Dumping my stuff in the bar I then got on with having an excellent traditional cooked breakfast but I could have had a range of products from the local smokehouse. On leaving the owner was very gracious when he found out what I was doing by taking out a contribution from his own wallet.
He gave me directions to get back to Monckton which was as far as I had reached the night before on my search for a bed for the night. Once more my luck had really held with probably the best overnight stay so far and I’ve had a few to describe so far.
I headed back to Monckton through the back lanes to get on the road to Troon it took me past what you may think is Prestwick Airport but it is so much more, it is certainly airfield (42).In the past it has been RAF Heathfield, and RAF Ayr and in fact part of it still is, it was RNAS Wagtail and is now RNAS Gannet, with a detachment of Royal Navy HAR Sea Kings. Interesting point, the RAF call them SAR (Search and Rescue) the Royal Navy call them HAR (Helicopter Air Rescue) being an ex-crabfat (RAF) I know what’s right.
The area was no stranger to such activity, as the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) had established a school of aerial gunnery to the south, on the site of Ayr Racecourse, The racecourse continues to occupy the site, and had utilised at least two of the original RFC hangars for its own building. Both heavily modified, one served as the course tearoom until 1991, when it was demolished to make way for a supermarket. The second survived until 2004, when it was demolished for reasons of safety, leaving a clear area now used to host events and for parking.
The airfield at Heathfield lay to the north of the original RFC site and the racecourse, and was commissioned as RAF Ayr early in World War II, later to be shared with the USAF during the war. Towards the end of the conflict, ownership passed to the Royal Navy and Fleet Air Arm (FAA), when it was commissioned as HMS Wagtail. Paid off at the end of the war, the site was acquired by the USAF during most of the 1950s, after which the airfield was closed, and the land subsequently developed for housing and retail use.
RAF Ayr should not be confused with RAF Prestwick which was a completely separate facility, and would develop into Prestwick Airport. Located adjacent to Prestwick, Ayr became home to transatlantic operations arising from the Lend Lease agreement between Britain and America, which explains the significant American operation on the site.
The United States Air Force (USAF) operated the latter named base in 1952 on the site of the original airport using former Royal Air Force (RAF) facilities (the USAF Military Air Transport Service (MATS) 1631st Air Base Squadron), and in 1953 on the Monkton side of the airport, both used by the USAF MATS. The USAF base closed in 1966, though part of the site is still occupied by the Royal Navy.
Prestwick Airport is also considered to be the only piece of United Kingdom territory on which Elvis Presley ever set foot, when the United States Army transport plane carrying him home stopped to refuel in 1960, whilst en route from Germany. A lounge, bearing his name, and a marker reflecting this event were inaugurated in 2006. However, on the 21st of April 2008, during a BBC2 radio interview with Ken Bruce, theatre impresario and chairman of Everton F.C., Bill Kenwright, claimed that Elvis visited London two years prior to this, with his friend, Tommy Steele. Immediately after, Airport authorities issued a statement requesting that photographic, or other evidence of the said visit be provided, lest they shall continue with their current claim. ‘Our Bill’ has worked wonders at Goodison since rescuing my team from an admitted Red***** Peter Johnson but I would also want some further evidence if you were going to overturn such a classic event.
Today, as well as the thriving no-frills segment, Prestwick has continued its traditional strategic role as a refuelling point for military aircraft – the USAF, RAF and the Canadian Forces Air Command are frequent visitors for example. Cargo traffic has also become another stronghold of Prestwick with the vast majority of Scotland's Boeing 747 Freighter traffic entering via the airport. There is also an RAF involvement to this date RAF Prestwick (formerly RAF Ayr) is the home of the "Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre (Military)", which is located within the civilian Scottish and Oceanic Area Control Centre.
The Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre (Military), or "ScATCC (Mil)" as it is also known, is staffed by RAF Air Traffic Control Officers and Air Traffic Control Assistants. Both military and civilian aircraft are controlled by RAF controllers who provide a variety of air traffic services predominantly outside controlled airspace or within airspace designated as Military Training Areas. An "Alerting & Fixing Cell" is also located at "ScATCC (Mil)", specifically tasked to assist aircraft in distress and/or encountering emergency situations.
