Jen and Dave: Adventuring

After a quick breakfast we decided to spend our last day on Arran in drastically different ways. Jen would recharge in town, while Dave would charge up Goat Fell and bag the summit.

Dave climbed the well-built, well-maintained, well-marked, well-cell-serviced main route to the highest point on the island, Goat Fell. From our guest house it was a 17.7 km round trip, with the summit sitting at 850m. It was basically the Grouse Grind without a gondola at the end.

Jen’s day include repacking our bags to “travel” mode, visiting the tourist information centre, shopping, and chatting with locals over cake and coffee in the cafe, before enjoying some quiet down time in our comfortable room.

After Dave’s hike we went to a local bar for dinner, enjoying a final view of the landscape and seascape.

After a quick breakfast we hopped on a bus to Lamlash, skipping a section that gave us two options: one that was tidal, and one that climbs high into the woods. In Lamlash, we joined the coastal route.

The first stage was along the town waterfront, which had lovely views of the Holy Isle.

The next stage was a lesser-used gravel road beside the water, which made for great wildlife viewing and easy hiking.

This eventually transitioned to a farm track, then a hiking trail. You then reach a junction for a stormy weather out, and we forged ahead on a narrow single-track on the side of a bluff that was hard to follow in some places. The ferns! They were back!

Eventually the terrain levelled out, and some tidal rock-hopping quickly brought us to a secondary roadway. After a few kilometres, we then turned off into a farmer’s field. We climbed in and out of several pastures, sticking to established paths or edges of fields, per the country’s right to wander (and per the signposts stating we should go that way)!

We soon found ourselves in the edges of Brodick, and then back at the starting point. We did it our way, and we declared ourselves done!

We celebrated with pizza, blueberries, and hot showers. And plans for relaxing tomorrow.

• 94.3 km on the hike (not counting walks to dinner, etc).
• 10 days on the island
• 8 whiskeys sampled
• 7 days hiking
• 6 pieces of luggage used in various nested combinations
• 5 combined litres of water carried per day
• 4 great guest houses
• 3 species of purple flowers everywhere (foxglove, fireweed, heather)
• 2 distilleries
• 1 unforgettable adventure

Preparing for another day of hiking, we decided to make it a slightly shorter day. We were dropped off in Low Kildonan, along the water. The plan was to follow the official Inland route from here – it is best to have the cooperation of the tides to do the coastal variant, and they were not on our side.

The walk starts along a neighbourhood waterfront road in Low Kildonan. The uninhabited private island, Pladdah, adds interest to the coastline, particularly its lighthouse. Ailsa Craig towers as a pyramid on the distant horizon.

We then turned up a footpath between homes, and then through cattle and sheep pastures, climbing our way to High Kildonan.

A short ways along the road, and we turned into the footpath for Giant’s Graves. There was a picnic table at the turn, a lovely spot, so we sat for a bite to eat.

The footpath wound single-track through meadows of heather punctuated with fireweed – purple on purple amidst verdant green.

Eventually the footpath joined a deactivated industrial road – wide, graded gravel meandering along the hillside, then eventually beginning a descent after passing a deactivated quarry.

As the way wound around a corner, an expansive view came before us. One hundred eighty degrees of coastline, from bluffs to gentle slopes, from pasture to villagescapes, with the Holy Isle as a relief from a stern horizon. It was breathtaking. To our amazement, there was a lonely picnic bench perched to the side of the bend, overlooking the vastness. Best break spot of the trip.

After enjoying a leisurely break and gazing at the surf, we reluctantly continued our trek. We made good speed, and quickly came to the Giant’s Graves, two Neolithic chambered tombs (the Neolithic age was 10000 BCE to 2200 BCE).

The trail then wound down and up a glen, to Glenashdale Falls (Eas a’ Chrannaig).

The first platform revealed some very pretty falls, with a decent drop.

The second platform revealed those were just the upper, lesser falls. The full run was beautiful and had a fantastic tall, clean second drop.

After the falls it was only another three and a half kilometres back to the hotel… or, more importantly, the small store that sold ice cream and would still be open.

For the late afternoon Jen rested a bit while Dave explored the beach. A light dinner of shelf-stable provisions in the room rounded out the day.

Due to a number of factors (blustery winds, local trail information, advice from our host, and a blister the size of a business card) we decided to take the cyclists route instead of the beach boulder-hopping-watch-the-tides route. This led us beachside on a secondary road, and then up onto the main road.

