2014 - Backpacking to Stranraer, Scotland day 15

Backpacking to Stranraer, Scotland from21 May to 26 June 2014 (37days)

The Lady Bay fishing station at Loch Ryan is currently managed by Alistair McCulloch. A bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It was also a term for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate. Bothies are found in remote mountainous areas of Scotland, Northern England, Ulster and Wales.

Day 15 (4.6.2014) Lady Bay fishing station at Loch Ryan, Stranraer
 
This morning we visited Lady Bay a 15km away, to do some spring cleaning of the fishing station for our overnight stay on 9th of June. On the way back for lunch we dropped by at Margaret Modrate’s house at Kirkcolm for a chat and to give her the tatties grown at the fishing station.

In the afternoon Ching Neng Bin demonstrated his cooking skill by cooking a big pot of his special chicken curry for dinner. A bowl of chicken curry and rice was also given to our immediate neighbour, Janet and James Drysdale. They both loved it very much so were our team members who all had double bowl of rice.

Sleeping: Alistair McCulloch's Shambley Residence, Millfield Avenue, Stranraer, Scotland.
Temp: min.10 – max.18 °C


The Lady Bay fishing station at Loch Ryan is currently managed by Alistair McCulloch.


Lady Bay lies on the west shore of Loch Ryan, some 12km north of Stranraer. The bay is asymmetrical in plan; its north flank consists of a rock cliff whose orientation corresponds to a fault line which is the westwards extension of the Southern Uplands Fault. A raised-beach, defined to the landwards by a drift-cliff, occupies the area behind the small sand-beach.


Lady Bay of Loch Ryan. Much of it is protected by a narrow shingle backshore, and parts of the south end are armoured by rock outcrops. The edge is formed in blown-sand only at the south end of the beach. Rates of change at the coastal edge are slow, but erosion is the dominant tendency, although it is less clearly defined than at many other beaches in southwest Scotland.


The area around Lady Bay of Loch Ryan forms part of Portencalzie Farm, which is tenanted. Agricultural use is mainly in the form of grazing, and a shed in the south-central part of the raised-beach is used for the storage of hay used in the wintering of cattle. Part of the raised-beach near the shed is unimproved, and remains in the form of rough grazing. The south end of the beach is occupied by a fishing station which is under ownership different from that of the farm.


The area behind the Lady Bay of Loch Ryan beach consists of a 200m wide raised-beach composed of gravels with an average seaward slope of approximately 3°, increasing to about 6° at the north end. A ma-chair-like area composed of thin shell-rich blown-sand has developed around the fishing station at the extreme south end of the bay, but it is confined to small patches which slope gently down towards the very subdued coastal edge. Apart from these machair patches, blown-sand is extremely thin and its featureless nature has been emphasised by the cultivation of part of the raised-beach which it overlies. The beach complex is delineated by a relict cliff-line which reaches a maximum height of around 30m OD behind the north and central part of the bay and decreases in height southwards.


The Lady Bay of Loch Ryan coastal edge is armoured by rock outcrops.


Ferry crossings to Belfast from Stranraer as seen from Lady Bay of Loch Ryan.


Beautiful wild flowers on the rock at Lady Bay of Loch Ryan.


The kitchen cum dinning room at Lady Bay fishing station, Loch Ryan.


The kitchen cum dinning room at Lady Bay fishing station, Loch Ryan.


The kitchen cum dinning room at Lady Bay fishing station, Loch Ryan.


Photograph of the lady of Lady Bay Loch Ryan taken in September 1936.


The hall cum sleeping room at Lady Bay fishing station, Loch Ryan.


The hall cum sleeping room at Lady Bay fishing station, Loch Ryan.


The hall cum sleeping room at Lady Bay fishing station, Loch Ryan.


The hall cum sleeping room at Lady Bay fishing station, Loch Ryan.


The hall cum sleeping room at Lady Bay fishing station, Loch Ryan.


The wood-burning fireplace at Lady Bay fishing station, Loch Ryan.


The beautiful Starfish Beach Coral Shells on display at Lady Bay fishing station, Loch Ryan.


The beautiful Starfish Beach Coral Shells on display at Lady Bay fishing station, Loch Ryan.

The farm land around Lady Bay fishing station, Loch Ryan.


Kirkcolm is a small village situated on the northern tip of the Rhinns of Galloway peninsula. The village is bordered on the north and west by the sea, on the east by the bay of Loch Ryan and on the south by Leswalt parish.


Margaret Modrate’s house at Kirkcolm Village, Scotland.


On the way back for lunch we dropped by at Margaret Modrate’s house at Kirkcolm for a chat and to give her the tatties grown at the Lady Bay fishing station, Loch Ryan.


Alistair helped to water Margaret Modrate’s greenhouse plants at Kirkcolm.


We had these Newgate baked beans, meatballs, lentil soup and Smedley's peas for lunch at Alistair's Residence.


