Isle of Arran

Up early for a lovely breakfast (this place has been a gem)  before heading two minutes down the road to the ferry terminal and the 9.15am departure for Brodick, Isle of Arran.

The blip is from the ferry deck has we arrived with a view of the highest mountain in Arran - Goat Fell and just below it Brodick Castle on the outskirts of the town.

We found somewhere immediately for coffee and sat outside overlooking the bay. Right next to the cafe deli was a sports store having a sale, had to go in. I did look at the Reiker shoes but resisted but Chris had just commented he should really get some new walking trousers as his are really now too big. First thing we saw were walking trousers half price, a good start to out holiday!

We could have walked along the boarded coastal path to the castle but as we wanted to go on from there we took the car. Good job really as the castle and the cafe were closed but rather bizarrely the grounds were open so we walked around the garden, lovely Azaleas in flower. 

We drove from there south to Lamlash where son Alex was working last week, a pretty place with broad greens along the bay and a view to Holy Isle. We had a walk and stopped in a little bakery for tea and a cheese scone. Refreshed we continued to the southern end of the island with interesting views of Alisa Craig from a different angle and the tiny island of Pladda. Lots of lovely mixed beech hedges and hedgerow wild flowers. We drove up the west coast as far as Blackwaterfoot. Interesting views again this time across to Kintyre somewhere we haven’t seen or visited before. Then took the route back across to Brodick followed by the local bus. This steep road clearly highlights the contrast between the agricultural green south with it’s fields of cattle and sheep and the rugged, mountainous north.

Our last stop is here in Corrie (extra) a few miles north of Brodick on the east coast. A village of ribbon development white houses with an interesting little harbour. We had a drink in the beer garden across the road from our hotel by the shore and then set off for an evening stroll. There were Oyster Catchers and Plovers and lots of little bird songs in the air and the bluest and calmest of seas. We have a tiny turret window in our room but it does have a sea view - extra!

( The second extra are some of the sights seen today in the southern part of the island.) 

I know it the 80th anniversary if VE Day today and we’ve seen one or two displays of Union flags especially outside schools. On our walk along the coastal org in Brodick we stopped for 2 minutes silence at 12 noon.