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Recommended Reviews - Isle of Arran
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16 years ago
This is the land that time forgot. It didn't get the hectic rush, the brash noise, nor the 24 hour shopping day. As a consequence it is calm, peaceful and a great place to relax. The scenery is unsurpassed in Scotland and it is heavily populated by bird and animal life (Except foxes and grey squirrels which are unknown on the island). If you are looking to have a relaxing holiday with a smaller carbon footprint look no further. read more
4 years ago
Very pretty but if you don't have a car you will be very limited in what you can do on the island. Although if you are a backpacker that is a different story. After seeing the brewery, soap and cheese shop, a castle and a few other sites you have pretty much covered the island. Limited restaurants and cabs so just know that before going. 2 days is all you need but worth going to with some planning. read more
Arran really is such a wonderful place and I am totally kicking myself that it took so long to visit! We visited for three nights in March which is technically off-season, but there was still a lot to see a do. First up, you get to Arran by ferry - you can either take a car (about £50 for a normal-sized car and two passengers) or you can get the train from Glasgow Central to Ardrossan Harbour station which matches up with the ferry departure, which is handy if you don't have a car. We took our car - Ardrossan is about an hour's drive from Glasgow and it's all well signposted and easy to find. You need to be there at least 30 minutes before the sailing and there's a terminal building to wait in if you don't want to sit in the car. The ferry ride is about an hour, there's hot food and drinks available and it's all very comfortable and pleasant. I'll write more about that in my CalMac review! We were staying at the Douglas Hotel which is pretty much opposite the ferry terminal. We used our first day to explore Brodick which is the main town on Arran. It's a very small town with a supermarket, a few pubs and shops. It's really peaceful and lovely to walk around - just don't expect too many options by way of food and drink! We visited a few of the pubs - there's a bar in the Douglas Hotel which is really nice (and outside seating if the weather is nice enough), the Brodick Bar is also worth a visit and the Fiddlers is great for the view over Brodick Bay. There's another bar, the Ormidale which we didn't get a chance to visit, and the Auchrannie resort. You can walk from the main part of Brodick to the castle where there's more shop and another restaurant (the Wineport) which is worth doing even in the off-season when the castle is closed. There's beautiful views over the bay. We also spent some time driving around the island and I'd highly recommend exploring by car, or there's regular buses that go around the island if you didn't take a car. Lochranza is really beautiful and the castle is just gorgeous in the middle of the bay, and there's a very welcoming pub at the Lochranza Hotel. There's also a restaurant at the golf course called the Stags Pavillion which is very popular with the locals for good reason! We explored the lower half of the island on our third day and recommend The Drift Inn in Lamlash - a lot of people told me about this pub and it was probably some of the best food we ate on the island. Machrie is worth a visit as you can walk to the standing stones and King's Cave (we'll do these on a future visit) and a lovely tea room at the golf course. I really enjoyed Arran and found it incredibly peaceful and relaxing. Everyone is so friendly and helpful, and even if the weather isn't great, it's a beautiful place. We were lucky enough to get amazing weather on our last day so spent most of it sitting outside the Douglas Hotel gazing over Brodick Bay. Quick tips: - There isn't great mobile reception on the island, but most pubs have free wifi. - Some roads are a little bumpy/worn out but there was lots of roadworks happening while were there so they're obviously in the process of resurfacing the worst ones - Prices are a bit more expensive than you'd expect in Glasgow but it's all local produce so it's worth the few £ extra - Even if you're not into hillwalking, climbing or outdoorsy stuff, it's a really relaxing place to visit and there's a bookshop if you need to stock up on reading material! read more
18 years ago
If you like out door activities, fresh air and adventure then the Isle of Arran is a must for visiting. It has everything: fishing (sea and river); all types of water sports; hill climbing; in fact if you name an out door activity you can probably do it on the Island. Arran in situated in the Firth of Clyde and is accessible via ferry from Ardrossan and in the summer season from Kintyre. It is a fantastic place for a day visit or for a longer holiday. The best thing about the Island is the scenery, its not called Scotland in miniature for nothing. There are fantastic sandy beaches at Lamlash and Kildonan, standing stones at Marchie Moor, great pier fishing at Brodick and Corrie. All in all its a great place to visit and an even better one to live in!!! read more
14 years ago
Isle of Arran. Scotland in miniature. There are not many negatives to this little island, what it lacks in size, it makes up for in beauty, you could get lost with all the stunning walks, pony treks and drives around the island. having family living here, i am biased. However, this island is a stunning and wonderful place that everyone should visit at least once. It will capture your heart. read more
17 years ago
Arran is known as Scotland in Miniature for good reason. The scenery ranges from the mountainous north to the flatter south. Stunning scenery, gorgeous, peacful and clean sandy beaches - an outdoor lover's paradise. Sea kayaking, hill-walking, pony trekking, golf and nature galore too. Red deer, red squirrels, seals and many varieties of bord can be spotted aroudn the island. For the less adventurous tourist, there's Brodick Castle, shopping (a good selection of local shops), the cheese factory or Arran Aromatics factory to visit and lots of eating places. Something for everyone! read more
16 years ago
there are not enough superlative in the english language that can descrie exactly how wonderful this place really is. as a tourist you will not find a friendlier and more helpfull community than Arran, as a new resident moving from the main land you will find the pace of life refreshingly laid back. you can go out for hours and not lock your doors, your children are safe to play in the garden and parks. i have heared people complain that there is nothing to do on the island, which is non scense! there is more to do on arran than there is in most of the towns and cities on the mainland, and lots of them are not going to cost you the earth. the only down side i have found is the bus service! but why should an island be different from the main land in this respect? the air is clear, the beaches are clean, the pace of life is exactly how it should be. visit for a week and you'll never want to leave. read more
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13 years ago
I am almost certainly bias as I now are one of the few fortunate to have made the decision to live on Arran what a joy every day is so amazingly different . I travel the island due to work commitments and I regularly have to stop for geese, sheep, squirrels and not least deer they are everywhere,amazing, then there is the seals who often pop up for a photo opportunity and last but not least regardless of the weather the scenery is out of this world every part of the island offering its own unique picturesque view .come and enjoy read more