In 2003, NATS announced plans to invest £300m in a new ATC Centre at Prestwick, which is planned to become operational in November 2009. It is intended that "ScATCC (Mil)" will continue to share the ATC facilities with NATS in this new building. To this date there is also an RAF Station Commander.
By the way when I did some research on this airfield I looked on Google Maps, once I hit the satellite button I was met with the image of 3 yes 3 giant USAF transport aircraft. Whether it was because they were so large or for security reasons they were parked up on the secondary runways, rather then any of the dispersal or cargo areas.
Very shortly afterwards I arrived in Troon passing Royal Troon golf club on the way and I made my way down to the harbour just in time to see the High Speed Ferry to Northern Ireland heading out, This is a summer only sailing and seems quite popular.
To the left is a small cargo vessel being loaded with timber that has been harvested from the area South of Ayr. Heading back up to the A78 to head to Irvine and beyond, I was able to getting a further photo and one of the large ferry that runs between Ardrossan and Broddick on Arran. Thankfully all my gear was dry and at this time of the morning, just after 9.30 in the morning the sun was out and even at this time of the morning I could feel the warmth coming through.
The black spot on the first image is a bird flying by and what looks like smoke is the exhaust fumes from the vessel, not a very clean vessel. The next hour or so turned out to be a really rewarding section of the ride, up through Irvine which provided something of a weird site, next to the large Leisure Centre there are signs for the regeneration of the area, however they seem to have stalled a few years ago, or part of it has stalled for the time being. The bridge over to what appears to be some sort tourist centre has a huge section missing.
And it looked as if this has been the case for some time, with the amount of rust and corrosion apparent.
What was more heartening was just along the way in the harbour itself. When I saw one of the classic Clyde Puffers, something that featured in one of my father’s favourite BBC TV series Para Handy.
The Clyde puffer is essentially a type of small steamboat which provided a vital supply link around the west coast and Hebrides islands of Scotland, stumpy little cargo ships that have achieved almost mythical status thanks largely to the short stories Neil Munro wrote about the Vital Spark and her captain Para Handy.
Characteristically these boats had bluff bows, crew's quarters with table and cooking stove in the focsle, and a single mast with derrick in front of the large hold, aft of which the funnel and ship's wheel stood above the engine room while the captain had a small cabin in the stern. When publication of the Vital Spark stories began in 1905 the ship's wheel was still in the open, but later a wheelhouse was added aft of the funnel giving the puffers their distinctive image. Their flat bottom allowed them to beach and unload at low tide, essential to supply remote settlements without suitable piers. Typical cargoes could include coal and furniture, with farm produce and gravel sometimes being brought back.
A small number of puffers survive as conservation projects, though most have diesel engines The Spartan, a diesel engined "puffer", is on display at the Scottish Maritime Museum at Irvine. "Spartan" has recently undergone restoration work on her hull, and is still being refitted but now back in the water.
The next stop was Ardrossan, I had taken a picture of the Ferry closing on Arran earlier so it was no surprise to see the dockside empty. Apart from the harbour there didn’t appear to be much more to the town, although when I came out on the A78 to West Kilbride and Largs, I was able to get a beautiful view of Arran, under the clouds.
The road between the two towns brings two sights that makes you really think the first one is and also poses a question. It is the giant elevator and conveyor lift for taking coal to the major Coal terminal at Hunterston and the very name should give you a clue of what is next door. Hunterston Nuclear Power Station. I had mentioned that when I visited Heysham that I was aware that the huge proportion of Nuclear Power Stations had been place well away from the local population; why? is beyond me. To be frank; 3 Mile Island!, Chernobyl!, it was irrelevant how far away from civilisation they were because in this country you couldn’t get them far enough away, if they are badly managed.
