Latest news with #FirthOfClyde
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Golf's top trumps? Your Dad's got competition there, Eric
'No one's been better for the game of golf than my father,' one of the US president's sons told the BBC this week. Wait – it'll come to me which one. Tip of the tongue, literally. Not the one who looks like he's permanently fronting an infomercial selling steam carpet cleaners. Not him. The other one. Eric. That's it. Anyway, an interestingly broad claim. You think back across 18-hole golf's gilded history, going all the way down to 1764 at St Andrews, and you think of all of the people in that time who, by their actions and initiatives, and sometimes just by sheer dint of their personalities, have taken the game on and expanded its possibilities, broadened its appeal, shaped its spirit. And then, having thought of all that, you arrive at Donald Trump. I'm shaking my head here. What? Not Jimmy Tarbuck? But that's why we love sport, isn't it? For the opinions it inspires in us, and the debates we get to have about it? I'll say this much in favour of Trump: he's done a lovely job on Turnberry. I don't play golf, but I treated myself to a tour of the Trump Turnberry website this week, out of curiosity, when the president and his entourage were up that way, and I thought it looked very high-end, especially if you're into that whole Highland luxe/complimentary shortbread/whisky marmalade/ monogrammed wallpaper vibe, which so many golfers seem to be. Incidentally, don't skip past the premium rooms offering an 'ocean view'. Because apparently the Firth of Clyde is an 'ocean' now. Must have missed that one in all the fuss over the Gulf of Mexico. But, yes, if you were trying to stand up this 'best ever person for golf' claim, Trump's oversight on the Turnberry revamp would certainly be something to put on the plus side of the ledger. At the same time, let me just rest this here: the 43rd annual Jimmy Tarbuck Classic took place this spring at Quinta do Lago on the Algarve, and bookings are currently being taken for 2026, according to a notice I saw on Facebook. That's 43, going on 44, years of celebrity-sprinkled, golf-based, charity fund raising fun, right there, with after-dinner entertainment from, I imagine, the likes of Brian Conley. Now, that's properly being good for golf, no? Not denying, of course, that Trump has given golf some serious hours – 23.3% of his presidency to date, according to the valuable tracker But I don't suppose Tarby was ever exactly a slouch in that regard. Still lives beside one of the nice Surrey courses, I believe. Also, he can go out for a round without causing a security sweep of hundreds of acres of exposed gorse-land and neighbouring villages. Frankly, could there be a worse sport for a high-risk individual? Never mind 'none better for golf'. The Secret Service must long for a president to come along who just wants to play five-a-side football on a Wednesday night, or better still, darts over a few sandwiches at home on a Thursday. American tax payers would probably quite like that, too. And I guess we can't not mention the cheating. Rick Reilly wrote a whole book about it. A video surfaced this week of an aide seemingly dropping a ball for the president to use. It wasn't conclusive, but it did go some way towards explaining the magic that multiple LPGA Tour winner Suzann Pettersen, who played with Trump, described to a Norwegian newspaper in 2018: 'No matter how far into the woods he hits his ball, it's always in the middle of the fairway when we get there.' No such taint hanging over Tarby's game, that's for sure. None over the late Sir Bruce Forsyth's, either, another titan of the fairway. Actually, the more you think about it… Peter Alliss, Sean Connery, Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore, Naga Munchetty… the 'people who have been better for golf than Trump' category starts to get competitive pretty quickly. Or what about the gopher in Caddyshack? Remember the scene where it dances to that Kenny Loggins track? Classic! That gopher is ahead of Trump on my list. The debate goes on, though. And long may it. Photo by Richard Williams/Mirrorpix
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Yahoo
A journey into the deep past on beautiful Arran
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Isolated in the vast Firth of Clyde, Arran is situated just south of the Hebrides and is Scotland's seventh biggest island. Two hours by car and ferry from Glasgow, it has long been popular with holidaymakers from the city. But it also has another group of fans – geologists, said Stuart Kenny in The Guardian. In few other places than this is the planet's history so clearly recorded on its surface, with rock types "from basically every geological period of the last half-billion years". Observations on Arran played a key role in the birth of modern geological science, and in April this year it was designated a Unesco Global Geopark in recognition of its importance. Owing to its newfound status, "informative Geopark signage" has appeared at many of its geological sites. I began my recent trip by climbing Goat Fell, Arran's highest peak at 874 metres. From its summit, I could see the clean division between the island's northern uplands and its southern lowlands. This is the Highland Boundary Fault, a geological line where tectonic plates collided, which runs across Scotland from here. The next day, hiking along the 65-mile Arran Coastal Way, I came across Hutton's Unconformity, a junction between two types of rock formation. It was observed in 1787 by James Hutton, "the father of modern geology", and helped him to challenge the then-dominant view, based on the Old Testament, that the planet was only a few thousand years old. Walking the whole Coastal Way is a pleasure in myriad ways. I spotted dolphins and otters, swam in "secluded" bays, and came across plenty more geological marvels, each offering a glimpse into prehistory. Among them were black "walls" of magma that were forced up from the Earth's interior 60 million years ago, as Europe and North America were pulled apart; the footprints of a giant "proto-crocodile" from 240 million years ago, when Scotland sat near the equator; and – perhaps most bedazzling – a mound of "fossilised fulgurite" formed when a desert sand dune was struck by lightning 270 million years ago.
