Travel Blog - Isle of Arran

This is the latest in a series of travel blogs and regular readers must be thinking, “oh no, it’s Judith freakin’ Chalmers again”. For the record, I did not plan to record an entry for my weekend back home in Ayrshire but events took an unexpected turn when I made my first visit to the Isle of Arran since 1996.

The journey to Arran began at Ardrossan ferry terminal on the North Ayrshire coast. The area around the port has been substantially redeveloped in recent years and is looking smarter than for many a year. We boarded the MV Caledonian Isles for the 1230 sailing to Brodick. This ship has the second largest vehicle carrying capacity in the Caledonian MacBrayne fleet, with the capability to accommodate 110 cars and up to 1000 passengers. Our 12 mile voyage across the Firth of Clyde took 55 minutes and was very smooth. It was nice to relax in the lounge area with a cup of coffee. I also paid a visit (or two) to the onboard Isle of Arran produce stand where free samples of some of the local cheese and whisky were available. I also couldn’t help but notice that there were many more signs on the ship in the Gaelic language, in keeping with the policy of promoting the language in tourist areas.

When we arrived at the quayside at Brodick, the ferry spewed out a significant cargo of lycra clad hoardes of cyclists ready to take on the rigours of B880 “string road” to Blackwaterfoot on the west coast. I did envy them somewhat as my most notable previous visits as a teenager were in the company of my Raleigh Activator bike. We made our way along the promenade to the local Cooperative store to grab some provisions for lunch.  For those who are more used to urban settings, you will not find the usual “big four” supermarkets in rural parts of Scotland or the islands but you will find that the Co-op is the main store. After getting our supplies, we headed to a quiet spot at the sea front to enjoy a banquet of pre-packed sandwiches, a packet of McCoys crisps and some fizzy juice.

It may be tempting to assume that there is little cultural diversity on a Scottish island but this perception was challenged in Brodick with the presence of the Arran Asia Trading Company. This store which sold a selection of jewellery, religious artefacts and ornaments also claimed to have branches in Bangkok, Dehli and Khatmandu. We also had one of the workers from the nearby Indian restaurant give us a flyer advertising their menu. It reminded me of the episode of Father Ted when we were introduced to Craggy Island’s China town.

 

We decided to go on a walk outside Brodick to the park near the foot of Goat Fell. The path deviates from the main road near the end of the town and goes across one of the greens on the local golf course. Following this, we encountered a narrow path where there was a house selling duck feed for 50p a bag, the monetary transaction took place via an honesty box, another feature of island life. After an entertaining few moments feeding the ducks in a local stream, we proceeded along the road towards Arran Aromatics which sold a selection of Scottish produce in addition to fragrances etc. The sea salt caramel fudge is highly recommended. The service in store was warm and friendly, it was also easy to detect the English accent from the lady behind the counter, another feature of Scotland’s rural life as many southerners swap the rat race for a slower pace of life.

 

We also visited the cheese store to where we took advantage of the 4 truckles of cheese for £14 offer and bought some oatcakes. This clearly demonstrates that the marketing on the boat was working. My personal recommendation is the oak smoked cheese although we also bought the claret flavoured cheese in our selection. We also walked a bit further up the road to the local brewery store where my brother-in-law and I bought bottles of the Arran Clyde Puffer stout.

We then made our way back to the ferry terminal. There was a handful of Scottish independence campaigners whose advances were being politely rebuffed by most people including ourselves. I spent much of the return voyage out on deck. This was partly because there was a group of men who considered themselves to be the life and soul of the party when all everybody else saw was a bunch of fat, tattooed, beery louts who couldn’t shut their mouths.  They were completely oblivious to the apathy of every other passenger as they belted out the hokey cokey for the nth time. It was quite funny at the end of the voyage when one of the more sober members of the group rebuked another for singing as it was “getting embarrassing”. You don’t say.

By staying outside, we were rewarded with some clear views of Arran’s east coast and along the Firth of Clyde towards Cumbrae and Inverclyde. Evidence of the Clyde’s importance as a strategic trade route was clear as we saw the Navion Scandia and Star Polaris moored in Irvine Bay. The former of these was heading to the deep water port of Finnart in Loch Long to offload its cargo of petroleum, to be carried by pipeline to the Grangemouth refinery. The latter of these was heading to the busy, local port of Hunterston, a facility that specialises in coal imports. We also sailed past the MV Isle of Arran, the predecessor of the Caledonian Isles that has been brought back to the Clyde for the dual purpose of supporting the Arran route and to trial a sailing to Campbeltown on the Kintyre penninsula. It was also possible to clearly see the iconic Ailsa Craig to the south west.

 

 

 

We knew the voyage was coming to an end when we could see the massive wind turbines that make the hills above the north shore road look like a giant teletubbyland. The lovely summer’s day on Arran reminded me that sometimes we should appreciate the beauty of the scenery of our local area as we so often can take these pleasures for granted. The island is like Scotland in miniature and a break of several days here is to be recommended. It is my intention that I will be back in the near future.