I have visited the former or at least the entrance to it and it is one of the most benign sights you will ever see. Three Mile Island is so named because it is located 3 miles downriver from Middletown, Pennsylvania and I passed this way on one of my trips from Washington Airport to Harrisburg, the state capital of Pennsylvania, where my company’s HQ was. The power station had a very mixed history including a box office smash hit with the film China Syndrome and even now has still not been fully de- commissioned.
Hunterston B started generating electricity on 6 February 1976. Its net electrical output is 1,215 MW. Operating at its current (May 2008) reduced level of around 70% of full output, Hunterston B is capable of supplying the electricity needs of over 1 million homes.
In 1977 there was a minor incident but such were the safety procedures that it was contained
When maintenance work was carried out on the reactor and the pressure in the gas cooling system was reduced, sea water was able to flow back up this bypass pipe and into the reactor. The residual heat of the reactor was such that the seawater evaporated rapidly, leaving deposits of salt in the reactor around the gas circuit. It was estimated at the time that the reactor could be out of operation for a year, that the repairs could cost £14 million, and that electricity tariffs would have to rise by between 1 and 2 per cent. Extensive modelling work was performed in the Nuclear Power Company's (NPC) Whetstone, Leicestershire, fluid flow laboratories to determine where the salt would have been deposited, and the salt was successfully removed by technicians using vacuum cleaners and the plant returned to operation without too much delay. It is currently scheduled to be decommissioned in 2016.
The nearby Hunsterton A was opened in 1959 and operated from 1964 to 1989 and is currently in the middle of decommissioning.
Without stopping it was up to Largs which is deemed to be one of the jewels of the North Ayrshire coast and I cannot argue, it was not only attractive, it was very busy the landing stage area for the ferry to Great Cumbrae Island was crammed full of cars and cyclists, despite the road running round the Island I had decided to give it a miss, as it was a long time on a ferry for 15-20 mins of riding it would take to get around the Island.
It was then up to Skelmorlie and Then Wemyss Bay before turning off on to the A770 where I pulled over to take the following photo of the ferries that run between Gourock and Dunoon it made me think of one of the rather surreal animations in children’s TV programme Teletubbies when they show a number of ships sailing in formation.
It was now turning out to be a beautiful day and I was keen to cover as much ground as I could, as the forecast for this evening was not good and I had already decided that I was going to find a small hotel or B&B probably around Dunoon area. Shortly after this I pulled up at McInroy’s Point on the outskirts f Gourock to have a quick look at the competing ferry for the run over towards Dunoon, Western Ferries run two boats between this point and Hunters Quay near Dunoon, it appears that it is a quicker run, however according to the timetables it is exactly the same time as the Caledonian MacBrayne ferries from Gourock.
As I said I was enjoying this section of the ride so it was quickly underway once againand I was through Greenock before stopping at Port Glasgow for fuel close to Newark Castle (47) The castle was built in 1478 by George Maxwell when he inherited the Barony of Finlanstone (Finlaystone). The original castle had a tower house within a walled enclosure or barmkin entered through a large gatehouse. All that remains of the outer defensive wall is from one of the original corner towers. It is thought that there would have been a hall and ancillary buildings such as a bakehouse and brew house inside the walled enclosure.
In the late 16th century the castle was inherited by Sir Patrick Maxwell, a powerful friend of king James VI of Scotland who was notorious for murdering two members of a rival family and beating his wife who left him after having 16 children. In 1597 Sir Patrick expanded the building, constructing a new north range replacing the earlier hall in the form of a three storey Renaissance mansion. At this time the barmkin (defensive) wall was demolished except for the north east tower, which was converted into a doocot. (Scottish for Dovecote).
In 1668 the Glasgow authorities purchased 18 acres (7 hectares) of land around Newark Castle from Sir George Maxwell who was then the laird, and developed the harbour into what they called "Port Glasgow". The last Maxwell died in 1694 and the castle had a series of non-resident owners. An early tenant was a ropemaker called John Orr who also dealt in wild animals such as big cats and bears which he obtained from ships visiting the Clyde and often housed in the castle cellars. The cellars and gardens were later rented by Charles Williamson who blocked access from the hall to stop the joiner John Gardner who rented the hall from stealing fruit stored in the cellars.
