Ailsa Craig is a small island off the Ayrshire coast in south west Scotland, where I grew up. It was a constant feature of the landscape of my childhood. The island is actually the plug of an extinct volcano. A rare type of granite found on the island is used to make almost all of the world’s curling stones.

I’ve never actually been to Ailsa Craig, not many folks have. You can book a boat for a visit, but no people live there – the lighthouse, like all lighthouses in Scotland, is automated.

The main occupants are seabirds, gannets and puffins, among other seabirds. The island is only about 4km in circumference, but is home to 10% of the UK’s northern gannet population, over 10,000 breeding pairs. Puffins were once the most populous bird on the island before being wiped out by rats from shipwrecks. Thankfully the puffins have returned to nest after the rats were removed in the 1990s, and the population is in recovery.

I’m hoping to visit one day, I’d love to see the puffins!

Thanks for visiting,

Kaylin x