Stunning Scenery in Arran’s North

They say the island of Arran is a miniature Scotland. If that’s the case, we’re very much in the Highlands at the moment. For our final full day on the campsite at Lochranza I did a run along the lovely flat tarmacked coast road. I’d tripped on the hilly paths the day before and had a rubbish long run after that, so a bit of flat road was bliss.

After a long hot shower on the campsite, we hiked up to a viewpoint looking out to the north east. The Sound of Bute stretched out in front of us, tiny specs of boats creating wrinkles in its clear blue surface.

The sandy shores of the Isle of Bute caught our attention. With a surprising strong 5g internet signal on the top of the hill (we have barely one bar of 4G on the campsite) we did a little digging into how easy it would be to get there in Zagan, and if there are any places to stay.

Before long it was time to wind our way back down the path to the campsite. Having missed lunch, back at Zagan Jay cooked up the black pudding sausages and can of red wine gravy we’d bought in our ‘oh my god there’s food, I don’t care how much it costs’ shop in Pirnmill.

Energy levels recharged we headed across the road to have a look at the Arran Distillery. Jay stopped drinking years ago, and I’m not a fan of whisky so we didn’t plan on taking a tour, which was a good job as it was closed. It was gone 5pm and the day had got away from us again. Whenever this happens I think of our Auzzie friends Rose and Paul who summed it up beautifully by naming their motorhome ‘Wheredmadaygo’.

Our walk took us down to the bay and along its edge. Spotting someone with a camera pointing to the sky we took a nose to see what they’d seen. There was a tiny dot hovering over the hill. Zooming in with our phone cameras we could make out the shape of a juvenile golden eagle. I’m not putting a picture on here as it’s a single blurred pixel, but from the shape of its tail and colouring under its wings we knew we’d bagged another of the Scottish safari big five. On Arran alone, we’ve seen seals, red deer, otters, golden eagle and just need a red squirrel to complete the set. We even saw a small adder among the ferns on our way back to the campsite.

Leaving the campsite this morning our sights were set on a small parking area on the road across the top of the island linking the east and west coasts. Park4Night had good reviews about it being somewhere to stay and several people mentioned a hike from the car park. We drove all of 4 miles from the campsite and pulled in. We’re really not getting through much diesel on this part of our trip.

We grabbed rucksacs of supplies, cold weather gear and water and set off along a lovely path next to a bubbling burn. School groups clad in wetsuits, life jackets and helmets climbed up the burn, I hope they got to slide back down the big smooth rocks on the way back.

As we popped out the other side of the forest we had to cross the burn ourselves. Thankfully it hasn’t rained for ages, so our feet stayed dry. We then started to climb up a hill which I found very tough on tired legs from yesterday.

Each step we climbed rewarded us with a better view. To our west we could see down and into the bay of Lochranza, to the east we were looking over the Sound of Bute to West Kilbride. In front of us was a huge bowl of rock which was the next phase of the hike.

I tapped out at this point, my legs wanted a rest, but I could see Jay was keen to go higher. So, he set off – running! – up the hill to a ridge around the top of the bowl. I could see him as a little dot moving along the ridge, while I happily sat on a rock in the sunshine and ate a wagon wheel (I’d say other chocolates are available, but they’re all we have left in the van right now – a big shop is required).

Jay rang me from several places on the way up and just over an hour later he topped out. He called me as he was in awe of the 360 degree views. I asked him to take lots of photos and videos for me and even when he assured me the path got easier, I knew I’d done the right thing by stopping when I needed to.

My rested legs got me back down the hill, but it was a bit scrabbalie in places. I met up with Jay at the bottom of what we’re calling the ‘Technical Section’ and we sat on another rock and drank in the views. The scenery here is simply stunning, and just a short(ish) walk from a car park where you can sleep for the night.

Arran has seriously captured our hearts, but we know things may change when the weather turns. Tomorrow we’re heading back to the east coast for an easier walk, and a huge food shop. At the moment our plan is to stay on Arran for a few more days before taking the ferry from Lockranza over to Kintyre. We’re hoping it will be just a beautiful and easy-going as we’re finding it here.

Ju x