This morning we woke up at 7.30 am and after eating breakfast and preparing lunch we set off through the Brodick Castle Grounds at 9.30 to arrive at an area of land that had been invaded by Rhododendron. After a brief introduction from Brodick Castle Park Ranger, Katie, we were given bow saws and loppers to cut down the trees with. 

Cutting down the Rhododendron was physically demanding and so roasting marshmallows and brownies came as welcome break for the team. We roasted the marshmallows on the fire built for burning the Rhododendron, as leaving it to decompose would allow harmful chemicals produced by the degrading plant would be toxic to the soil.

By four in the afternoon we were finished and returned to the Lodge for some lovely Macaroni and Cheese made by some members of the team.

Day 3 - Beach Clean

Today we started with a talk about conservation and the potential risks that we could encounter on our beach clean. We identified different types of litter which were: Industrial, Recreational, Sewage and Other. Lucy prepared us for a pretty grim prospect on the beach and told us about the harm that litter causes to animals including: death, strangulation and starvation. After hearing this we took a bus journey down to Lamlash where we took a short walk to the beginning of the stretch of beach that we would be cleaning. Along the way we spotted a seal bobbing in the sea, and a range of invasive species of plants including Himalayan Balsam.

When we got there we were kitted out with gloves, litter pickers and bin bags. We walked down to where we would begin and briefly stopped for lunch. Then we began climbing over rocks and grass, discovering all sorts of litter, and throwing them away. There were lots of bottles and fishing line and some stranger items including a door mat and a buoy.

Andy, who was a member of COAST,  explained about the 'No Take Zone' which stretches between Holy Isle and Lamlash Bay. This is a space where no one is allowed to fish, thus encouraging marine biodiversity. During its 6 years of existence, there has been an marked increase in both size and numbers of Scallops and Lobsters in particular. He also explained the problems of enforcing this law in the zone, and to reinforce this we even saw a dredger on the edge of the border collecting the spill over of Scallops and Lobsters, many of which would have been tagged by the COAST conservationists.

Today we spotted Shags, Oyster catchers and Cormorants, finally completing our goal of spotting 25 species of birds on the island.  To reward us, Lucy went to get us marshmallows which we could hopefully toast tomorrow.

We all came back tired but satisfied with our good day's work and how we had given back to the planet.

Waterfall Wetness

We woke up to the torrential downpours of ex-hurricane Bertha. Braving the elements, we set off, heavily clad in waterproofs, to catch the bus to Whiting Bay. From there we began our march up the steep riverside path to Glennashdale Falls - a dramatic double waterfall.

When we reached the top of the waterfall, some of the group stopped for a quiet contemplation of the forest soundscape. Others unleashed their creative talent by capturing the beauty of the waterfall on paper. Another group went exploring further into the forest, discovering different types of heather by identifying the three different types on Arran.

We carried on through the rain to a chambered cairn - an ancient burial site from around five thousand years ago. Still adding to our list of birds, we also spotted three buzzards flying high above us.  Next we continued on to the ruins of an iron age fort, where we also stopped for lunch in a densely wooded, eerie forest.

As this was our last destination of the day, we headed back to Whiting Bay, where we took the bus back to Shore Lodge. Once we had dried off, we sat down for a warming drink and biscuits. Before finishing our day with a lovely chile con carne, we learnt some more about conservation of marine life and open access rules through presentations given by members of the team.  Overall a great day -despite the adverse conditions! 

Today's activities involved mythical sand art, bird watching and caber tossing. After an 8:30 start we walked down to Brodick beach where we all participated in team activities including shrinking islands and creating a sand mermaid out of shells, rocks and other beach materials. After this eventful bonding experience we went for a walk in the Brodick castle grounds where we spotted selection of bird species including a goldfinch and many swallows. We returned to the lodge for a simple sandwich lunch.

In the afternoon we hiked along the beach to the Brodick Highland Games - the biggest event in the Arran calendar. We ambled freely around the games in little groups and made the most of the entertainment. This included hammer throwing, caber tossing, races, and highland dancing. We were given an entourage of the pipe band who played songs including Scotland's national anthem - Flower of Scotland.

Over the day we saw 17 different species of birds including the Red Breasted Merganser and a couple of Buzzards. Then we arrived back at the lodge and enjoyed an eventful card game session including all 13 people. The last member of our team arrived just before we finished our last card game. Tonight we are to enjoy Thai chicken green curry cooked by one of our groups.

Day 1 - The Arrival on Arran

Battling through early mornings and late trains, we met at Glasgow Central Station at 1:30 sharp. The awkwadness expected soon dissipated as conversation soon began to flow freely. After a crowded train journey to Ardrossan we boarded the ferry to Bodrick, disembarked and then proceeded to get on an even more crowded bus to the lodges. Many icebreakers later we sat down to what were several surprisingly violent card games whilst 3 of the group spent 2 hours making spaghetti bolognese. Despite the long wait and humungous portions, David, George and Laura did a fantastic job creating a culinary masterpiece. After a few hours relaxing, we retired to our dorms whilst Kate and Laura spent the night in a Hobbit Hole...

