Arran is beautiful. The saying goes that you can experience all of Scotland in miniature here and they might not be exaggerating. The island, the largest in the Firth of Clyde, really does have a lot to offer.
So far, we’ve beachcombed, hiked, gone on a tour of the local whisky distillery (concluded with a wee dram, of course), spotted seals around the coast and picked out deer on the hillsides.
We’ve endured some rain, but nothing too taxing. The forecast remains relentlessly gloomy, but reality continues to belie the meteorological pessimism. A satisfying diet of fish, coffee and shortbread will hopefully fend off the ill effects of inclement weather, anyway, should any pass our way.
The drive to Ardrossan from Glasgow was short, taking less than an hour. From there, we took the ferry to Brodick, a journey of 55 minutes.
We’ll be here for four nights in total, which should give us enough time to do some hiking and get around to the western side of the island.
The places we’re going to on this holiday lend themselves to longer stays than many of the places we’ve been to on previous trips. Consequently, we’re spending four nights in almost every location, which means we’re also clocking up fewer kilometres in the car. It’s amazing to think how little driving we’ve had to do to reach the west coast of Scotland and even make it onto one of the islands. Car ferries really are a great invention.