Last year, we e-biked around the Isle of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland. The anniversary (and heatwave keeping me indoors) has motivated me to finally write something about it.
We took a ferry from Ardrossan across the firth of Clyde, arriving on Arran in the port town of Brodick. The highest point of Arran, Goat Fell, stood above, tempting us with a climb to its dramatic views. However, we had other plans. We picked up e-bikes, reserved in advance by our lovely Scottish hosts, had some fuel for ourselves, and then set out.
Arran is only 20 miles long and half as wide, with a road that runs along the seashore for most of the circumference, making e-bikes the perfect way to see just about everything in a few days. Within a couple of hours, we stopped at a local cheese shop, passed countless flowers, gawked at sunbathing seals, and had lunch at a marvelous seafood restaurant, Mara.
Then came the hills, the reason you want an electric rather than entirely-human-powered bike. Even just pedaling to help the battery survive the day, we were wiped out when we’d reach the hotel each evening. One would need to be an obsessive cyclist to want to tackle some of the slopes with leg power alone. Here’s a look back at some of the hill we’d climbed.
One of Arran’s cottage industries is whisky (it is Scotland, after all), so you get the added bonus of tastings at various distilleries along the route. Obviously, no vehicular operation should be combined with these stops, but a little snort before you pedal on probably won’t be the cause of your demise.
Our first overnight stop, Lochranza, on the north end of the island is a tiny village with a crumbling castle (it is Scotland after all). Check out this panorama (click, zoom, scroll.) We walked around and through the ruin before setting off on a neighboring hike.
Sometime shortly before our trip, I’d seen a video about James Hutton, “the father of modern geology.” Our hike led to a rock Hutton spied in the late 18th century, an “unconformity” he used to argue the earth was far older and less static than many Christians believed. As a non-geologist, the formation itself just looks like some interestingly-textured rocks. But the hike provided great views of the village, loch, and around to the firth. Also, more flowers than you could shake a sedimentary rock at.
We checked in at the Lochranza Country Inn, a charming place with a quirky little pub/restaurant that is one of the only dining establishments in the area. We arrived on curry night, a happy coincidence. Thanks to the all-day biking and hiking, we could justify eating heaps of delicious food.
In the morning, we were back at it, stopping at the local sandwich shop for bagged lunches before buzzing on. We stopped at Machrie Moor, an area containing several standing stone sites and a burial mound (featured in a novel I’m working on.) It’s a short bike/hike off the main road to a small hill amidst a scenic valley. The various sites are bordered by ferns, sheep (it is Scotland, after all), a crumbling stone farmhouse (it is Scotland, after all), and rolling green hills (it is Scotland, after all.) Each of the sites gets more impressive until you reach several very tall, thin stones standing on end. I took a panoramic shot (click, zoom, scroll) with hilarious results. That lumpy, peach pole with hair is my significant other.
Next on my personal Must Do list, due to the aforementioned novel, was the Lagg Inn, Arran’s oldest hotel and its attached restaurant/pub. It’s a nice, whitewashed building with dark wood beams, next to a burbling stream.
We hiked from there to the shore, past the remnants of another burial mound, to look down the Firth of Clyde at the distant Ailsa Craig. The conical island is a bird sanctuary.
The Lagg fed us traditional fish and chips, complete with mushy peas, and a burger for dinner. Breakfast featured eggs, bacon, roasted tomatoes and blood pudding, fuel for the wettest leg of our journey. Spitting rain and low clouds washed over us. It is Scotland, after all.
We had packed rain gear, but I kept looking at the radar via my phone and thinking it would pass. Instead, it tracked us, drenching me to the point that donning my rain gear would’ve only kept the water in.
A stop at a pub in Whiting Bay was welcome. The town features some interesting shops with local arts and crafts.
Then it was back to Brodick, damp but happy, where we rewarded ourselves with a drink and a pork pie while waiting on the ferry.
Were I to advise you on making this journey, I’d say add another night, probably in Brodick so you can hike Goat Fell. Otherwise, there’s very little I felt we missed: King’s Cave, where Robert the Bruce is rumored to have hidden; dinosaur footprint in stone on the south shore of the island; another distillery or three. Looking back on it, I’m surprised there weren’t more people doing the same thing. Tourists flock to Skye, and rightfully so. It is spectacular. But Arran offers plenty of dramatic scenery, history, and sheep droppings. If you want to get off the overbeaten path, take a few days and a bike on Arran!