Introduction
This is the second of seven posts covering our Island-Hopping Whisky Trail trip in August/September 2021.
| 1 | Culzean Castle |
| 2 | Isle of Arran |
| 3 | Kintyre Peninsula |
As ever, please use the links at the foot of the page to move forwards or backwards through the series.
Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and is home to over 4,500 people. The main economic activities are tourism, farming, forestry, beer and whisky production, dairy industries and production of luxury toiletries. Arran is frequently described as Scotland in Miniature due to being mountainous in the north, with rolling, pastoral landscapes in the south.
Arrival
We travelled to the island using the 0945 (Sunday morning) Ardrossan – Brodick ferry, a sailing that was operated by MV Caledonian Isles.
Brodick Castle
Our first objective after arriving on Arran was Brodick Castle, just a few minutes’ drive from the pier. Once a second home of the Dukes of Hamilton, the property is now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. After completing a self-guided tour of the house, we had a wander through the extensive, well manicured gardens.
Circuit of Island
The next item on the agenda was a clockwise circuit of the island on the main coastal road. The main stop was at Lochranza, on the island’s north coast, where we visited the Visitor Centre and shop at the local distillery. A complete lack of turnouts on the road up the west coast meant that it was impossible to take photos on that side of the island.
Accommodation
For our one-night stay on the island, we based ourselves at the attractive Auchrannie Resort. I had stayed at the Auchrannie Hotel (as it then was) in the 1990s, and it was intriguing to see how the place had expanded and developed during the intervening years. We were particularly impressed by the comprehensive and attractively presented breakfast spread on Monday morning.
