Croyview

What to see Scotland in a day? Come to Arran, Scotland in miniature on a day tour.

Growing up over the water, I saw Arran many times from afar, and I’ve been to it several times as a kid. Those trips centred on Brodick Castle. I’ve always fancied exploring as an Adult and coming up to Scotland with Hubby was an excellent excuse.

Mogabout Coast Tour

On a surprisingly beautiful and sunny day in Scotland, we arrived from the mainland for a day tour of Arran by Mogabout Company on their Coast Day Tour costing £55 per adult and £45 for a child. This was my first time as an adult to Arran and my first chance to explore more of the island.

I had no idea what to expect from the tour, as not much information was provided in advance, and I was a little worried that I might be unable to do the classic tourist things like visit the whisky distillery. My worries were quelled when we stopped off at two! I have to say the tour convinced me that I need to go back to Arran and explore it at a slower pace.

Stuart, our driver, provided informative commentary about Arran and helped us explore the island’s nature and history.

Arran’s Nature

Arran is often called Scotland in miniature as it has mountains and beautiful green pastures. At the start of the tour, we very quickly got introduced to the local mountain, Goatfell, which rises up majestically into the sky. I learnt a little bit more about the geology and geography of the island. I didn’t know that Goatfell was formed from volcanic activity, and Arran is made from granite. Goatfell is also known as Corbitt mountain and is very popular with walkers. For some inspiration check-out: https://www.arranwildwalks.com/blog/2020/4/27/mountain-in-the-spotlight-goatfell

Stuart took us to a local vantage point to better see the Devil’s Punchbowl, which is just below Goatfell. I loved that we were encouraged to step out of the van and see a bit of nature. We also saw an amazing view of the Firth of Clyde with the sea glittering in the sunlight.

During the glorious day, I saw Arran in colour. What I first thought was purple heather was actually stray purple/pink rhododendrons scattered across the hillside. While on the arable side of Arran, I saw lots of yellow irises in the field, along with lots of sheep. I was surprised at how empty some parts of Arran were. For good stretches, we only saw the sea, sheep and the edge of hills.

Stuart’s keen eye also spotted wildlife. I saw a golden eagle flying high in the shade of the mountains near the Arran whisky distillery. We even saw a seal sunning itself on some rocks. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the whales or dolphins that sometimes it is possible to spot.

One of the most atmospheric places was Lochranza, in the sun, though I do wonder if it gets gloomy in winter as it gets very little sunlight.

Historical highlights of Arran

It’s difficult to mention Lochranza without mentioning the castle. It is now a pretty ruin that can be accessed for free. In fact, it just reopened after renovation. I enjoyed wandering around and reading the brass plates showing how the castle changed over time, adapting to its owners and changing times.

The history of Arran is also tied to the decisions of the landowners, including the Duke of Hamilton, also known as the Earl of Arran. For example, Arran also experienced the highland clearances in 1800’s, the Duke of Hamilton converted 27 smallholdings into one large sheep farm, and around 700 people left the island. To make it worse, they didn’t necessarily get the promised land in Canada. There even a memorial to these people in the village of Lamish.

More recently, there have been two whisky distilleries set up in Arran. In 1994, they started building Lochranza distillery, the home of Arran Whisky, reviving a tradition lost to the island for well over 100 years. While there wasn’t enough time for a tour, I did have a good mooch around the visitors centre and gift shop. It is possible to taste the whisky in the shop or get a whisky flight in the cafe upstairs. I ended up buying my first-ever bottle of whisky on this tour. I like the Arran whisky as it is not smokey or peaty.

Other notable stops

Our very first stop was Home Farm visitor centre, which is also the home of Arran Aromatics, now called Arran a Sense of Scotland. I have to say I was quite excited at being able to visit one of my favourite places to get handwash, and bubble bath, in the place it was made. The shop had all the classics, like Glenashdale Grapefruit Bath & Shower Gel. I was pleased to note they had also widened their collection to include a natural range, which looked interesting. The stop also had other gift shops, including Arran Cheese shop and a gift shop called Arran Gift Box, where I gave in and bought a new cookbook called The Herbedian Baker (I love a good cookbook).

The second stop of tour, highlighted the benefits of a tour with knowledgable expert, as we would have known about or seen the feature just driving past. A doctor believing in the merit of salt water curing ills, craved out a bath in the rock next to the sea. For benefit of his patients he also carved out steps.

We had lunch at the Sandwich Station at Lochranza, this was obviously a place to go. Firstly, there was a big queue and all the big picnic benches had been taken by groups of people by the time we arrived. But more impressively, a couple on our tour said they had made a dedicated trip to the sandwich stop yesterday, as it was recommended by a local not to be missed. I have to say, there was a big list of sandwiches, and a really thoughtful food combination showed a real care for the ingredients and fillings. I had five spice pork belly slices and wimped out of having the Sczehen mayo and instead opted for normal mayo. I had it in a gluten-free wrap. Very tasty and set me up perfectly for the afternoon section of the tour.

Blackwaterfoot, on the west coast, is a small, quiet and peaceful village. I was quite taken with it, and would fancy staying there to look out from the big hotel windows across the sea to Bute. It seemed a proper place to relax and get away from it all. The village shop and store was also a good place to get a book, especially if you like Julia Chapman, the murder mystery writer, as there is a connection between the owners of the shop and the author. (She is also known as Julia Stagg, who writes stories based on the Pyrenees.)

It was the last stop on the tour that blew me away – Lagg Distillery which opened in 2017. The building is modern, clean, and blends in with the countryside. There are small apple trees on the left, the key ingredients for their cider. From the front of the building, you can see the whisky stills, which the distillery uses. While upstairs, there is an open plan cafe/bar, where it is possible to look out of the big windows and marvel at the big sky. I was also pleasantly surprised by the whisky – I liked this peated whisky. I would have bought some if I hadn’t already spent my money. I’m definitely coming back to Arran to go whisky tasting at the Lagg Disterlly, and next time, I will be leaving with some of their whisky.

Resources

• Book tickets on a Tour: https://www.mogabout.com/
• Getting to the Island: https://www.calmac.co.uk/ (p.s I personally caught the ferry from Troon and returned to Ardorssan. One upside of this is that ferries to Ardorssan run later and there is a train station at the harbour).
• Information on Trains: https://www.scotrail.co.uk/ If you’re catching a train to the ferry, pro-tips look at the rail and sail tickets; you can also use Railcards to purchase these tickets. I personally really like the Trainline ticketing app, as it possible to get e-tickets straight to the phone, and it’s very easy to use.

Other things to do on Arran

Arran has a nice mix of places to visit. Below are some brief suggestions for other places to explore and visit.

• One of the most notable places to visit is Brodick Castle. And national trust members go free.
• Day spa at Auchrannie Resort. It’s even possible to do this on a day trip.
• Kayak from Lamish to the Holy Island. (Other members of our tour highly recommended it, and they had big grins when they talked about their experience, and proudly showed off their blistered hands.)
• Of course, the Whisky distillery tours, Lochranza, and Lagg are for those over the age of 18. (I would recommend booking in advance, as both places were fully booked when we turned up on the day.)
• Finally, there are many walking routes. The Tourist Information Centre at the ferry terminal can provide more information. And https://www.visitarran.com/see-do/activities/walking has some suggestions.
• Enjoying the terrace and a cool drink at the Douglas Hotel. I really enjoyed their cocktails.