Island Exploration – Arran

Scotland’s mainland is skirted by hundreds of islands, with about 90 being inhabited. As I watch the Scottish weather report, I enjoy seeing the names of the islands flash on the map – from Benbecula to Muck – and imagine what life might be like there.

So far, my island explorations had been very limited, with only a single day trip to Cumbrae, a small, but beautiful close-in island on the West Coast.

Scotland’s isles hold a lot of allure: rugged landscapes, natural beauty, and compelling stories of generations of islanders who have carved out livelihoods for themselves from the sea and pastures with no small amount of grit. While stunningly beautiful, these places are not always the easiest places to live due to limited economic opportunities, high costs and barriers for accessing health care.

The Isle of Arran, off the west coast with about 4,500 year-round inhabitants, has been on my wish list for some time and I was glad to make a weekend trip there a couple of weeks ago.

Arran is a fairly easy trip from Glasgow. First starting out in the iconic Glasgow Central Train Station, a Victorian marvel, we ventured to Ardrossan Harbour, a ride of about an hour.

Just another hour’s ride on the ferry had us arrive to Brodick, the largest village on Arran. Arran is an island of small villages, no towns and is delightfully low-key. It seemed many of the fellow visitors we encountered were focused on exploring its natural beauty – hikers, bikers, campers, etc.

And, natural beauty, it has in droves.

With stunning sea views . . .

and bubbling streams and woods

and an ancient castle, turned into a grand home of the Dukes of Hamilton over generations, called Brodick Castle. The house was under renovations and had scaffolding all around it, so there are no photos of the house. It was surrounded, however, by stunning gardens with very unique collections of plants, including many stunning rhododendron in bloom.

And a trip to the Isle of Arran Heritage Museum where we saw a more humble view of how most islanders lived. It was a fascinating museum with exhibits ranging from the island’s geology to agricultural and tourism history. We saw amazing photos and videos – from seeing the island’s horses be loaded onto a ferry to support the World War I effort (how sad that must have been for local people) to fun bathing costumes of the 40’s.

I hope you enjoyed this brief tour of Arran. It has many charms we didn’t get to explore so I hope to visit another time.

Wishing you joy in the views around you, at home or on explorations.