“Scotland in miniature” and it certainly is that! With mountains, lochs, forests and white sandy beaches there is so much to do and see, the Isle of Arran truly is a place which captures the essence of scotland in one go. 

 

Our family has been travelling to Arran for generations, from our Dad's teenage adventures hostel hopping, to Graeme's family holidays. Keen to understand the attraction of the island for ourselves, we've spent the last couple of years getting to know Arran in our own way.

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With the island itself being only 20 miles long and 10 miles wide you can drive round in a couple of hours, passing through the picturesque local villages, stopping for coffee and cake along the way.  

 

Arran is such a gorgeous place and each corner you turn you are met with stunning landscapes.  In the south, beautiful views across to Holy Isle from Lamlash bay.  Travelling west, wonderful rolling landscapes of farmland and views across to Mull of Kintyre.  When you get to the north of the island, the landscapes peak as you travel south back down towards Brodick taking in the breathtaking sights of Goatfell and the surrounding mountain range.

 

Wildlife thrives on the island and on a good day you might be lucky enough to see the big 5! Otters can be found fishing around Kildonan beach - we are yet to catch a glimpse of them but this is on our list for our next visit!  Red Squirrels are mainly found on the east of the island and care should be taken when driving through the little villages as they are often seen running from garden to garden across the road in front of you.  Golden Eagles soar across the hills surrounding Lochranza where you will also find the local deer chilling out on the golf course.  You can get quite close to them for a good picture but always be aware these are wild animals and should be treated with respect.  Finally, seals can be spotted basking on the rocks which surround the island, however don’t be fooled by the stone seal sitting on a rock outside the hotel in Corrie! 

 

The pesky midge is worth a mention as they are notoriously bad on Arran.  With many forests and occasional dreich weather they can gather in swarms and drive you mental but as long as you are prepared with some Smidge or Avon’s ‘Skin so soft’ moisturiser then you should avoid the wee pests being able to bite you.  

 

With so much more to give, we can’t wait to explore Arran further and would recommend anyone looking to get a flavour of Scotland to take a trip to this wonderful island.