The weather was unsettled and very breezy – the ferries off island were cancelled – so it was rain suits most of the day. The inland route was very scenic, and we loved comparing the different types of sheep.

Our first snack break was where the hiking route joined the cycle route, and the views of the rough waters were gorgeous. We were very lucky and saw a pod of dolphins jumping and frolicking in the surf.

Today’s route was a bit shorter than others, so it was surprising when we came across the Lagg Distillery in good time for lunch. Delicious bagels mounded with topping in a dry, warm place with clean washrooms and a gift shop. What more could one want?

After lunch we wandered the last kilometre into Lagg, then caught the bus to take us to our next abode in Whiting Bay. We checked in, and realized the chef shortage on the island had hit here, too. So we hopped on the next bus for Lamlash, and got dinner at the local pub.

After the pub we hit the co-op for rations for the next night, and waited for the bus. As we waited, it started raining and a gorgeous full bow rainbow appeared over the water, framing the Holy Isle. It was spectacular, and a great end to the night.

As the title suggests, we cheated a bit today. There were lots of things to see, and not enough time to do them all and the entire Coastal Way, so we had our drop off at Machrie Moor instead of Imachar.

Mahrie Moor is known for their 1800 BCE standing stones, but there are actually a number of stone circles here, and evidence shows wooden structures predate those (2500 BCE), with earliest use of the site in 3500 BCE.

In addition to the circles, the walk led us through farmers fields with hundreds of sheep, and by the ruins of an old – but not standing-stone-old – home.

We also saw a neat bird. It was creating quite a ruckus. We think it was a whimbrel.

After viewing the stones we retraced our steps through the moor and then down the road. King’s Cave was next on our list. Once we reached the park we spotted picnic benches, and decided it was lunch time.

Back on the official Coastal Way trail, the actual path to King’s Cave was marvellous- wide, smooth, with forest on one side and endless views on the other. After walking through gentle hills, it was time to descend to the beach.

King’s Cave was huge. Such a neat place to go, you could tell it had been used for eons by the packed dirt and petroglyphs pecked into the walls. Although it has only been called King’s Cave for the last two hundred years or so, it is said that Robert the Bruce sheltered there before the Battle of Bannockburn (1314).

After viewing the caves, we continued on the Arran Coastal Way, along the beach and on the verge. This path had been freshly weed-whacked, which was a lovely treat. We were hiking towards some imposing columnar basalt cliffs.

Halfway to the cliffs there was an Arran Geopark marker. Intrigued, we followed a short trail to the cliff, where there were fossilized footprints from the age of the dinosaurs. They do not have a firm ID, but they believe they were from a large alligator-like reptile.

Reaching the cliffs we could battle beach boulders and tide, or traipse up a new path that went over a pass and descended through farmers fields and a golf course. We did the latter, and quickly made our way back to town.

After warm showers we went to town for dinner… a burger and a lasagna. We hoped for a repeat of the show a Gannet had given the night before, plunging from the air into the water, but no such luck. We consoled ourselves with some sticky toffee pudding and walked back to the B&B.

After one final delicious breakfast we bade our farewells to Cath and Mac, who gave us a little parting gift of Scottish travelling food, two bars of flap jack.

We made progress on the now familiar route to the ferry terminal, and picked up sandwiches to go from the Sandwich Station. The main route now heads for the woods on and old Postie trail, but our first intel was that it was overgrown, steep, and slippery when wet. So we opted for the road walk alternative.

Although most of the day was on the road, we were right beside the water and got to enjoy all sorts of birds, a washed up jelly, and lots of varying rock formations. We sat seaside for lunch and breaks, includes the flap jack that proved to be like a granola bar: oats, nuts and fruit mixed with honey.

We eventually reached Imichar, which is literally two houses and a mailbox. The proprietor of tonight’s B&B picked us up for an overnight in Blackwaterfoot.

We scheduled today to be off, so we could appreciate the attractions of Lochranza. After another delicious breakfast, we headed down the footpath to Lochranza Distillery, where they make Arran Whiskey “the traditional way.”

We had booked a tasting, which turned out to be a fascinating class on the making of whisky and how each flavour is imparted and blended. They even had a “drivers kit” to pack up Jen’s five barely-touched drams. (Dave drank his, plus three other tasters). A really great way to wait out most of the morning rain.

