Swerve of shore, bend of bay

August 14, 2024, 9:47 am , by Richard Lutz

RICHARD LUTZ heads south on the margins of land and water

Greenan Castle stands guard over the wide Clyde estuary.

It’s high summer and the land, eaten by the sea and carved by the Ice Age, is a series of tidal bays, raised beaches and cliffs. The Ayrshire Coastal Path, a hundred miles of trail, faithfully hugs the rumpled shore along headlands, mudflats, boulders, old rail lines and fields of grain. Rocky dykes point to a hint of The Isle of Arran across the water:

The sun shines…finally…. a welcome break from a damp July and August. This stretch of the route links the town of Ayr with the old harbour hamlet of Dunure. Wild flowers line the twisty path. There’s vetch, used 10,000 years ago as a domestic crop:

And peering over a calm sea, there’s prickly thistle:

There’s plenty of camomile, now fading:

On the beach, sea rocket toughs it out near sand dunes. It enjoys the salty sea wind. It’s described as glabrous, a fancy word for smooth skinned:

Wild rose decorates the old rail line, disused for decades now. The flower and its red fruit are everywhere:

Just beginning to appear, unripened brambles (aka blackberries) eventually destined for autumn apple pies. They’ll soon turn a luscious deep blue:

The phalanx of fireweed fades. It wavers in the wind. It’s commonly called willowherb:

And there’s bindweed. Don’t be blindsided by its gentle violet flower. It’s a real pain, a real creeper.

A lesser known name is possession vine and, boy, it can take over a flowerbed quick as Jack Flash if not rooted out.

The land and water count the countless hours, the years, the countless eons. The sea is always near. Out in The Clyde estuary, a mega yacht called Octopus prowls, silent and slightly ominous. It has eight decks and it’s 413 feet long. It sold for £200m recently. We watch it cross paths with The Waverley…

…a handsome paddle steamer a mere 230 feet in length. It costs as little as £30 a trip and kids go for a £1. It has a fine old whisky bar below deck. You can watch the paddles churn. Take your pick.

Additional photos: Mary Hogg/Walter Baxter