Tour Scotland very short 4K Autumn travel video clip of a Scotsman wearing a Kilt and Sporran and walking during storm waves on Portencross Beach on ancestry genealogy, history visit and trip to the coast of North Ayrshire, Britain, United Kingdom. Before any stone structure stood on the coast, the tiny natural tidal inlet right beside Portencross Beach served a dark and solemn purpose. According to long standing Scottish lore, this spot was reputed to be the last mainland resting place for early Scottish kings. From the times of Kenneth MacAlpin until the reign of Malcolm Canmore, the bodies of deceased monarchs were reportedly brought down this coast to be loaded onto light wooden vessels called birlinns before being shipped across the treacherous seas to their final sacred burial grounds on the Isle of Iona. The landscape changed significantly around 1360 when the Boyds of Kilmarnock constructed what we now know as Portencross Castle. The family was granted these lands by King Robert the Bruce as a reward for their loyal service at the Battle of Bannockburn. The fortress quickly became a key focal point for regional power. King Robert II frequently used the castle as a seasonal residence, signing several important Royal Charters within its thick stone walls while looking out over the Firth of Clyde. One of the most thrilling chapters of Portencross history took place just off its rocky shores. In 1588, following the defeat of the Spanish Armada, fleeing warships tried to navigate the perilous route back to Spain by going around the north of Scotland. Local legend states that a grand Spanish galleon sought refuge at Portencross, whose laird, Alexander Boyd, was a sympathiser to the Catholic queen, Mary, Queen of Scots. The ship allegedly foundered and sank directly into the deep waters just off the beach. In 1740, an early salvage operation successfully retrieved 20 brass and iron cannons from the seabed, one of which still sits proudly on the grassy bank right beside the castle today. Modern divers still frequent the waters off the beach carpark hoping to find definitive traces of the lost hull. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome. Meteorological Autumn or Fall is different from standard and astronomical Autumn and begins September 1 and ends November 30
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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