Next stop: Sandwich Station. This converted fire station served luxury exotic sandwiches in a no-frills way. Jen enjoyed five-spice rubbed hot pork shoulder on artisan bread with Szechuan mayo, while Dave’s aged cheddar with onions and marmalade on the same artisan bread hit the spot for him. A great way to soak up some booze.

Finally, we were ready to explore the castle ruins. As in twelfth-century. As in arrow slits and towers and once being property of the Stewart Royal family, but now in ruins. So cool.

Walking back to the lodge, we went past a more modest set of ruins, Barking House, where sails, rope and nets were once treated for preservation in a bark solution called ‘cutch’ for the fishing fleet.

After a cozy night of sleep – this is way more comfortable than backpacking – we awoke to breakfast. Jen tried a “Full Scottish Breakfast” (minus the mushrooms), while Dave had porridge with “real Canadian maple syrup.”

Our driver then shuttled us back to Sannox to begin our hike. After hopping across the stream on concrete blocks, we followed a path along the beach edge.

Eventually the path joined an old forest service road, and the walking was excellent despite the drizzle and wind that would plague us most of the day.

After some quick-paced progress, we started to slow down as the trail entered endless forests of bracken ferns, aka the car wash.

As we came to several headlands, the trail remained a trace through the ferns, though the footing got trickier as we stepped up and down slippery, wet rocks.

We eventually reached Hutton’s Unconformity, which I understand is pretty cool for geologists. The trail also improved here, which was cool for us, and we made progress back to warm showers and a hot meal.

Highlights un-photographed included two frogs, a gray seal, a mouse running across Jen’s toes, more oystercatchers, and cormorants.

We’ll start with a bonus shot from last night. Check out THIS ice cream cone.

After a lovely breakfast, we started our walk in beautiful sunshine but not hot weather (16 degrees or so). After taking the obligatory photos at the official start point, we were off.

The first stage of the trail is beachfront urban, and lovely. You look at Goat Fell – which you can summit as an optional difficulty-raiser – as you go. On this stage we saw a Grey Heron.

The next stage starts climbing into the woods, towards Goat Fell. It was so green and mossy – it really felt like home.

We eventually turn off onto a connector which skirts a clear cut, before joining a semi-active logging road. The flowers in the year after harvest were unreal. We also saw a Red Grouse. We received a bit of rain this section, but rain coats and wide-brimmed hats did their job.

Joining a different gravel road, views of the water began to open up. Gorgeous! On the other side of the road was a farm forest, and it was creepy! Straight lines of bottom-dead trees, with stumps for branches and no underbrush due to a complete lack of light coming through the canopy.

We turned down another trail, which eventually led us to the ocean-side road. We ate lunch along the water, watching oystercatchers and their babies. We followed the road for the last section of our walk, to Sannox. In Sannox we found a cafe serving juice and homemade cake, which was so good we gobbled it before we took photos. Jen had Cranachan, made from whisky-soaked oats and crowned with fresh raspberries. Dave had chocolate (of course).

Dean, our driver, then picked us up and took us to Lochranza. We’re staying in a beautiful heritage building – a Victorian hunting lodge, to be precise, in a room with big windows to see the gorgeous valley around us. Amazing.

After dinner (which the proprietor kindly served us, even though they usually have Mondays off, since the only other restaurant that serves dinner suddenly stopped as of yesterday), we took a walk to the waterfront. This place is spectacular.

We had a leisurely start to the day, and a walk around the block, before heading to the station. One landmark we hadn’t remarked on previously was a mounted Wellington – with a cone on his head. Glasgow spends £10,000 a year removing cones from his head, yet there is always a cone – sometimes different than the day before.

Getting to Central Station we were amused to find a Tim Hortons. Posters cited the “iconic” Iced Capp as available.

The train ride to Ardrossen was uncomplicated and comfortable, going through Stevenston, which amused Jen. The train lined up intentionally with the ferry, and we were off!

When we arrived at Brodick on the Isle of Arran, it was pouring rain. We geared up, and were still quiet drippy by the time we reached our accommodation some 600 meters away.

This portion of our trip was arranged by Gemini Travel (accommodations with breakfast, transfers, baggage transfers, and logistics notes). Jen generally does not give up control that easily, but they did a great job and knew how to make it all work. We look forward to it.

After settling and seeing the rain stop, we went for a waterfront walk before dinner at the Douglas Hotel bistro.

Post dinner was repacking for a hiking paradigm, and getting some good sleep in before our hiking adventures begin.