rocky or bouldery.  Beaches which appear ideal at high water often turn out to have difficult boulders or reefs at lower tidal staes.  We managed to find a good spot though, a green area fronted by a tiny beach which was accessible at all states of the tide.

As a bonus, the shore had lots and lots of driftwood for a fire - just 15 minutes collecting gave us more than enough for the evening.

With our fire lit below the tideline and our dinner underway we had time to relax and enjoy our surroundings.  The only sounds were the calls of shorebirds and a gentle lapping of the water on the shore.  It looked like we'd be treated to a good sunset too.

We put potatoes in tinfoil to bake in the embers of the fire and poured a small dram of Mike's 15 year old Dalwhinnie to accompany our supper and......

...a graceful sunset beyond the Kintyre shore.  Life felt particularly good!

As the afterglow of the sunset washed the sky over the Kilbrannan Sound with colour....

We made a last check on the boats before retiring for the night.  The following day's forecast was for fresh to strong north or northeasterly winds with a complex meteorological mix of nearby fronts affecting the weather.  It all promised to make our passage to the second potential crux point of our journey around Arran rather interesting.......