Ching Neng Bin preparing the chicken meat marinated with curry paste at Alistair McCulloch's Residence.


Ching Neng Bin demonstrated his cooking skill by cooking a big pot of his special chicken curry for dinner.


Ching Neng Bin cooking his special chicken curry for dinner at Alistair McCulloch's Residence.


Ching Neng Bin cooking his special chicken curry for dinner at Alistair McCulloch's Residence.


Ching Neng Bin cooking his special chicken curry for dinner at Alistair McCulloch's Residence.


Delicious home-style chicken curry with a plate of fried French beans for dinner at Alistair Residence.


Delicious home-style chicken curry with a plate of fried French beans for dinner at Alistair Residence.


Romance was in the air on Wednesday with my chicken curry dinner night!


It was so good that we all had double bowl of rice. What a wonderful meal to have.

Lady Bay at Loch Ryan, Stranraer, Scotland

Click below to view daily adventures:
Day 01 (21.05.2014 Wed) – MH16 KUL/AMS 2355hr – 0655hr on 22May
Day 02 (22.05.2014 Thr) – Amsterdam City, Holland

Day 03 (23.05.2014 Fri) – Amsterdam Zaanse Schans Village (21km)
Day 04 (24.05.2014 Sat) – KL.1477R AMS/GLA 1535hr - 1605hr Glasgow Airport
Day 05 (25.05.2014 Sun) – Stranraer, Scotland

Day 06 (26.05.2014 Mon) – Fishing station at Lady Bay (15km) Loch Ryan
Day 07 (27.05.2014 Tue) – Portpatrick and Mull of Galloway Lighthouse (58km)
Day 08 (28.05.2014 Wed) – Lide supermarket (2.8km) and Museum
Day 09 (29.05.2014 Thu) – Exploring Galloway Forest Park (56km)
Day 10 (30.05.2014 Fri) – Kirkland Fishery Farm in Leswalt (4.6km)

Day 11 (31.05.2014 Sat) – Exploring Galloway Forest Park (60km)
Day 12 (01.06.2014 Sun) – Trekking 20.8km Loch Ryan Coastal Path
Day 13 (02.06.2014 Mon) – A free and easy rest day
Day 14 (03.06.2014 Tue) – To Robert Burns Cottage at Alloway (78km)
Day 15 (04.06.2014 Wed) – Fishing station at Lady Bay (15km) Loch Ryan

Day 16 (05.06.2014 Thu) – A trip to the Giant Causeway (153km) by coach
Day 17 (06.06.2014 Fri) – Trekking 4km Ardwell Pond, Ardwell Bay (18km)
Day 18 (07.06.2014 Sat) – Our ladies went shopping in Ayr (72km)
Day 19 (08.06.2014 Sun) – Visiting Isabelle/Robert in Newton Steward (50km)
Day 20 (09.06.2014 Mon) – Overnight stay at Fishing Station, Lady Bay Loch Ryan

Day 21 (10.06.2014 Tue) – Visited a farm using automated milking
Day 22 (11.06.2014 Wed) – Day 1 of Scenic West Coast Tour, Scotland
Day 23 (12.06.2014 Thu) – Day 2 of Scenic West Coast Tour, Scotland
Day 24 (13.06.2014 Fri) – Day 3 of Scenic West Coast Tour, Scotland
Day 25 (14.06.2014 Sat) – Day 4 of Scenic West Coast Tour, Scotland

Day 26 (15.06.2014 Sun) – Day 5 of Scenic West Coast Tour, Scotland
Day 27 (16.06.2014 Mon) – Allan and Pauline 50th wedding anniversary
Day 28 (17.06.2014 Tue) – Mysterious beach walk at Loch Larbrax, Scotland
Day 29 (18.06.2014 Wed) – Lake Loweswater, Lake District, UK (day1)
Day 30 (19.06.2014 Thu) – Outward Bound Ullswater, Lake Ullswater (day2)

Day 31 (20.06.2014 Fri) – Return from Lake District (day3)
Day 32 (21.06.2014 Sat) – Our last visit to the bothy at Lady Bay
Day 33 (22.06.2014 Sun) – A farewell dinner hosted by Margaret Modrate
Day 34 (23.06.2014 Mon) – A farewell tea hosted by Vera Little
Day 35 (24.06.2014 Tue) – To Glasgow for a night stay for next day flight
Day 36 (25.6.2014Wed) Glasgow 6am to Amsterdam 8.40//MH17 12noon to KLIA
Day 37 (26.06.2014 Thu) – MH17 touched down at KLIA at 6.20am.


 
37day expenses per person was RM6,139.05 
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2 comments:

  1. Dear Mr Ching,
    Thank you for sharing, i enjoy reading your blog ! Best Regards.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOUR PICTURES.... THANKS HEAPS FOR SHARING.

    ReplyDelete