Isle of Arran

Brodick Castle

Lamlash Harbour & Holy Island

Lochranza

Area Main Page

Arran is one of the most accessible of the Scottish islands and one of the most southerly. The line between the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland divides the island almost exactly in two and Arran mirrors the differing landscapes. A 'Scotland in miniature', the north is ruggedly mountainous and sparsely populated, the south milder and home to the majority of the 4,500 people who live here.

The ferry from Ardrossan docks at Brodick, the island's main town, which provides a good base for exploring Arran. There are tourist facilities in the town and Brodick is home to one of Arran's many golf courses. It also boasts Brodick Castle, set in parkland two miles north of the town and open to visitors during the summer months (the gardens and country park are open all year). There is also a Heritage Museum in the town.

There are golf courses at Lamlash and Whiting Bay as well as at Brodick, and a twelve-hole course can be found at Blackwaterfoot. Lamlash is a town built in Edwardian style in a boulder-strewn bay. Boat trips operate to Holy Island off the eastern coast from here.

Whiting Bay, four miles south of Lamlash, is another good place to stay and offers a base for walking in the southern half of Arran. Further south still lies Kildonan, at the south eastern tip of Arran. There is less accommodation to choose from here, but some of it is excellent and the views are unsurpassed.

Further round you come to Arran's more sparsely populated west coast and its only significant settlement, at Blackwaterfoot. This is a typical Hebridean fishing village and a good place to escape the crowds. The village can also be reached directly from Brodick via the "string road" which crosses the centre of the island from east to west.

Arran offers good fishing and the more mountainous parts offer some of the most spectacular hill walking in Central Scotland. Beinn Tarsuinn in the west and the Goatfell Ridge to the east of Glen Rosa are particularly challenging. Goatfell itself is a relatively straightforward climb from the coastline near Brodick.

In the north of Arran the largest settlement is Lochranza, boasting a castle and a ferry to the Kintyre peninsula.