The Arran Farmers Show

Lucy here, and I'm updating the blog as the team for Residential 1 have headed home after a great day in the sun at the Arran Farmers Show.  This was a great opportunity to see what life on Arran is all about, mingle with the locals, meet some scary looking cattle, and catch up with new friend from COAST and the NTS Ranger Service.  Tomorrow Resi 2 arrive. I'm looking forward to meeting them!

Conserving by destroying

Upon leaving the lodge we explored Brodick Castle grounds in search of the elusive red squirrel, unfortunately they were too shy to come and say hello. Then we were introduced to one of the National Trust rangers, who we would be working with.

Our role today would be to cut down and burn the species Rhododendron ponticum. This is a very invasive species, introduced by the naive Victorian gardeners who imported it from Turkey, without realising the consequences of bringing it to Arran. It causes the soil to become toxic and shades the ground cover, therefore limiting the growth of native plants.

Equipped with bow saws and loppers, we hacked away at huge bushes of the afore mentioned plant, with devastating consequences. Some say the fire could be seen from the mainland and serves as a beacon of hope for the wildlife of Arran. After slaving away for many hours we stopped for a well deserved marshmallow toasting session. With sticky fingers and burnt mouths, we continued until we had cleared a large amount of the targeted species.

Day 4 - Holy Isle and the beach competition

Day 4 was a trip to the famous Holy Isle, home to birds, Buddhists  and nuns. We got a fishing boat over to the island from Lamlash. We had a warm welcome from one of the locals who gave us plenty of information about the Isle. We trekked to the summit of the island where we stopped for lunch and enjoyed the beautiful view. 

We then took the boat back to Lamlash and after enjoying a spot of ice-cream, we took to the beach for the annual Arran Sand Sculpturing Competition. Two teams devised of the Boys and Girls in a heated competition. The two entries were the mermaid named Shelia and the turtle, Spike. The winner is still in dispute, but both claim victory. 

We headed back on the open tour bus. Unfortunately two members of the party fell foul to low hanging branches resulting in one red ear and a bee sting. Luckily both members have survived. 

We were all glad to get back to the bunkhouse for a lovely Thai curry followed by jelly and ice cream. 

Day 3-Goat Fell

After a lovely lie in, after a night watching Star Wars, we had our usual Coco-pops and chocolate spread on toast before heading up the highest peak on the Isle of Arran, Goat Fell. We were optimistic about the weather but as soon as we started walking, the rain began. Johannes keenly led us on, only to take us the wrong way as he was engaged in a riveting conversation about Scottish politicians, missing the route sign pointing in the other direction.

After 3 hours of hard climbing with several 5 minute midge disrupted breaks, and one escaping water bottle, we reached the top of Goat Fell. There we ate our lunch while enjoying a spectacular view of thick cloud and fog.

Coming down the mountain, we came across buzzards, a herring gull and lots of tiger wasps. Down by 

Brodick Castle we even saw a young deer. By this time we had a lovely breeze and gorgeous sunshine, meaning that all the midges, which had plagued us earlier were gone! 

To finish a fantastic day, we had cheesy nachos and a delicious chilli con carne, followed by chocolate smartie cake with candles, which we all blew out!

A Very Rainy Day

Saturday 2^nd August 2014 (the wettest day of our young lives)

Our first morning together on Arran started early but went surprisingly smoothly, considering the long day many of us had yesterday travelling here. We made sandwiches, had breakfast, and left at exactly 9 o’clock (despite what Lucy may think!).

As we confidently stepped out from under the porch, the heavens opened for what would be a long and laborious day in the rain. Although ‘rain’ may be an understatement.

It was only 11 o’clock when we met up with conservation guy Andy (and his ill equipped accomplice) but we were already soaked through. After a fair walk and a quick stop for soggy sandwiches, the beach clean commenced! We managed to collect a grand total of 20 bags of rubbish, a traffic cone/makeshift megaphone, one fish crate, one tyre and a transformer’s leg (winner of the day’s most random find).

Along the way we learnt about the other ways the local community are helping to save some of the coastal and marine biodiversity through ‘Coast’. Not to mention spotting some interesting wildlife for ourselves, including a couple of cute grey seals, and oyster catcher and some herons.

Thoroughly wet, we then began the long walk back to Brodick bus terminal, only to find that we would be walking all the way to Shore Lodge (although we did stop at the Co-op to reward ourselves for the day’s efforts). Upon our return, the once ‘dry’ room wasn't dry for long.

Throughout the day we had discovered and explored Scotland’s first no-take zone where penalties are given to anyone attempting to remove any aspect of the coastline’s natural environment. We also began to understand the destructive impacts of many human activities such as over-fishing in the area.

All in all a very rewarding experience! J

Arran 2014! Day 1 - Settling in

Lo-tech alternative to blogging employed last night until we could get the computers working! Lovely handwriting!