The Remote Granite Island of Ailsa Craig

The Ailsa Craig is a giant granite volcanic rock, the plug of an extinct volcano, created 60 million years ago when the vent of the volcano was sealed with molten lava.

The Craig is clearly visible from the coastline south of Glasgow on Scotland’s west coast. Its a site identified with the world famous Trump Turnberry golf course, which named its links course The Ailsa.

The granite is rich and precious, used for making curling stones. Recently it was put up for sale by the Marquis of Ailsa for 1.5 million pounds. The shorelines of the Craig are littered with abandoned equipment used for mining the granite here. It is also a nature reserve and a breeding ground for 73,000 birds.

To get to the Ailsa Craig, you need to take a one and a half hour boat ride with a local fishermen  (weather permitting) ten miles off the coast. The boat drops you and returns after three hours to take you back, as tides are tricky and otherwise it cant dock.

In the three hours you are on the Craig it is possible to climb 1,300 feet to the top and back. Its a steep, slippery climb, with either an overgrown or no trail, but well worth it for the spectacular views.