Words and photographs: Colin Smeeton
While Arran may have escaped the worst of the ravages of Storm Ciarán compared to those living in the east coast of Scotland and other parts of the UK, the combined high tides and high winds still left a trail of destruction across the island.
In Lochranza, the burn at Newton Road flooded and at Whiting Bay a sinkhole appeared on the main A841 road. In Brodick, a large section of Brodick golf course was eroded by the strong tides and on the opposite end of the bay, Fisherman’s Walk sustained significant damage.
The sinkhole in Whiting Bay was caused by the relentless tide undermining the road and left residents on either side of the blockage having to take a lengthy detour to reach destinations usually just minutes away.
The section of road remained impassable on Wednesday and single lane traffic was only possible by Thursday while repairs were completed.
Large sections of Fisherman’s Walk were also undermined in Brodick with the large concrete footings being raised above ground level in some places. In addition to the walkway being buried under tons of sand in places, at the other end it was undermined by the strong tides which scoured the beach and left tree roots exposed.
Fisherman’s Walk bridge itself, having stood firm for decades, suffered with its wooden walkway boards lifted and loosened, with some boards missing and a few unsecured and feeling spongy underfoot.
At the end of last week, North Ayrshire Council staff worked diligently to remove seaweed and other debris from the roads, while officials and Brodick Improvements Committee initiated a survey to investigate the damage to Fisherman’s Walk bridge which, while still usable, will require repairs.
Brodick putting green submerged in sea water and seaweed. 01_B45Ciaran01_23_putting_green
Missing planks and unsecured boards on the Fisherman’s Walk bridge. 01_B45Ciaran02_23_Fishermans_Walk_bridge
Heavy concrete footings were lifted out of the ground and caused ripples in the walkway. 01_B45Ciaran03_23_lifted_footings
Tons of beach sand covered a large section of the walkway. 01_B45Ciaran04_23_sand
Exposed tree roots show where the walkway has been undermined by the strong tides. 01_B45Ciaran05_23_tree_roots
Huge amounts of seaweed was washed ashore during the unusually high tides. 01_B45Ciaran06_23_seaweed
Council workers remove all of the seaweed and repair the damage to Brodick putting green. 01_B45Ciaran07_23_Putting_green
A large section of Brodick golf course was eroded away during the severe storm. 01_B45Ciaran08_23_erosion_BGC
A car in the Brodick car park is partially submerged by the rising sea water. 01_B45Ciaran09_23_car-submerged
A significant amount of water caused flooding in Brodick car park. 01_B45Ciaran10_23_water_flood
Workmen start to excavate the sinkhole at Whiting Bay to discover the extent of the damage. Photograph: David Brookens. No_B45Ciaran11_23_sinkhole_WB
The sinkhole at Whiting Bay caused the A841 to be closed for the day while contractors worked through the night to repair the damage. Photograph: David Brookens. No_B45Ciaran12_23_road_closed