Hiking the Isle of Arran

Scotland - in miniature: The Isle of Arran.

About two weekends ago now, I decided to grab a daypack and set out to enjoy the rare, beautiful, sunny weekend and do a little hiking on the Isle of Arran, about two hours away from Glasgow.  I had great ambitions to conquer at least half of the island, but, given that I had decided to do most of this on foot, I quickly learned that my ambitions were a little too grand for one day's worth of hiking (and the comfort limitations of my shoes).

The ferry from the mainland landed at Brodrick, which has some nice little cafes and a great outdoor and recreational store for those of us who forgot to pack essentials such as gloves and a knit hat.  The weather was quite cold on the island in the morning, but it soon warmed up as the day progressed. 

I made my way on a less popular path (all of the crazy hikers tend to head to the large hills on the island) that took me past a farm with horses, through the farm and grazing land, then into a dark and chilly pine forest.  In Scotland, you are permitted to travel afoot on most land, including private, as long as you are respectful and tread lightly and leave no trace behind (litter).  The pine trees were very tall and thin, but they grow so close together that peering through them you mostly see only darkness...it was a little strange because you imagine that there are things within the shadows of that cool, creepy forest that can see you walking along the path, but you can't see them.  Honestly, though, Scotland doesn't have any predator-like creatures to concern yourself with, thanks to over-hunting. 

Leaving the pine forest, I began to ascend through the hills toward Clauchland Point, taking in magnificent views of the bay going in to Brodrick (see pictures).  I'm not sure if it was a product of the immense logging that was being conducted along the mapped trail, but I lost my hiking path on the way to the summit, so once I reached the high point which was not the summit I was intending, my only choice was to make my own trail down toward the shoreline where I would either pick up my path again or run into the town of Lamlash.  I found myself wandering down a steep hill covered in creepy pine forests, but eventually, after about 30 minutes of what seemed like aimless wandering, I stumbled upon the trail.  Finally, I broke out of the forest at the point (on which there were some interesting people chanting/singing - not quite sure), and then decided to make my way down through pastures toward the town of Lamlash.  At this point, I had been hiking for about four hours, and my feet were beginning to ache a bit.  My reward in town was a warm latte and a relaxing sit on the shore looking out toward Holy Island with all of the sailboats skimming the waters of the bay.

After 7km of hiking, I decided the best way to spend the last few hours I had left before the ferry departed for the evening was to relax on the sandy beach back near Brodrick.  Few people were out and about - perhaps because it was a bit cold as the sun was going down - so the beach was peaceful, with only the sound of the waves lapping the shore and dogs playing in the far distance.  Gulls were scouting the waters just off shore, and from time to time, one would apparently spot its prey and make a nose-dive into the ocean.  The castle was just off in the distance - I could see it from the beach - but I decided that, like so much unexplored wonders of the Isle, I would save it for another longer trip.

For all pictures, click here.