Arran In A Nutshell

Before the weather closed in, we decided to go around the island. On Monday, we did the northern loop and on Tuesday, we did the southern loop. We left our lovely little harbour of Blackwaterfoot after breakfast

and returned to it mid afternoon.

The northern half is very much like the Highlands with peaks between 800 - 900 meters.

Lochranza, the northern mostly village with it's ruined castle, was a good place to stop for elevenses

Along our travels, we saw a standing stone, a seal, and a golf course that could have been in Banff.

The southern half of the island is more farmland and villages.

 Off the coast is another Holy Island. You could say we have a plethora of Holy Islands.

We also learned about the Arran clearances. With promises of cheap land and half their way paid by the Duke of Hamilton, hundreds of his tenants were shipped off to Canada, beginning in 1829. Well, you can guess the rest.

On our travels, Von has always been able to avoid driving the very narrow lanes. Well, fate caught up with her today! We went up and over on the Ross road, built in 1821 high above Sliddery Waters, to get home.

But, we saw our first rainbow this trip.