Newark Castle came into state care in 1909 and is now a property of Historic Scotland with excellent visitor facilities.
From here I carried on down the A8 and took the slip road for non-motorway traffic up through Bishopton before taking the turning for Erskine Bridge to cross the River Clyde, yes according to the ordnance survey map, at this point it stopped being the Firth of Clyde and became the River Clyde, hence I felt justified crossing at this point and getting on the A82 for a short section before it split and I took to the A812, which took me through Old Kilpatrick and into Dumbarton and the unmistakable image of Dumbarton Rock and Dumbarton Castle (48) which has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Great Britain.
At least as far back as the Iron Age (and probably much earlier) this has been the site of a strategically important settlement, whose residents were known to have traded with the Romans. The presence of a settlement here is first recorded in a letter Saint Patrick wrote to King Ceretic of Alt Clut, (or Clyde Rock) in the late 5th century.
From the fifth century until the ninth it was the centre of the independent British Kingdom of Strathclyde. The King of the Britons of Dumbarton in about AD 570 was Riderch Hael, who features in Norse legends. It is said that during his reign Merlin stayed at Alt Clut. In 756 the first (and second) losses of Dumbarton Rock were recorded. A joint force of Picts and Northumbrians captured Alcluith after a siege, only to lose it again a few days later.
By 870 Dumbarton Rock was home to a tightly packed British settlement that served as a fortress and as the capital of Alt Clut. The Vikings had laid siege to Dumbarton for four months, eventually defeating the inhabitants when they cut off their water supply. The Norse king Olaf returned to the Viking city of Dublin in 871, with two hundred ships full of slaves and looted treasures. Olaf came to an agreement with Constantine I, King of Scots, and Artgal of Alt Clut. Strathclyde's independence may have come to an end with the death of Owen the Bald, when the dynasty of Kenneth mac Alpin began to rule the region.
In medieval Scotland, Dumbarton (Dùn Breatainn, which means 'the fortress of the Britons') was an important royal castle. It sheltered David II (Robert the Bruce's son) and his young wife, Queen Joan, after the Scottish defeat at Halidon Hill near Berwick-upon-Tweed in 1333. Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell, was Captain of Dumbarton castle on April 1, 1495. In 1548, after the equally disastrous Battle of Pinkie, east of Edinburgh, the castle protected the infant Mary, Queen of Scots for several months before her removal to France for safety.
The castle's importance declined after Oliver Cromwell's death in 1658. But threats posed by Jacobites and the French in the eighteenth century caused new structures and defences to be built and the castle continued to be garrisoned until World War II.
Today all visible trace of the Dark-Age Alcluith, literally Clyde Rock its buildings and defences, have gone and precious little survives from the medieval castle. The most interesting structures today are the fortifications of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, which illustrate a painful struggle by military engineers to adapt an intractable site to contemporary defensive needs. The splendid views from the twin summits of White Tower Crag and The Beak remind us why this rocky outcrop was chosen as 'the fortress of the Britons' all those centuries ago.
The castle is open to members of the public who wish to climb the 557 steps to the White Tower Crag and view all the other features on a daily basis during the summer season and Saturday-Wednesday in the winter.
Dumbarton Rock itself is in state ownership and is legally protected by the Scottish Government as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, to conserve it for future generations. Activities such as rock climbing are forbidden as any change or damage caused is considered a criminal offence.
Leaving Dumbarton once again I had a section of really enjoyable riding, through Cardross, Helensburgh and Rhu. And as I approached Shandon, I was strcuk by a large but very, very messy Peace Camp on the side of the road, irrespective of their views, they do themselves no favours in the way they look, it really was a mess.