Telegraph
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The charming Scottish seaside resort that survived against all odds
Gone are the days when half of Glasgow thrashed 'doon the water' on holidays to the Firth of Clyde resorts. The advent of cheap jet travel has spirited Glaswegians off to the Spanish Costas, sounding the Clyde's death knell. Ayr no more. Ardrossan no more. One resort town, though, survived the onslaught. Largs is the beguiling Clydeside resort they forgot to close down. Behind the town's evergreen tourist appeal are an embarrassment of natural charms. The emerald cloak of the surprisingly wild (and wildly beautiful) Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park provides a rugged natural amphitheatre, with Knock Hill a brilliantly rewarding yomp. The famed beachfront promenade unfurls over two miles, with Great Cumbrae sparkling just across the water. The isles of Bute and Arran glower beyond, competing with the hills of Argyll for cinematic attention. 'Largs is lovely and it just oozes nostalgia,' beams Janet Martin of Tasting History Scotland Tours, who hasn't looked back since moving up from Kent 40 years ago. There is only one place for us to meet – Nardini's, a graceful old Art Deco ice-cream parlour and café that ushers us gently into a different time. It's a warmer, more innocent world, the 1930s when the 'war to end all wars' had supposedly brought enduring peace to a war-ravaged Britain. 'That was a different Britain back then and visitors today enjoy tapping into the comfort of that age and its heritage,' muses Janet. If the name Nardini sounds familiar it's because – outside of Scotland's west coast – it's more synonymous with the actress Daniela Nardini, who scooped ice creams for customers as a child long before winning awards for her role as Anna Forbes in the BBC Two series This Life. Her Scottish family of Italian heritage are part of Largs' solid Ayrshire sandstone backbone. Their Art Deco creation has stood proudly since 1935, even surviving the dark days of the Second World War, when all able-bodied Italian men of fighting age were incarcerated on the Isle of Wight, despite one of the Nardini family fighting for the Allies in the Great War. In its heyday, a six-man orchestra struck up and a crooner sashayed around charming customers. The stage still stands. Though there is no live music today I savour delicious nostalgia with traditional haddock and chips and a strawberry milkshake topped up with double cream. Long gone, of course, are the halcyon days when dozens of paddle steamers swished into Largs daily, disgorging delighted holidaymakers for meanders along the town's palm-fringed waterfront. The palms still sway, but only one paddle steamer – the heritage vessel PS Waverley – still calls in summer. You can catch one of the modern ferries that ease across to the island of Great Cumbrae, home to a cracking gin distillery, the trim village of Millport and the only cathedral in the Hebrides. That ferry link and the hourly train service are the oxygen that Largs needs to continue winning its battle for survival. The railway arrived in 1885. More hotels, guesthouses and cafes followed suit, along with Barrfields Theatre. Remarkably it's still open today and has had a swimming pool and history museum (Vikingar!) wrapped around it. The roster of past performers is as impressive as it is eclectic, with everyone from Billy Connolly and Gregor Fisher (Rab C. Nesbitt), through to Ronnie Corbett. During Largs' golden age most people came for a day trip or just a night, a trend that continues today, but historically some more unwelcome visitors lingered longer in the Firth of Clyde. Much longer. The Vikings first descended on the Scottish isles with the shock sacking of the religious community of Iona in 795 AD. They ravaged, settled and then ravaged again, seizing control of almost all of Scotland's islands, as far south as the Isle of Man, a Scottish possession at the time. At Vikingar!, local schoolkids learn that Largs had Thor long before Marvel, as they're stirred by proud tales of how the mighty Norse eventually met their match in the Battle of Largs in 1293. The museum's Joe Thompson tells me, 'Largs was pivotal as it's when we finally sent the Vikings home to think again. Without Largs, Scotland today might have been very different.' Largs really does spread its wings far and wide. A plaque marks the sight of the hotel where Churchill and Eisenhower cemented Normandy as the site of D-Day landings. William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, inventor