Isle of Arran, Scotland in miniature
Arran is often referred to as ‘Scotland in miniature’ because it essentially has landscapes to reflect all of Scotland. It has a blend of island and highland scenery, the south rich with farmland and the north having spectacular granite mountains and deep glens. I went to Arran with my family and boyfriend and this is what we got up to.
Walks to do
As you may have worked out from my last post, my family and I are avid walkers, however, I didn’t do many walks on Arran, but I have included both mine and my families recommendations.
If you do any of these walks PLEASE check for ticks as my mum managed to get two in a day and Isla the dog got a few as well. Don’t be alarmed if you get one, the risk of Lyme disease is minimal if spotted before 24 hours. Make sure it’s removed properly and disinfected and monitor it for a few days. I am not a medical professional, I’ve just dealt with a lot of ticks!
Glen Rosa
I absolutely loved this walk! On two separate days we walked different routes as it was the best thing on a really hot day.
The first time we did this walk we parked up outside Arran Aromatics and walked along the road to the garden centre and pub. This is the start to Goat Fell, another popular walk. You follow the signs to goat fell but take the first turning on the left along the trail, the book we followed said it would be sign posted but we couldn’t see one. From here on you follow the path before crossing a small road and continuing along the well trodden path. Shortly there’s a small path (almost unnoticeable) on your left that cuts up to a dirt road that you follow until reaching a T. Here take the left again and follow this track to a small crumbled stone wall at the edge of a forest. Here the paths aren’t too obvious but if you look downhill along the wall there‘s a narrow path through some bushes which you follow along the edge of the forest until reaching a big, tall gate. Alternatively if this is too overgrown, you can walk through the forest and meet the path, however be careful when crossing the big ditch and walk up to find a safer spot! When you reach the gate theres only one path that now leads to Glen Rosa. After two miles you’ll reach a bridge crossing a deep pool. You can also wild swim here if the weathers hot, and it’s usually much quieter.
After crossing the bridge continue walking upstream and you’ll probably hear people jumping in if it’s a hot day, but otherwise keep looking along the stream and you’ll see it widening out into a big pool.
It‘s surprisingly deeper than I expected here, deep enough to bomb, jump and dive without worrying about hitting the bottom (I’m 5”8 ish for reference) but it can be very busy on a hot day. There is, about 15 meters up stream, a longer shallow pool that you can do a couple strokes in but is only about mid thigh to waist deep at the deepest point.
If you really want to, my sister proved that it is possible to use the bottom ‘waterfall’ at the main swimming hole as a water slide although it looked very uncomfortable so I wouldn’t recommend it!
To get back to the car you can retrace your steps or follow the other route (see below) and then walk along the main road back to the car park.
On our second to last day we walked a different route. For this you park in the car park at Glen Rosa campsite (or the car park from before and walk along the road). This isn’t terribly well sign posted (or at least we couldn’t see any or see it on a map).
From here it’s a very well marked, self explanatory and easy walk (or cycle) to the swimming hole. On this day however, the car park was packed so we knew it would be busy and we found a spot along the way that was empty and just as great for a swim. It was similar to the spot I’m swimming in above but deeper. A good thing to note is I got eaten alive at this spot! Arrived there with maybe two bites and left with about 15! So make sure to pack bug spray in your day pack!
Goat Fell
Personally, I didn’t do this hike as we explored Brodick and met my family for the second Glen Rosa walk, however my sister, parents and of course the dog did. They really enjoyed it and would recommend doing it. It is rated an easy to moderate 10.5km walk. Check out the Walk Highlands website for an easy to follow guide.
My family also did the Stone Circle at Machrie which we were going to do but decided to explore Brodick and the beach in Kilmory where we were staying. They also walked Coire Fhionn Lochan and would highly recommend it.
Exploring Brodick
If you‘re in Brodick (which you probably will be at some point) you should not miss going and getting ice cream and/or (highly recommended both) pizza from The Parlour. It does get super busy, every time we went or passed it there was a queue (always a good sign) but definitely worth it. The pizza is so cheesy and so good, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten food that fast in my life! They also do vegan and gluten free options!
Sadly I didn‘t get any photos but we went paddle boarding in the bay. We had packed an SUP and a kayak for our trip but realised when we were blowing them up that the kayak had an irreparable puncture and we didn’t have access to a spare part but we made do with the paddle board and had a lot of fun still. We did need to dodge the jellyfish, which Reilly wasn’t all that successful at having been stung once, but the stings are similar to a nettle. We didn’t see anyone else using an SUP here but it’s a popular activity in Lamlash just down the road and the company SUP Arran offer lots of sessions to check out!
There are a few shops to check out for souvenirs and surprisingly they have everything essential you may need that you might have forgotten (I was told there wasn’t much there but was pleasantly surprised by how much I could actually find, especially since I didn’t have sun cream and got very badly burned on the first trip to Glen Rosa, which I was very thankful for!) There is also a crazy golf course which we wanted to use but didn’t get the chance to, as well as a proper golf course if that is more appealing. We saw lots of people exiting the Ferry with golfing bags and it’s apparently a popular spot with avid golfers.
Lamlash
Lamlash also has several shops and cafes to explore and enjoy, as well as a mini golf course and a full sized one too, much like Brodick. You can also book trips to the Holy Isle, which I have heard is similar to Iona, however, we didn’t fit it in to this trip. The Holy Isle offers retreats and workshops all year round and visitors can also book stays in the centre starting from £55. My mum actually participated in a meditation course through their London centre a few years ago.
Lagg Distillery
On our last day we had a tour of the Lagg distillery. Having opened in 2019, this sister distillery to Lochranza doesn’t actually have any whisky, yet, of it‘s own but will do by middle to late 2022. We were told about the history about Arran’s illicit whisky trade and what was done to avoid the Scottish authorities, but it’s all legal now! The tour of the centre had us seeing the whisky at different stages of production, learning about how it’s different to other whiskies, including their sister distillery’s, and what makes it 100% from Arran whilst being sustainable. For the £10 tour you get to try whisky half way through the process and a glass of Lochranza’s £79 whisky that is closest to what the Lagg whisky will taste like. It’s super interesting and I would recommend it to anyone even if you’re not a whisky drinker.
Where to stay
We stayed in a cottage just outside Kilmory on the west side of the island, with sea views and access to a stretch of beach that I never saw a single other person on. Had it been just two of us, rather than my family, Reilly, the dog and I, we’d have probably stayed in Lochranza youth hostel or one of the many guest houses around Arran.
Eating out
Other than the AMAZING pizza from The Parlour we didn’t eat out at all for dinner as we had full cooking facilities and had made a weeks meal plan. This did change as we hadn’t expected it to be as hot and sunny as it was and did have a BBQ. Reilly and I did however have lunch at The Wineport (the start of goat fell walk and the Glen Rosa route one (from above). I had the Mac and Cheese and it was so good that when I go back someday it’ll be one of the first meals I have there!
DISCLAIMER: This post is not sponsored, these are my honest opinions and recommendations
