On the day of King Charles III Coronation we set off for a long awaited two week holiday to the Isle of Arran. The last time we had visited the Island was in 2017.
From the moment we arrived at the ferry terminal in Ardossan the sun was out and it was warm, and on our arrival at Brodick on Arran the sun continued to shine. Little Eva dog was a bit relieved to get off the Ferry, she didn’t enjoy it at all.
It had been a long day, but at last we had arrived. Time to stop a while and just breathe. A bottle of wine and feet up watching the highlights of the Kings Coronation on the tele. A large patio window gives uninterrupted views overlooking Kilbrannan Sound towards the Mull of Kintyre, how could you not unwind in this little cottage.
Sunday, and we decided that after a full day in the car the day before we would just take a walk down to where Sliddery water meets the sea. Flowers, birds, views and sheep, so much to see.
She looks like she has overdone it with her Mums lipstick. So cute.
A pair of Common Sandpipers were flitting about the water and some Sand Martins swooping about backwards and forwards catching insects and calling.
Back at the cottage and just over the fence in some scrub land, some little flitting birds caught our eye. What were they, and what were they up to? They turned out to be a pair of Willow Warblers very intent on nest bulding.
We had booked Sunday Lunch at the Old Pier Head pub in Lamlash. Sunday dinner always taste better when someone else cooks it for you. It was a beautiful day and the bay was very busy with small boats and yachts and paddle boarders and clear views across to Holy Island. We were bathing in warm sunshine whilst everyone at home was still freezing in the cold north wind. Who would have thought you could be warmer in Scotland than down in the south east of England. In fact, we packed lots of warm clothes and did not need them. Arran has a very mild micro climate of its own, due to being an island situated in the Gulf Stream.
How could you get tired of this view from Stewart Cottage with its continually changing sky.
On our way to take Eva for a walk at Blackwaterfoot Beach and the mountain Beinn Bharrain in the back ground.
Blackwaterfoot beach, a popular dog walking beach which never seems to get overcrowded, well that goes for the whole of the island really.
Eva exploring the rock pools and beaches of Arran.
The end of Blackwaterfoot brings you to Drumadoon Point. You can continue the walk round to the Kings Cave but it takes about 3 hours, and then you have to walk back so we decided maybe not.
Large Barrel Jellyfish, we think that’s what they are, washed up along the shore waiting for the tide to take them back out to sea.
Treasure. a collection of sea glass and tiny shells collected from Arrans beaches.
The shorter walk to the Kings Caves is through forestry commision woodland.
The thick woodland starves the woodland floor of good quality light but this has the advantage of coating the ground with numerous forms of lichen given the whole forest a prehistoric feel.
As you step out from the dense forest you come across the view to Drumadoon point. The walk to Kings Cave is a circular walk and we thought we would take the anti clockwise way as this looked the shorter way down. The thought then struck us that maybe there is a reason why everyone else takes the clockwise walk. It was a steep and narrow walk down this way. Himself did not trust his knees so herself went bravely forward on her own.
The famous Kings Cave. In 1306, Robert Bruce suffered two major defeats in his attempt to claim the Scottish throne and oust the English from Scotland. Harried by his enemies and on the run, Bruce sought refuge in a cave. There he watched a spider try and fail to connect its silken thread to the cave wall to make a web. The cave he sought refuge in is supposed to this one, but proof is sketchy.
After a wonder around the caves this was the climb back up. Dont look and think about it, just do it! In your on time.
Whilst us humans carefully trod our way across the stepping blocks Little Eva ran confidently backwards and forwards several times. She loved every minute of the holiday, except the ferry journey.
After the storm. Weather fronts on Arran move through quickly. You can have sunshine on one side of the island and pouring rain on the other.
Kildonan beach with Pladda lighthouse to the left and Ailsa Craig rock on the right.
Ailsa Craig in the sea mist. Ailsa Craig has large and varied quantities of fine Granite that was mined for making curling stones from the early 1800s, until 1971.
Many of the top curling stones that are used today are made from this granite.
Ailsa Craig is sometimes referred to as "Paddy's Milestone", as it is approximately the halfway point of the sea journey from Belfast to Glasgow.
A lovely, relatively easy walk of about an hour brings to Machrie Moor standing stones. Hen harriers and Short Eared Owls use this moor as their summer nesting ground. Although they have been seen here, some sightings the same morning we were there, we were out of luck. We were probably looking the wrong way.
This rich archaeological landscape includes a variety of stone circles, standing stones, burial cairns and cists, as well as hut circles and an extensive field system, all dating to between 3500 and 1500 BC. The stone circles were preceded by elaborate timber circles on exactly the same sites, and were associated with religious activities dating back around 4,500 years. Cremation and inhumation burials were placed in the circles, long after they were first built.
Time for a bit of a rest. Its a long walk for little legs.
Sunset at Lochranza.
So our time on Arran was filled with stunning views, wonderful wildlife, good food and a comfortable home from home cottage. As always a visit to Lochranza and Lagg distillery was a must, and the gardens at Brodick castle were fabulous.
The roadside verges were filled with wild flowers, as was the pasture in front of the cottage. We ticked off most of our must see list, Black Guillimots, Red Squirels, and Otters. We saw a Golden Eagle soaring high. We missed out on the Hen Harriers and Short Eared Owls that use Arran as a summer breeding ground, but they will be for next time.
Thank you to our dear friend Margaret for letting us stay in her cottage, and who many years ago introduced us to this lovely island. It has been our favourite escape ever since.
We did not go mountain climbing so if you want to see what its like to climb Goatfell, Arrans tallest mountain, or any of the other mountains, you will have to go yourself.
We have put all our images, past and present, views and wildlife into a new folder Wild Arran, follow this link.
We do hope you enjoy browsing.