of the Kelvin Scale, loved Largs so much he built a mansion here and Largs luminary Sir Thomas Brisbane made such an impact as governor of New South Wales they named Queensland's capital after him. Largs has also had a seismic impact on football. The roll-call of managers who have honed their skills or taught at the legendary Inverclyde National Sports Centre, overlooking the town, includes Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Kenny Dalglish, Roy Hodgson, Jose Mourinho, Fabio Capello and Giovanni Trapattoni. Footballers may hate sitting on the bench, but people in Largs love them. The resort must have more benches – and more shades of them – per capita than anywhere in Britain. They're well-used: a couple share their love of Nardini's ice cream with their daughter, while a brace of fish-supper quaffing bikers fend off the gulls and two mature gents bemoan another defeat for Scotland at Hampden Park. My head swims in thoughts of the famous Largs alumni; my heart sways at the Arran Hills poking through the cloud that hangs low over the isles. I make a last stop on the waterfront at a pub called The Paddle Steamer. As the slick modern hybrid CalMac ferry glides in I raise a toast to Largs, the Clyde resort that survived against the odds.
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Daily Mail
A massive search operation launched on the Firth of Clyde amid reports of a man overboard
A massive search operation was launched in the Firth of Clyde yesterday afternoon amid concern a man had gone overboard. The passenger was reported missing on the Gourock to Dunoon service after disappearing while fetching something from his car. The man, believed to be in his sixties, vanished from the Western Ferries vessel shortly after telling his wife that he needed to get something from the boot of their vehicle. When he failed to come back, she raised the alarm. Emergency services including the RNLI, Coastguard and Police Scotland officers joined the search after the alert was raised at around 1.30pm. CalMac ferries stopped services for safety reasons amid the operation and said its MV Ali Cat was aiding the search for the missing passenger. A Coastguard helicopter flew a search pattern over the Gourock- Dunoon route and surrounding areas. It was airborne for most of the afternoon before refuelling at Prestwick at 5.38pm. Coastguard crews searched on foot along the Gourock waterfront while police officers were deployed to the nearby ferry terminal. Western Ferries also suspended sailings on the route. In Dunoon, a Western Ferries operator said he had been told no boats would serve the 20-minute journey for the rest of the day, or at least until 'the search' was over. He said: 'I've just been told not to let anyone else into the car park and inform people that the only way they're going to get out of here today is by road.' One hotelier, whose rooms were filled with passengers stranded on the Dunoon side of the route, said: 'The way the current's going he could be at Holy Loch or Helensburgh by now.' Another passenger said the incident had left everyone on board 'traumatised'. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: 'HM Coastguard are responding to reports of a person overboard between the Hunter's Quay and Gourock area. 'An HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter has been tasked to conduct a search, alongside Coastguard rescue teams from Largs and Dunoon, in addition to RNLI lifeboats from Helensburgh and Largs.' Late last night the emergency services said the search had been called off until morning.
The Independent
15-06-2025
- The Independent
Person goes overboard on UK ferry with major search operation underway
A person has fallen overboard from a ferry in the Firth of Clyde. A search is now under way following the incident between Dunoon and Gourock on Sunday afternoon. An HM Coastguard helicopter was dispatched alongside an RNLI lifeboat. CalMac said its MV Ali Cat vessel is also assisting the search. It's understood the person fell from a Western Ferries vessel. A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: 'HM Coastguard are responding to reports of a person overboard between the Hunter's Quay and Gourock area in Scotland. 'An HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter has been tasked to conduct a search, alongside coastguard rescue teams from Largs and Dunoon, in addition to RNLI lifeboats from Helensburgh and Largs. 'Nearby vessels have been called to assist. Police Scotland and Scottish Ambulance Service are also in attendance. 'The situation is ongoing.'
