An amazing photo of an old 'hermit' who used to live in a cave in Cumbrae has surfaced on the internet.
The picture appeared on the Millport Photos facebook page and is believed to be from the 1920s as even a curtain can be seen covering the entrance to the cave.
His name was 'Fern Andy' because he was well known for weaving ferns into baskets and sold them. 
The cave is on the west side of the island not too far on the road to Fintry. 
Kathleen Taynton said: "He walked to Fintry but not into the town apparently. I only know what I was told but when I worked at the Marine Station a Flora and Fauna group, had a photo of him, near to the gate at the pavement, close to his "cave."
Margaret Duthie, who was born in 1932, said: " I can always remember Belle Mitchell, who was a maid to Cunningham the bakers in 11Guildford Street telling me she used to go out and visit him in a cave past the Targets.
"There is a large piece of rock/stone just a few yards along from, what I called the Pulpit, supposed to be the other end of the Lion Rock, now covered in ivy,going towards Fintry, where there was a path, which I suppose will be well overgrown now. She said it was quite a clear path up to the cave.
"As stated somewhere in Facebook recently I saw the cave this year when the sun was low in setting and no leaves on the trees quite clearly on the front of the hill and section of stone jutting out to form a type of canopy. He must have been a very hardy man to survive even in the summer there. I understand he came in in the winter and stayed in a house."
The photograph of him was taken by Valerie Harvey's grandfather JC Morgan who had a photographic studio in Millport in the 1920’s.
Valerie now lives on Vancouver Island but have connections to Millport going back many years, and is pleased that the photo has gained so much interest nearly 100 years later.

It is also said that 'Fern Andy' drew the famous Indian Rock face on the west side of Cumbrae.