KING’S CAVE
A circular path on the beautiful Isle of Arran
It’s called King’s Cave because, reputedly, this is the cave Robert the Bruce watched the spider spin and re-spin its web in (though to be honest, this is claimed on behalf of a number of caves throughout Scotland and even Northern Ireland)!
The walk down to the caves passes through a variety of landscapes and offers a range of opportunities for the birder. It is worth checking the noticeboard at the car park for recent sightings, and I would recommend that you do the circular path clockwise, as the descent to the beach is steeper than the climb back. The first section goes through a Forestry Commission plantation, predominated by just two types of conifer. The path eventually emerges onto open countryside, before dropping down to the shingle beach. Keep an eye on the gorse and odd Hawthorn trees for Wood Warblers. The path down is steep, but manageable, and passes through scrub which, again, is worth checking out for warblers, Blackcaps and Wrens. Once onto the beach, you will be close to the Black Guillemots as they flit between the rock face and the sea, Rock Pipits, Common Sandpipers, Oystercatchers and Common Gulls are also present. The path slowly starts to rise again and there are a couple of good spots to stop and look out to sea at diving Gannets.
The path turns inland with the Forestry Commission land to the right and open farmland to the left. Wrens are everywhere and make sure you check the fields for Twite.