The reason it was there is quite simple the massive Faslane Base HMNB Clyde, which is the home of the UK’s Nuclear Submarine base, I was staggered by how big it actually was, it seemed to go on for miles, eventually I pulled into Garelochhead and found a lovely little coffee shop at the top of the Village. it was now just after 2.30pm in the afternoon and I was desperate for a cup of tea, I was also a bit peckish so I had a lovely Ploughmans Lunch, I had expected something half the size of what finally arrived but it was delicious.
Back under way I headed off round the peninsular on the opposite side of the loch and separates Gare Loch from Long Loch, just touring around I had my eyes opened to the huge significance this area has to both the Royal and also US Navy. Immediately around the coast I stopped to look across to Faslane and then down the Loch itself.
When I got down to Kilcreggan I stopped again for a quick photo looking over towards Gourock.
After this I head back up the other side past the armaments depot at RNAD Coulport where all the weapons used by the Royal Navy in this part of the world are stored. For obvious reasons I didn’t even attempt to take any photos for the next hour or so, even when I was taking the back roads up to join the A814 to Arrochar, I had thought of stopping at one point for a photo, looking down over the base at Faslane only to have second thoughts when I spotted an MOD Police landrover patrolling just inside the security fence to my left.
Soon after getting back on to the A814 itself I was soon struck by the sight of Fort Rosalie a vessel I had discussed in an earlier post when I came back from Northern Ireland and mentioned Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead. I had mentioned that she was in dry dock there, well I was wrong she had actually come out a few months prior to that date, it is now here sister ship the Fort Austin that is currently going through a major refit.
I was able to stop and have a chat with the MOD Policeman armed with his Heckler and Koch machine pistol a little further on but didn’t dare pull out my camera again. The road was wet and I would suffer this more and more during the rest of the day as the furtehr North and West I went the showers seemed to be coming in. A sight that could be seen more clearly when I pulled over at ‘Rest and be Thankful’ on the A83.
Before taking the B828 and B839 over the hills to Ardno near the top of Loch Fyne. A point I would go through again approx, 24 hrs later, this time I was to head south on the A815 towards Dunoon alongside Loch Eck.
Shortly afterwards turning off to take the track through Glen Finart to Ardentinny then down to Blairmore before getting on the A880 which was firstly called Shore Road and then more aptly for this part of the world MIDGE Road. For the run around Holy Loch.
Another piece of history was immediately sparked in my brain, purely by the name. In July 1960 the Holy Loch was designated as ‘Site 1’, to provide forward servicing facilities for the USA’s first SSBN Squadron in the UK. It was the only such base outside US waters and was strategically vital because of the limited range of the Polaris missile.Submarine Squadron 14 arrived there on 3 March 1961 followed by the USS Patrick Henry (SSBN 599) on 8 March 1961 for a major refit. The number of submarines being supported by Squadron 14 varied over the years. On 2 April 1987 the 2500th Ballistic Missile Deterrent Patrol was completed by USS Mariano G Vallejo. However with the reduction in European tension after the end of the Cold War, it was announced on 6 February 1991 that the Holy Loch base would close.
On 6 March 1992 the last US Navy ship – the familiar submarine tender USS Simon Lake - sailed out of the Holy Loch, ending thirty one years of America presence in the Dunoon area. The tradition of friendship and cooperation between the US Navy and the people of Dunoon which endured for 31 years is a cherished part of Site One’s history.In the wake of the base were necessarily large-scale plans for environmental cleanup, beginning with Robertson’s Yard, which serviced some small American boats but latterly became a scrap heap. It was purchased by Argyll and the Islands Enterprise as part of a plan to spearhead the regeneration of the loch and the immediate area. A number of substantial tourism projects were also under construction within a year of the closure of the base, aiming to replace some of the revenue generation of the base in the area.
This latter work has proved to be extremely successful, riding around the loch towards Hunters Quay and ultimately on to Dunoon there is now no outward signs of the former use of the loch.
