Tree felled as Ophelia blows out over Arran
Arran was left relatively unscathed earlier in the week after Hurricane Ophelia, which wreaked havoc in Northern Ireland, had lost a lot of its power by the time it reached the island.
While there was extensive damage to property, major disruption to transport networks in both the north and south of Ireland, the predicted winds in excess of 60mph had mostly dissipated by the time they reached Arran, causing only the expected cancellation of ferries and the closure of the Brodick Country Park.
The only significant damage reported to the Banner was the partial felling of a large beech tree at Lamlash golf club.
Head greenkeeper Jim McKenzie said: ‘The stormdamaged tree occurred during the high winds of late Monday evening. These mature beach trees are focal point of holes one and eight, where many visiting golfers enjoy the panoramic views of Holy Isle and Lamlash.
‘Our main worry when finding out about a tree being down was if there had been substantial damage to the green and other damage it could have caused to the other beech trees.’
Luckily, the damage was minor and Mr McKenzie and his team had the huge branch cleared and cut into manageable sizes by the following afternoon when the golf course was returned to its usual pristine condition by lunchtime. Owing to trees still being heavily laden with their leaves before the full onset of winter, Brodick Castle and Country Park closed the attraction to the public in the late afternoon amid concerns that some of the mature trees in the area would fall victim to the storm. While there were some shed branches and small tree debris, the Arran Ranger Service reported no serious incidents of trees being damaged or uprooted.
Flood alerts issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency alerted members of the public to be prepared. However, flooding across Arran was minimal with just a foot of water reported in Sannox during a storm surge. In Dougarie, beach detritus, including seaweed and pebbles, littered the road but presented little obstruction to motorists.
By the following day, the ferry service resumed in the late morning, the Brodick Castle and Country Park re-opened and life on Arran continued with minimal disruption.