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The Girvan Boat Trips
can be about one hour out
to Ailsa Craig, one hour on
the island, a half hour
tour round the island to
see the Seals and thousands
of Birds nesting on the
steep Cliffs on the west
side, then about a one hour
trip back to Girvan.
Another Trip allows
three hours on the island
for Hikers wanting to hike
to the top. There is only
one way to the top, up past
the Castle following a
steep narrow trail. The
trail from the Castle up to
the Summit is through deep
ferns much of the way, so
is not the easiest of
hiking, but well worth the
effort.
Photos of the island
were donated by Ann
Bowker.
View more excellent
large photos of another
Trip to the
Island.
Below is the History of
Ailsa Craig as far as I can
make out:
Documents from the early
1400s show Crossraguel
Abbey as the earliest
recorded owner of the
Island. Duncan de Carrick,
one of the first Kennedy's,
largest land owners in
southwest Scotland, with
many Castles, funded the
building of Crossraguel
Abbey in the 1200s. At
that time, he signed over
vast amounts of Land to the
Monks so they could fund
the running of the Abbey,
probably Ailsa Craig at
that time as well.
In August 1560, the
Scottish Parliament passed
a series of Acts to
dismantle the Catholic
Church in Scotland, the
start of Protestantism. A
Commendator was appointed
to each Abbey at that time,
to run the finances while
the Monks lived out their
lives in the Abbey's. This
was when the powerful
Landowners began taking the
Land back from the Abbeys,
sometimes by ruthless
means.
The Kennedy's of
Cassillis, took the
Commendator of Crossraguel
Abbey to their Castle at
Dunure, and roasted him
over a fire in an attempt
to have him sign over Abbey
Land to them, setting off a
murderous fued over the
following years.
The Kennedy's of
Cassillis owned the Island
from around that time,
until they sold Cassillis
Estate in 2009, to
Confused.com founder Kate
Armstrong. It is un-clear
if it is Kate Armstrong
that now owns the Island,
and has put Ailsa Craig up
for Sale for
£2,5000,000.
The Castle is said to
have been built by the
Hamilton's, relations of
the Kenneday's, in the late
1500s.
Large Image of
the Lighthouse from about
500ft
Large Image of Ailsa
Craig Castle
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