From Sandbank and Hunters Quay, the road runs around the front to Dunoon and rding along this section I had to make a double take, a business contact from Cisco I had been speaking to only a few days previously was walking along the front with his family and their dog. I then turned around road back along checked again and it was Darrell so once more I turned around and went up to great him, he looked at me totally bemused, surprise, surprise. Helmet on black visor down, who the hell was going to recognise me?. So after lifting the visor and introducing myself, he was as surprised as I was that we came upon each other in this part of the world.
After exchanging good wishes for our respective holidays I made my way into Dunoon, it was now just after 5.00pm and I though I would have an early finish, the forecast wasn’t brilliant and whilst I could have made it to Rothesay on Bute I didn’t know when I would get there and there was no guarantee whether I would find anything when I did get there, at least here I had found a Tourist Info office that was still open.
Young Christine behind the counter worked hard and found me a room for the night in the Esplanade Hotel, yep just how it sounded, part of a small group of tourist hotels on the West Coast. With the confirmation in place I decided that I was going to explore a little further around the coast and tick that off before morning. With that in mind I continued on down the A815 to toward and took one of the last photos of the day, overlooking my destination for tomorrow, The Isle of Bute.
Further around the coast the road diminished to a single track road, firstly to Port Lamont and the ultimately the end of the lane at Glenstriven. The end of this lane brought about yet another surprising sight. RFA Orangeleaf, at her moorings. RFA Orangeleaf (A110) is a Leaf-class fleet support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
RFA Orangeleaf saw action in the Gulf War in 1991 and was one of the first units to hear the code "Walkman" which was to signify the start of the offensive against Saddam Hussein's forces in Kuwait.
As MV BALDER LONDON, before joining the RFA, she saw action in 1982, carrying aviation fuel to the Falkland Islands from Ascension. At the end of the conflict, she entered San Carlos water.
RFA Orangeleaf was built by Cammell Laird shipyard at Birkenhead, being launched in 1973. She was accepted into service in 1979. Over 30 years later she is still in Active service, Just goes to show the quality produced at Cammell Laird.
As it is the end of the track I created a bit of a stir and an MOD policeman soon popped his head out of the window of the security hut, with that in mind I waved to him and pointed to the 4 container ships tied up, further up the loch before taking my photo.
It wasn’t until the following day when I took a photo from the other side of the loch and then look at Google Earth did I see the huge Fuel Tank Farm, cut and hidden in the hillside behind the tanker.
I then made my way back to the Hotel, across some streets that were being re-surfaced, with raised man hole covers, Christ! Were they raised, when I hit one I thought I had damaged the wheel. Shortly afterwards I arrived at the hotel, which turned out to be a little better than I expected, the views from the upper lounge were stunning, despite the increasingly grey sky. It was owned by an Indian family and staffed by a mixture of Poles and Russians, okay I had come to expect this in London but I though hotels in this part of the world would have more locals involved.
I arrived just in time, as I was unloading the bike and getting it parked up underneath an overhang that would keep it dry and secure overnight a large coach party arrived and started disgorging it’s contents which made me lock and unload the bike faster than I’d ever done before.
In my snug but very comfortable room, I noted a heated towel rail, so I took the opportunity to was some socks and underwear for the next day. After which it was download the camera and then go downstairs, with the view of having a quick drink before walking into Dunoon to get something to eat, a task that got as far as walking out of the back entrance of the hotel to find the forecast rain had arrived and it was getting heavier. I then performed a quick paced walk around the block before coming in the main entrance again. Straight to the bar another pint and then it was up to my room and opened up my supplies box and made myself a couple of sandwiches. I didn’t fancy eating in the restaurant, in fact I never do even when I am away with work, it is either somewhere away from the hotel or I buy a Salad bowl and some additional items in a local supermarket. I must save my company a fortune.
Half an hour of writing up my notes and I can feel my eyes closing, so it was off to bed again, well before 10.00pm and I’m starting to think I am a wuss, but in my defence I’ve been on the road for nearly 9 hours today and weather permitting I plan to get going as early as possible tomorrow morning.
Take care and as Mick says ‘You don’t stop riding when you get old, you stop when you use Tourist Information!.
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