Little Cumbrae - Rugged & Wild
Could no be more different than its bigger sister. Great Cumbrae is lush and fertile whilst Little Cumbrae is wild and rugged. There are no roads encircling the island with just a walking path reaching from the eastern shore with its historic castle and beautiful old house to the disused lighthouse and keepers cottages on the West Coast. From the lighthouse high above the sea whales, dolphins and porpoises can be seen sporting in the clear waters whilst the bird life is untamed and surprisingly friendly with literally thousands of nesting birds in spring and early summer. Wild and untamed, it sits in the middle of the Clyde encircled by raised beaches and basalt crags. It has a savage history that records shipwrecks and the lives of early settlers through Viking times upto the early part of the 20 century when farming on this unforgiving island was given up and the few remaining families finally left.
To reach it you need your own boat, or a private charter or a trip by high speed and is well worth the effort just to appreciate the castle and the beautiful old house at the little harbour.