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Arran
The wide sweep of Brodick bay, Arran, with the ‘Sleeping
Warrior’ on the horizon.
Legend has it that the future King Robert the Bruce sat
in a cave near Blackwaterfoot on the island of Arran and watched a spider
swing, swing and swing again when trying to start her web and on the
seventh try she made it. This encouraged him to try, try, try again to
defeat the English, finally succeeding at the battle of Bannockburn in
1314, which resulted in Scotland becoming an independent country following
the Declaration of Arbroath in 1326.
Arran, an island that sits astride the Firth of Clyde,
is truly a magical place to many people and is often referred to, not
without cause, as Scotland in miniature, stretching from a massif of
mountains in the north, topped by Goat Fell, which rises to almost 3000
feet, to the lower lying hills in the south reminiscent of the southern
uplands of Scotland.
My love affair with the island started in the early
1950s when my parents used to rent a cottage for a month every summer in one
of the island’s little villages starting with Corrie on the north west
coast of the island and moving on to Brodick, Whiting Bay, and Lamlash
during my teenage years. Those were the halcyon days when life was simple
with no TV and movies that only came to the village hall in Brodick, the
island’s main town and major ferry port, two or three nights a week, when
fun and recreation had to be self-generated. Things haven’t changed all
that much even today as the visitor still has to work for fun and recreation
through hiking, climbing, fishing, golfing, and other energetic pursuits.
The point of this article is to encourage visitors to
Scotland to consider a side trip to Arran if only for a day. An early
morning train from Glasgow whisks the holidaymaker down to the seaside port
of Ardrossan, on the Ayrshire coast, in time for the 9:45 am departure of
the car ferry, Caledonian Isles, which steams across the Firth of Clyde in
a little under an hour, docking at Brodick pier at 10:40 am. Alternatively,
you can drive to Ardrossan and pay about $15 pp for the round trip on the
ferry. Buses are waiting at the pier to take you on a trip round the
island. You can do either the northern or southern half-island tours for $9
and get back in time for the next ferry three hours later or you can do
both trips for only $15 and get back in time for the following ferry at
4:30 pm.
The Caledonian Isles steaming into Brodick pier
Should you take the round island trip you will see, in
addition to the beautiful scenery, such sights as the little island of
Pladda that sits at the southern tip of Arran and on which there is a
lighthouse that has been operating since October 1790; the three to four
thousand-year old, Bronze Age, standing stone circles at Machrie Moor on
the west coast; the new whisky distillery at Lochranza in the north. Stop
in for a tot. You will then pass by the towering Goatfell, a hill walker’s
dream of a climb, and, finally, reach Brodick Castle on the north side of
Brodick bay, the hereditary home of the Dukes of Hamilton, which was
finally owned by Mary, Duchess of Montrose, before becoming a National
Trust for Scotland property in 1957. The Castle’s history dates, at least,
from the fifth century A.D. when it was a stronghold for the Irish tribe
that founded the Kingdom of Dalriada.
Should you decide not to take the bus tour of the
island, you can casually stroll through the quaint village of Brodick to
the island’s Heritage Museum, which also boasts a cafe. Though from
personal experience, I would suggest that you not seek a meal on a Tuesday-
it is closed! Continuing your walk leads, via the golf course, to the
grounds of the Castle and a few pleasant hours can be spent touring the
walled garden or seeing the art and artifact collections in the Castle itself. I have fond memories of attending a
Garden Fete at the Castle around 1950 when the highlight of the day was a
performance by Robert Wilson, Scotland’s premier tenor at the time. On the
way back from the Castle, you can stop in at the world famous Arran
Aromatics factory, renowned for their toiletries and candles, or the Arran
Brewery for a free tour and tasting (only the tour is free!)
For those who have more time to spend on the island,
there are plenty of hotels, bed and breakfasts, and self-catering
opportunities, with island residents more than willing to help you have a
good time. Since the island is only 20 miles long and 56 miles in
circumference, there are many beautiful walks available to villages with
arresting names like Kildonan, Pirnmill, and Catacol. Or stop, as we did
forty years ago, at the Lagg Hotel, dating from 1791, on the southwest
corner of the island, for afternoon tea; a charming spot, if ever there was
one. You may even have time to visit the Holy Isle, which sits in a well-sheltered
bay off the village of Lamlash, just four miles south of Brodick. This
small island rises to 1000 feet and was the site of an early Christian
monastery. Today it houses a Bhuddist retreat! It can be reached by an
hourly ferry service from Lamlash during the summer.
The Holy Isle sits beyond the headland. Taken from the
ferry entering Brodick bay
For those seeking healthier pursuits, there are 7 golf
courses on the island (only two of which have 18 holes), many tennis courts, putting and bowling
greens, fly fishing and bait fishing, pony trekking, climbing and hiking
trails, cycling, boats for hire and other opportunities for sailing and
parasailing. What more does the adventurous traveler need? All this and
more on a little island whose total population barely tops 5000 souls. Not
bad for an island that annually enjoys about a quarter of a million
visitors! On a good day it is a sight to behold and on a bad one….it is
…interesting!
Andrew R. McGhie
06.20.05
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