Previous day
Another grim day, so the mountain hike can wait until tomorrow. I spend a leisurely day exploring Brodick Castle, Garden and Country Park.
The squirrel hide is a must and does not disappoint.
The gardens are beautiful, framing wonderful sculptures.
The constant rain and grey skies wash out any attempt to capture the pretty gardens.
I’m not really a big fan of wandering round the interiors of castles and stately homes, but a few images catch my eye.
On the bus back to Lochranza, two female students from Edinburgh Uni are dragging two huge bags of logs — named Steve and Bob, don’t ask — in addition to their backpacks. I don’t think it’s going to end well for the chaps. They have a friend in the Dept of Artificial Intelligence, which starts me reminiscing about my PhD years in the department.
Back at the campsite, everyone is locked down against the elements. Grabbing a hot shower, I’m horrified to find a tick in my ear. I can’t get to it properly using the mirror so need to find someone to get it out for me. How’s that for a conversation opener with a stranger? By a weird coincidence, I meet the Italian couple who were leaving Coire Fhionn Lochan when I arrived. Their English is limited, but a few hand signals work, and they pull out a tick removal tool. False alarm — it’s just a black scab from a cut when I was pushing my way through the undergrowth a couple of days ago.
Today
My last day on the island and it’s glorious. I could not have asked for better weather for a hike round the three Beinns: Beinn Nuis, Beinn Tarsuinn, and Beinn a Chliabhain.
I catch the first bus to Brodick and walk up to the Glen Rosa campsite, which is in a stunning sheltered location next to Glenrosa Water. No wonder the midges like to party here. There are various flood warning signs — a few campers were airlifted to safety several years ago.
I’m pitched and on the trail by 08:30. It’s beautiful, following the winding water up the lush valley, past a series of waterfalls, with the mountains in the distance. There’s a dubious ford marked on the map. The water is too deep for my poles, so I leap from rock to rock.
It’s a boggy climb to the first peak at Beinn Nuis, including a bit of scrambling. Sadly the cloud has descended, so I rest against the summit marker cairn, celebrating with apple crumble cake.
After a few minutes, the cloud clears and the most magnificent views open up. Thank you Arran. It’s breathtaking. A ridge walk stretches far into the distance, with the sea visible on both sides of the island. The Old Man of Tarsuinn is unreasonably grumpy on such a fine day.
You could camp up here on the flat ridge among the large rocks offering shelter from the wind. I’ve not seen another person so far. Time for a panorama shot. Completing the sweep, I catch a woman standing silently behind me.
“Bloody hell!”
I almost have a heart attack. We both burst out laughing. She’s a fell runner, not wishing to interrupt my shot. We chat briefly before she bounds off along the ridge. I can’t see her when I reach the next peak. Is she that fast? A mountain sprite?
Reaching the top of Beinn Tarsuinn, I stop for lunch, with an amazing view across to Goatfell. The highlight of my week — I could sit here for hours.
There’s a fun descent and small climb back up to Beinn a Chliabhain, where I hear the sound of bagpipes. Am I hearing things? Looking back to a rocky outcrop that I climbed down earlier, there’s a tiny figure standing on the edge, playing the pipes. I’m starting to hallucinate with the heat.
Unfortunately, as I near the end of the descent I slip on a bog. My left leg extends fully and then rotates 90 degrees at the knee. Luckily my poles take most of my weight. I expect the knee will be sore tomorrow.
Nearing the end of the walk, I’m hot and there are no showers at the campsite, so an ice-cold dip in a pool at the bottom of a waterfall is just what I need. There are people crossing a bridge a hundred feet further down the stream, but there are plenty of screening rocks to avoid any embarrassment. Or as someone unkindly said later, with that freezing water there would not be a lot to see!
It’s still early in the day, so I walk into Brodick to check out a pub recommended in my CAMRA guide and grab some food. The Ormidale Hotel is decent and friendly. I ask about my mountain piper vision and the manageress explains there’s a resurgence in younger people learning to play the pipes, so I was not seeing things.
Returning to the campsite, the negative reviews are confirmed. I’m confined to the tent due to swarms of midges, which I can handle. What really annoys me is the constant loud swearing from a group of nearby campers, including a drunken guy in football kit who has pulled down a dead tree, leaving it sheared at the stump, and dragged the huge trunk down the nearby road and into the field, where he sits hacking chunks off and tossing them into a fire on the grass. How to ruin a beautiful spot. Sometimes you wish for a flash flood.
So it’s home tomorrow. The weather has not been kind, apart from today, but Arran is beautiful, with so much to experience. The Coastal Way is rough in places and challenging, with the inevitable road sections, but full of gorgeous views. It’s worth diverting inland to see the magnificent Glenashdale Falls and the Machrie Moor Standing Stones in the twilight.
Next day
I bump into Ronae, a fellow hiker of a similar age, at the ferry terminal and we share the train journey back to Glasgow, where he lives. He recommends some great walks in Scotland and we swap phone numbers in case we get the chance to hook up for a future hike. It’s time to return to walking round England and Wales until the midges have gone and autumn arrives.
Walk distance: 10 miles.
Total distance: 2,069 miles.
Hi Tony,
Glad you enjoyed Arran. I’ve been once, an overnight stay in Brodick , a bus to Corrie, then up the four Corbetts of Goatfell, Beinn Tarsuinn, Cir Mhor and an out and back to Caisteal Abhail. Cir Mhor was very impressive.
Yes, a very small minority are responsible for the majority of bad feeling to campers and hikers.
Cheers Alan
Hi Alan – On reflection, I could definitely have continued that ridge walk for another couple hours and then backtrack, but it was all beautiful. I will be diverting into the mountains wherever possible on my coastal walk.
What a wonderful last day you had! I’d definitely like to go to Arran now, so thanks for sharing.
ps. glad it wasn’t a tick in your ear!
I hope you do and look forward to reading about it. 🙂
What a glorious last day and fabulous walk. I loved Arran, but didn’t venture into the mountains. Found the coastal walk hard enough! Are you planning on getting the ferry over to the Mull of Kintyre next?
No, I will continue north along the coast from Ardrossan, although I have not decided my route yet. For now it’s off to Suffolk tomorrow for four days, family hols in August, and then I am planning something a little more adventurous before resuming my coast walk in late September.