Isle of Arran

Goat Fell – The Mountain Goat and the Eagle?

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Standing at 2,866 feet, Goat Fell is the highest mountain on Arran.  On our first visit to the island, we decided against trying to reach the summit.  It would have been by far the furthest and highest Rowan had walked, so we didn’t want to over-do it and potentially put him off days out in the mountains.  But for our latest visit, and with Birkhouse Moor under his belt, we decided he would probably be ok.  We just needed a decent mountain forecast during the week – and we were in luck.

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Kingscross Point – Kings, Vikings and a Surprise Fort

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Long summer days mean it’s possible to really make the most of where you are visiting on holiday.  After chilling on the beach by the Preaching Cave in Kilpatrick, we drove round the southern edge of the island to Sandbraes, just past Whiting Bay.  Parking alongside some playing fields in front of the Whiting Bay and Kildonan Church (postcode KA27 8RE) just off the A841, we bundled out of the car for our second stroll of the day, this time, to Kingscross Point.

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North Glen Sannox – White Horses

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In 2018, our honeymoon took us to the Isle of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland.  We fell in love with the place.  So much so, we were back again the following year, this time bringing along my Mum, Dad and sister, Karen.  Whilst driving around during our prior visit, I kept noticing a path running alongside a river in the mountainous north of the island.  It was so inviting, and it was now time to see where it led.

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Coire Fhionn Lochan – Going Off Piste

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Most of my previous walking has been done in the Lake District.  When I open the OS map to plan a walk, it is criss-crossed with green and black dashed lines indicating footpaths and right of ways.  This was not the case when I opened a map of Arran.  Contours and streams were there, and lots of other symbols, lines and colours that make maps so brilliant to look at – but not too many footpaths.  I guess the Scottish Outdoor Access Code means that much of the landscape is one big right of way (within reason).  But it came as a bit of a shock when I was trying to plan a day in the hills for us.  After consulting my guide book, I decided that Coire Fhionn Lochan would be the walk for us.

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Fallen Rocks – Where’s Pebble?

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One of the great things about Arran is just going for a drive and pulling in to different places to see what is there.  I suppose that can be the same anywhere really.  After a morning spent at Kildonnan looking for seals, we decided to drive round the island, pulling in wherever we fancied.  It was getting late when we drove into a picnic area at North Sannox.  It was a gorgeous spot.  After messing around for a while at the spot where North Sannox Burn enters the sea, we decided we head back to the cottage for some tea.  Before we left, I checked the information board and noticed that we could start a walk to Fallen Rocks from here.

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Torr Righ Beag and The King’s Cave – Incy Wincy Spider

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After we’d visited Machrie Moor Stone Circle, there was still plenty of time left for more adventure, so we drove the short distance down the road to Torr Righ Beag, a coniferous forest by the sea.  From here, we could walk down to the beach to explore the King’s Cave, but not before the customary check of the information board.  Here, we found a circular walk which, for no particular reason, we chose to do clockwise.  We made our way to a forest track on the left hand side of the car park.

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