October 8, 2015

This beautiful bay takes it's name from the Norse "sand-vik" meaning "sandy bay." Northern Germanic settlers and viking raiders left their mark on many parts of this landscape, not least of all in the name of the place which has come down to us today. Ancient settlement in the area goes back to the Neolithic and continued through the Bronze and Iron Ages, with evidence of burial cairns and farming communities continuous for some 6,000 years.

It's a quiet walk along the beach surrounded by mountains.

...and along a stunning cliff face. It's a perfect place to spot some of the island's diverse wildlife.

“Sand-Vik” is a bit of a misnomer once you get down along the beach a little. Some parts of the bay are less sandy than others. I saw a seal playing just off shore here but it spied me too and ducked away before I could snap a pic.

Further down the road, a replica of a Bronze Age round house on the Brodick Castle grounds overlooking Brodick Bay. The grounds are supposed to be lovely with manicured gardens and a fancy castle, but I’m more a fan of stark stone towers and lonely moors, so I skipped the gardens and went straight for the wooded trails and a hut on at the edge of the grounds. I arrived late and the place had officially closed for the day, but there was something even nicer about seeing it standing there alone as evening fell without reminders of the modern world wandering through...

Wattle-and-daub siding with straw insulation:

I’ve never seen thatching with anything so coarse! I have no idea what this is any there was no one around to ask. I wonder how well it works? it looked dry inside, but the weather had also been good and I don’t know how the building had been constructed. If anyone knows more, leave a comment or send a message and let me know!

They’d also built a “woodhenge” out in the field behind the Bronze Age house. I’m very tempted to build a woodhenge here at the farm (I’d love to build a stone circle, but the logistics are a nightmare—wood posts seem a lot more doable after seeing this.) Then again, my neighbors will probably burn me at the stake.