With the curling season firmly underway, it's time for a history lesson.
Did you know that a small Scottish island is famous for being the main supplier of curling stones?
In fact, every curling stone used at the ongoing European Curling Championships will come from Ailsa Craig, a small island located 10 miles off the coast of the Scottish mainland in the outer Firth of Clyde.
The isle is one of only two quarries responsible for supplying the granite used to make curling stones, the other being in Trefor, North Wales.
It lies at the heart of everything to do with curling at both Olympic and Paralympic level, thanks to the island granite's unique low water absorption preventing the stone's erosion from repeatedly freezing water.
Most recently, all 132 curling stones used in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics were extracted from the Aisla Craig quarry.
Here's all you need to know about Scotland's best kept secret:
What is Ailsa Craig?
Ailsa Craig is a Gaelic name that translates to 'fairy rock'. The isle originated from a long-extinct volcano and is relatively small, possessing dimensions of just 0.75 miles by 0.5 miles and a height of 1,120 feet (340 meters).
The island is currently uninhabited by humans but saw human activity between the 16th and 19th centuries, owing to its strategic position between Scotland and Ireland.
In the 1500s, the isle served as a haven for Catholics during the Scottish Reformation and today serves as a bird sanctuary managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in agreement with the island owner, the Marquess of Ailsa.
Ailsa Craig also boasts Scotland's third largest gannet colony and has also seen visits from a host of wildlife including puffins, guillemots, kittiwakes, razorbills, herring gulls and black-backed gulls.
More importantly, the island contains rare varieties of micro-granite with a mineral called riebeckite known as Ailsa Craig common green granite and Ailsa Craig blue hone granite, the latter being of higher quality than the former.
Most curling stones have historically been made from blue hone and the quarry is restricted by environmental conditions that prevent blasting, with quarrying typically taking place between September and November to avoid seabird breeding season.
Due to its unique molecular composition and impermeability, Ailsa Craig granite is extremely resistant to cold temperatures and excessive outside force.
The perfect material with which to make curling stones.
What are curling stones?
Curling stones are pieces of granite that have been moulded into a shape with a concave top and bottom.
Though they came in all shapes and sizes during the earliest days of the sport, curling stones at Olympic level typically weigh 20kg and possess a width of 278mm and a height of 136mm.
The body of a curling stone or the 'striking band' is comprised of common green Ailsa Craig granite with blue hone then fitted to the body to create the running band that allows the stone to glide on the ice.
Kays of Scotland has been making curling stones since 1851 and hold exclusive rights to Ailsa Craig granite, granted by the Marquess of Ailsa.
Kays Curling was founded in 1851, and has been providing curling stones for the Winter Olympics since the Chamonix Games in 1924.
The granite is harvested approximately once a decade, with the most recent harvest taking place in 2020.
The stones are hand-crafted at Kays Curling's workshop in Mauchline, Ayrshire and are the only ones used in competition by the World Curling Federation.
Sportsbeat 2024