Scotland in miniature: the Isle of Arran

Arran is the most southerly of all Scottish islands. It is famous not only for its geology but also for its variety of different landscapes and picturesque villages. The northern part of the island is quite bleak and mountainous whilst the southern part is different, offering sandy beaches, rocky coastlines and green hills. Actually some palm trees grow here due to the mild climate thanks to the Gulf Stream.

I catched the first ferry of the day from Ardrossan to Arran for a 24h visit. On approach to the island I enjoyed a view of Goat Fell, the highest peak of Arran (2,866ft). After roughly an hour the Caledonian ferry pulled into Brodick harbour.

After disembarking I drove straight to the accommodation in Brodick which I had booked in advance. The Allandale Guest house, run by Ann and Ed figured out to be a very good choice with nice rooms at fair prices (www.allandalehouse.co.uk). After check-in I started my anti-clockwise drive around the island. My first two stops were at the beaches in the northeast of Arran, enjoying the view of the remote and untouched nature. There was just one, rather pretty small town along the north-eastern coast, Corrie where I stopped for a morning coffee.

A few miles north of Corrie the road left the shoreline and after a steep climb I drove down the Glen Chalmadale and suddenly felt like being in the Scottish Highlands. I stopped a couple of times, either for taking photos or for not running over sheep which kept walking across the street. After having enjoyed the unspoilt scenery in the Glen I arrived at the northern tip of the island in a place called Lochranza. Here I stopped at the ruins of the castle and took a walk along the beach to the north.

Back in the car, I drove south along the west coast and stopped at the Twelve Apostles. This name had been given to a row of very nice black-and-white cottages, built along the beach. Once more, I took a short walk along the beach, enjoying the impressive scenery of the mountaineous northern part of Arran.

Further south I took a walk on the Machrie Moors, actually looking for one of the six Bronze age stone circles. However it started to rain so I decided to return to the car and drive on. I arrived in Blackwaterfoot where I parked at the golf course (actually it is the only twelve-hole golf course in the world) from where it was easy to access the broad sandy beach. The steep rocks of Drumadoon Point can be seen from here as well as a number of stripes of black stone. I was amazed to learn that this was actually magma which rose up from deep inside the earth in cracks and hardened in them as vertical sheets or so-called dykes. Nowadays these dykes are exposed to the sea but since they are harder than the surrounding sandstone they form some sort of little black walls.

Continuing along the southern part of the island I did not bother to stop in either Lagg or Kildonan, since it was already becoming late, the weather was crap and the landscape was far less spectacular than in the north. Arriving at the south-eastern coast I stopped quickly to look around Whiting Bay before I decided to continue to Lamlash for dinner. The large and nice Lamlash bay is sheltered by the Holy Island. Owned by Tibetan Buddhists this small island is some sort of centre for health and world-peace. However I didn’t bother about these topics at that time since I was starving, not having had lunch due to my tight schedule. I went to the Pier Head Tavern in Lamlash and had some excellent pub food there.

After driving a few more miles I arrived back in Brodick and the Allandale guest house. I slept very well indeed and after a quick breakfast on the next morning I drove back to the harbour to catch the ferry back to the mainland.

---

---