Sunshine has been in short supply in recent weeks, so an evening break in the grey clouds was reason enough for me to get on my bike, writes Calum Corral.

And it wasn't just me who was celebrating the chance of some good weather, as when I cycled by the Mackerston bridge, there was a cluster of seagulls all having a bath in the Gogo Burn.

I cycled onwards to the ferry terminal, on the same day as HRH Duke of Cambridge's visit to Largs, and staff at the Cal Mac Pier office were still buzzing about the brief visit, and told me that Prince William waved at the the ticket office in his Range Rover jeep during the covert mission. The Prince had been dropped off, and picked up at the pier, after going on a Serco boat to visit a submarine on the Clyde, submerged in local waters.

Upon arriving on the Isle of Cumbrae, my concentration was taken by a heron who was flying around near the ferry slip, and seemed to be on the look-out for prey. This hadn't gone unnoticed by a pair of seagulls who decided to go on the attack, and swooped down on the heron.

Intriguingly, he wasn't going to be deterred at first and decided to fly around 360 degrees before returning a second time, but the gulls were determined, and managed to see him off on the second occasion.

I cycled onwards to Kames Bay which has been attracting the headlines in recent weeks because of its overgrown outlook, which has upset locals, although it has been claimed in scientific circles that the particular stretch has contributed more to the understanding of marine biology than any other stretch of beach in Scotland.

There were some users of the beach enjoying the good weather, but there was an element of sadness as I cycled along the seafront, with the festoon lights missing after being taken away due to their irreparable condition, but will be be replaced later this year by energy efficient lighting.

Unfortunately my iPhone doesn't like the cold wind too much, and switches itself off, so I had no idea what the time was as I was cycling up the west side, eager to catch the last ferry homewards at 8.30pm.

A lot of young seagulls were dotted all across the beach near the 'Hush Hush', pleasantly snoozing, taking position for the sunset. Unfortunately the family geese who I have regularly referred to in this column were nowhere to be seen, and I wonder if they have gone to pastures new.

As I approached the ferry slip, I was growing concerned to see that there was no ferry approaching, and wondered if I was indeed too late.

However, the MV Loch Shira had suffered a ramp problem, having been offline since 7.15pm, but Cal Mac managed to send a last ferry out, although cars had to reverse onboard, and we swung round upon 180 degrees, a bit like the heron earlier, and headed back to Largs to enjoy a scenic sunset.