Well, we've started!  We left Troon on Thursday 16th - a day late, delayed by strong winds in the wrong direction.  (light winds in the wrong direction, we can do, motoring if necessary.  Strong winds in the right direction we can do within limits - gales are always better avoided.  But strong winds in the wrong direction mean a hard slow slog.  For which we lacked enthusiasm)  And we had a good sail to Campbeltown on Thursday, past the snow-capped peaks of Arran.  We were a bit rusty though - remembering what to do and how it all works wasn't our strong point.  Luckily the boat worked fine and we made it with no serious problem - barring a touch of green about Val's gills!

Campbeltown is a mid-sized town near the botton of the Kintyre peninsula - a long droopy peninsular between the Firth of Clyde and the coast further north.  And today it got warm!  And sunny!  And we had a glorious walk in the Kintyre hills with views every which way - to Ireland, to Islay, to Aran, back to Ayrshire. Val is enjoying it in the photo above.

We still need to get round the Mull of Kintyre - the bottom end, which sticks out towards Northern Ireland.  It has quite a fearsome reputation for the tide that rushes past and the seas that that can produce.  So we need a calmish day, and that's not tomorrow, according to the forecast.  Maybe Sunday.  So we're at least a day behind schedule, but we'll catch up.  Honest!