Known as “Little Scotland” the Isle of Arran on the west coast of Scotland did not disappoint. It’s an island with only three main roads, wee villages scattered throughout, and some beautiful scenery.
Back in February 2017, we were road tripping through Scotland’s western isles and were unable to make it over to Arran, but seeing it from the mainland, we were sure we wanted to get there one day! So, when the opportunity came up to take CalMac’s Island Hopscotch tour, with a stop on Arran, we were quick to jump on the chance to get on the island.
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Getting To The Isle of Arran In Scotland
There are two options for getting to the Isle of Arran, one being from just outside of Tarbert, Scotland (the one we attempted to take the first time), and the other being just south of Glasgow. Now, driving in Scotland is unlike driving in any other country.
Yes, the roads could use some serious work, and detours show up out of nowhere, but what takes the most time is stopping at all the pullouts to take pictures of the gorgeous scenery. So knowing the former trip would take literally hours on hours to get to the ferry port, we chose the latter, taking the ferry from Ardrossan instead.
LEARN MORE | CalMac Ferry Time Table
Arriving to Arran, we were blessed with some amazing weather. It’s always hit or miss on the rain/clouds here in Scotland, so we were stoked and praising Jesus for the partly cloudy skies! We took the first left out of Brodick, opting to skip the castle and village, to see some of the scenery while the skies were blue.
Whiting Bay And Holy Island
Our first real stop was in Whiting Bay to admire the views of Holy Island and grab some fuel for our camp stove (gotta get in all the Scottish tea we can) before taking off again making our way to The Ross Pass, road #2 for us on the island.
Traveler’s Tip…The Holy Island is a place of meditation and retreat with actual monks inhabiting the island. You can book retreats for healing and the like to this island, but it needs to be done in advance.
Right after turning on to The Ross, we immediately pulled over, stopping for the cutest wee corner church and berry picking of some delicious Scottish blackcurrant.
The Ross Pass | The Prettiest Drive On Arran
If we’re honest here, we weren’t as impressed with The Ross as our expectations set us up to be. We’ve seen so many absolutely marvelous places in Scotland, so this being one of the prettiest drives on the island, we were a bit disappointed… at first!
After being on the road for some time we got up into the glen area, into loads and loads of heather, and lovely views any which way we looked coming closer to the expectation we had put on the drive! We even found a nice lunch stop tucked away in a corner near a creek!
The String | Connecting One Side Of Arran To The Other
After completing The Ross, onto the third road of the island we went… The String. Crossing The String, we were amazed at how diverse the land on such a small island was. On the southern part of Arran, we experienced rolling hills full of heather and trees, heading north, we saw rocky cliffs and bare mountains.
Isle of Arran’s Coastal Drive
The final part of our drive may have just been our favorite of the day. Coming off of The String, and back onto the main road going around the island, we were greeted with amazing coastal views. Hugging the coastline as the sun set, we drove and drove taking in the long sunset Scotland often brings. The road was like a rollercoaster in parts, going up and down and all around bends, making it super fun to drive in a small car instead of in big ol’ Izzy.
Lochranza Castle
The Castle On The Northern Tip Of Arran
Spotting a couple places to wild camp for the night (always nice to know where you’re sleeping before it gets dark), we decided to continue on around the island to Lochranza, where we’d heard of a castle right in the bay before backtracking to park up for the night.
Turning the corner to Lochranza, the castle stood out right in the middle of the harbor/bay. Jumping out of the car to explore the castle made us feel like we hadn’t missed a beat in the 8 months we’d spent away from Scotland. We felt like we were back in our old stomping grounds, even though we’d never been there before.
A Sunrise Drive Between Brodick and Lochranza
Our ferry took off the next morning at 8:15, so we knew we had to be up extra early if we wanted to sneak in some more time on the isle. Waking up at 6:00 never felt so good.
We awoke to partly cloudy skies, and an extraordinary sunrise. Opting to chase the sunrise – is that even a thing? – we drove right past the Lochranza ferry terminal and up over the hill to Brodick.
And holy smokes, this was stunning. Big mountains on one side of the road, beautiful coastline on the other, and heather in between paired with perfect morning light… talk about a dreamy last few hours on the Isle of Arran!
Ferrying From Arran To Islay
Getting back to the ferry terminal just in time to make a cuppa, we boarded the ferry full of excitement of what the day would hold – making it over to Isle of Islay, Scotland’s whisky island.
READ MORE | Scotland’s Whisky Island – Isle of Islay
We’d be lying if we said we weren’t just as excited to get in a proper shower too. We knew of a place we could have a real, warm, indoor shower, the only problem was we had only 30 minutes between disembarking one ferry and loading on to the next.
We made it to the showers just in time, hopping in for the best two-minute shower of all time, and leaving to catch the ferry finger’s crossed we’d make it in time!
Arran was an absolutely stunning Scottish Isle to see and explore. One day was barely enough time to jet around the island, and quite honestly a few more days would have been lovely to see a bit more or even get a couple hikes in. But if you’re reading this and are planning to head to Arran, even if just for a short time, it’s worth the journey!
If you’ve been to Arran, or are planning a trip there, we’d love to connect with you! Leave us a note in the comments below of any places we’ve missed, what you’ve enjoyed most in this post, or if you’re planning a trip there and need some more advice! We love hearing from our readers!
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