6th – 10th Sept 2013

The weather looked as though it was going to improve following a wet and cool August so I gambled on a good start to September and decided to head to Arran. I booked a place for myself and the bike on the ferry to Brodick from Ardrossan. Then a seat on the train. The Glasgow to Ardrossan service was one which Scotrail don’t take cycle bookings for so I decided to take an earlier train, rather than the one which met the ferry. Just in case.

It turned out not to be a problem as I was the only bike on the train so I got to Ardrossan no difficulty. Even the cycle through Glasgow city centre was a doddle.

The ferry was quite busy with cyclists but most of them were only over for the day, doing the five ferries run.

It had been many, many years since I had been on Arran so nothing was familiar. I was intending to cycle clockwise round the island so it was as easy as turning left out of the ferry terminal.

The road south was a long, long drag for about 5km. I did stop a few times to take in the views and remove some clothes as the sun was extremley hot. There was a freewheel down into Lamlash and another long climb out again before the downhill section towards Kildonan.

I found Seal Shore Campsite and booked in for two nights. The site was quiet when I checked in but got busy later on. I think it was actually full the first night although the second seemed quieter. The site is right on the shore with great views out to Isle of Pladda and Ailsa Craig. Only saw seals once though. This was my first night in my new tent and it was really comfortably and roomier than the coleman I had last trip. The only thing I’ll need to sort out is the footprint as it was really difficult to line it up with the groundsheet. I’ll look at that when I get home.

There wasn’t a shop in Kildonan so I walked into Whiting Bay the following day. The only shop sold basic provisions alongside crafts, fancy gifts and gins. The post office also sold limited canned food and drinks.

On leaving Kildonan there was a long steep climb back up to the main road round the island. It climbed up to a height which gave great views to the south and to Kintyre to the west.

As I had no clear plan as to where I was going to stop that night I just kept going at a fairly slow pace. Blackwaterfoot was the next village with a shop so I went in there for an ice-lolly as they didn’t have much in the way of food.

I noticed some signposts for Kings Caves and the standing stones at Machrie. I decided to give the Kings Caves a miss. It was a bit of a detour and although there was a glamping site advertised it had no campsite. I carried on to the car-park for the standing stones, locked up my bike and walked the 2.5 km in to the stones. They are quite impressive and spread over 2 or 3 sites.

I got back on the road and after a few kilometers passed a cafe with half a dozen cyclists at the tables outside so I went back. I was looking forward to a coffee but it was shut. Many of the island’s cafes and restaurants were closed. I don’t know if they have a short season or maybe business is not enough to keep them open all week in September.

By that time the road had flattened out and was following the coast. I was thinking about wild camping somewhere but had no water so carried on to Pirnmill and went into the post office there. I bought some juice, an ice-lolly and they filled my water bottles. When I set off again I realised I was only 5 kms from Lochranza, where I knew there was a campsite, so I decided to push on to there. I was tempted to book in to the Youth Hostel but didn’t. The camp-site had great showers so it was no big deal. I stayed 2 nights in order to have a look around and visit the distillery.

I had thoughts when I went over to Arran to continue the trip by taking the ferry to Claonig and continue towards Islay and Jura. The weather forecast was for rain coming in to so I relented and decided to head back to Brodick. The other islands can wait for another holiday. During the night I was woken up by the sound of grazing outside the tent. It was red deer. Learned the next morning that they regularly come through. There’s even a sign asking people not to feed them in case they become too tame and a danger.

The road from Lochranza is another long steep drag with a longer freewheel down to Sannox where the road follows the coastline all the way to Brodick.

I had thought about spending the night in the camp-site in Brodick and taking an early ferry in the morning. When I cycled into the town I was at the ferry terminal before I realised it so decided to just head home. Got booked on no problem but when I got to Ardrossan I realised the train to Glasgow left 2 minutes after the ferry was due to arrive. Definately not a joined-up transport system! The next train was an hour but I had to ride to Ardrossan South Beach for that one.

Arran is a beautiful island. The roads are really hilly in parts but the cycling is good. Most of the touring bikes I saw were electric ones but there were many more road riders who looked like they were putting in miles. Some of the roads are busy at times. Often just after a ferry has arrived. Shops are few and not all sell a wide range of foodstuff so if you’re camping it’s a good idea to plan well and make sure you carry what you need. Brodick and Lamlash seem to be the best villages for grocery shops as there’s a Co-op in both. It would be a great place to go to for maybe a week, find a base and explore the island by bike. There was so much I missed and will go back one day.