After a hectic summer in the Dales and lots of visitors to our cottage it has been a welcome change of pace to be back in the van again travelling. We chose Arran for it’s relative close proximity and ease of access as it is only three and a half hours to the ferry port of Ardrosson from our house. We have visited the island previously over an Easter break and were excited to return as there was so much left to still explore.
After catching the 7am ferry, we sat on the harbour front in Brodick cooking bacon butties and deciding what to do for the day. With a great weather forecast we decided to tackle Goat Fell, the highest peak on the Island before heading north to our campsite.
The views from the summit were fantastic and dramatic with thin wisps of clouds rolling in below the peak, cloaking the valley. We could see the ferry scuttling to and fro from our vantage point and sat watching the world go by whilst eating our picnic. The hike up Goat Fell is pretty straight forward starting from the mountain rescue carpark area, and takes you up through some stunning purple heathered moorland. We had to walk pretty quickly through the middle section as the wind was low and the midges were out! A great start to our island adventures
Lochranza campsite is located on the north of the island next to the golf course. We had stayed before in lambing season where the lambs were playing king of the castle on the tee markers and this time we had to chuckle when a young stag and his hareem strutted across the course much to the bemusement of the golfers. We spent a couple of nights at the campsite exploring the local area. We did a walk around to the Fairy Dell which local folklore says is the gateway to the fairies – we didn’t see any! The views were pretty stunning though and the remote cottage at the foot of the dell was quite intriguing as the only way to reach it is by foot or boat. We also set off on a bike ride down the west side of the island which is pretty remote. We cycled over 30km in total and passed only a handful of houses and cars.
The weather has been really kind to us over the week so far and we spent an idyllic few nights parked up along the shores of the west coast. The sunsets were stunning and the views across to the Mull of Kintyre uninterrupted. From this base, we explored some of the historical sites including the Machrie standing stones and the Kings Cave. We have hiked for miles and seen some amazing views on our travels.
The Kings Caves are reputedly where Robert the Bruce and his men hid out and were used in the 18th century for religious gatherings. It was well worth the 5km walk through the forests and the sun lighting up the cliff walls and cave entrances made for great photography. The standing stones were equally as impressive and you could just imagine the very different simple life of the folk that lived in that era of time.
We visited the only town of any size on the West coast, Blackwaterfoot a couple of times as there is a handy public loo there and a pub that we could had a pint in while we charged the laptops. There is a fantastic little bakery that had delicious pastries and proper traditional baguettes. Quirkily, there is a small shed in front of the shop with an honesty box and when the shop is open, the staff just stand at the door of a small kitchen and take your order. Very simple but effective and access to pastries out of hours! There is also a good butchers and a small greengrocers shop to stock up on provisions.
On Wednesday, with another good weather forecast, we set of on a hike through the Dougarie Estate to lake Iorsa and the peak of Sail Chalmadale. It was another stunning hike across the heathered moorlands but this time with much less defined paths. After about 20 minutes I could sense the bugs and on checking my socks spotted a couple of tiny ticks which I hastily brushed off! We carried on with a little more care to avoid the long grasses and heathers, however on our return to the van we did have to remove a few (totally gross). Hopefully we got them all and we will have to be vigilant for signs of bulls eye rashes and flu symptoms which could indicate the presence of lymmes disease.
With a couple of more cloudy days and a spot of rain forecast we headed back towards civilisation in Brodick and stocked upon provisions. We had a quick explore of the town and found another great bakery. We spent the next couple of nights at a park-up near Lamlash over looking the Holy Isle. We had a couple of relatively lazy days reading and chilling out in the van and spent a nice afternoon drinking coffee and watching the hustle and bustle of the village. Not one to sit still, Richard set off on a long cycle ride across to the south of the island. I think he enjoyed the freedom to explore at a faster pace with out my moaning about the steepness of the hills, and he said there were some really big climbs! The island has been undergoing a road improvement program and the cycle rides range from very smooth, newly tarmacked roads to very pot holed, bumpy roads with very little in between!
We are now at the weekend again. We thought the island would get much busier from Friday afternoon as it is so accessible from Glasgow and central Scotland. However, after speaking to one of the locals, it transpired that the ferry to the main land had broken down and would be out of action all weekend so most tourists could not get to the island. This is a regular frustration for the islanders as the Calmac fleet of ferries are very aged, that coupled with the cancellations due to the weather make for a very uncertain service. Fingers crossed for our ferry on Wednesday as we have appointments on Thursday morning we could with not missing!
Our last 2 nights have been spent at the aptly named Seal Shore Campsite on the south of the island. It is another slightly quirky campsite based right in the beach with fab views across to both the mainland and the Mull of Kintyre on a clear day. We spotted a couple of seals lazing on the rocks on the drive down to the campsite and there is a small hamlet close by complete with a castle ruin and an enterprising Thai food truck that opens on a Friday and Saturday evening. Next door to the campsite is a hotel with a bar and beer garden overlooking the ocean.
We had a lovely walk along the beach this morning and then returned to the Kings Cross ruins this afternoon where we had spotted the perfect place for a swim in the crystal clear sea earlier in the week. We had a beer each to start our celebrations that it is the Sunday before schools return for the autumn term and we were here on a remote Scottish Island and did not have the stress and worry that this date would normally bring.
One place that we wanted to revisit after our week last Easter was the Was Eas Mor Forest and library. We stumbled upon it after along hike in search of a Loch to swim in and were in awe of the facilities that the local community have put in place. The library was still as awesome as ever and there is now a superb cafe and restaurant by the entrance to the trail serving the most amazing food.
We were initially worried that 10 days on one island would be far too long and we would run out of things to do, however that has not been the case. It helps that we have had pretty good weather, with the best yet to come in the next few days. We love hiking and being in the outdoors and there is no shortage of hikes, history and beaches to visit. We had hoped for a day or two of Iffy weather so that we could catch up with some paperwork and organise ourselves a little for our upcoming trip to the US, but we are still waiting!
So we have 3 more nights on the island with great weather forecast, summer has finally arrived in the UK. Another fab trip in our campervan Nelson with many more to come over the winter months
Hope you all have a great week,
Jackie and Richard x
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