Taking in ‘Scotland in miniature' on my trip to Arran
'This clean, green island has long been a rich place of abundance.' I couldn't agree more – I come to Arran every year seeking my own sustenance, my own affirmation in this deeply special island.
For me, with Scotland's seventh largest island, it's personal. One side of my family hails from the south of the island and I still have relatives in Shiskine. The majority of my childhood holidays were spent doon the watter and now I take my own children to revel in Arran's charms too. I didn't realise until I started travelling the globe just how special our 'Scotland in Miniature' really is.
Arran is an island that rewards repeat visits as there is always something different to discover. This may be around my fiftieth visit, but it's the first time I've actually seen the famous 'Doctor's Bath' on the shoreline at Corrie –patients were once prescribed saltwater bathing cures here. You can still ease down the steps that were cut into the sandstone rocks to help you enter the 'bath'.
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I've not got out to (James) Hutton's Unconformity near Lochranza either. So I eke around the dramatically rugged coastline in search of the rock formations that were pivotal in how we understand geology and the age of - and indeed the ageing of - the earth.
Geology is big news still in Arran as last month the island was officially recognised as a Unesco Global Geopark. This puts the official stamp on this unique island's already remarkable geology, which is the root of those 'Scotland in Miniature' epithets. The Geopark status really puts Arran on the map as there are only three in Scotland and 10 in all of the UK. It will attract attention globally and help in Arran's continued determination to plough a sustainable development furrow.
I don't take the plunge in the Doctor's Bath, but I do get in the chilly spring sea in Whiting Bay. A helping hand comes from Stonesthrow Sauna. Their mobile sauna sets up on spectacular stretches of Arran's coastline. The idea is that you warm yourself up in the wooden sauna and then brave the Firth of Clyde, that hot and cold Scandinavian health vibe. It's brilliant fun and a spirit-soaring success that leaves me buzzing all day. It's said to have all kinds of health benefits and takes the joy of wild swimming to another level.
Another positive experience comes with the aforementioned Zoë. She is an expert forager and looks the part, waiting for me in the woodlands draped in a cloak and carrying a wicker basket. Soon what just looks like a forest to me becomes nature's supermarket and I'm snacking on leaves and shoots under her watchful guidance. 'There is food everywhere,' Zoë tells me. 'Arran is a nourishing island if you know where to look and I teach people that on my tours.'
I enjoy food of a more conventional kind at the superb Drift Inn. I've watched over the last few decades as this waterfront oasis on Lamalsh Bay has grown from a simple pub into a classy eating venue with driftwood-style tables, a glazed front section and waterside seating too. The views over the water to Holy Isle are sublime. They deliver on the plate too: perfectly seared scallops spiced with a chorizo crumb sets my tastebuds tingling, before a satisfying main of beer battered langoustines and chips.
I eat very well at two other venues on this visit. I love what the dynamic guys at the Corrie Hotel have done to the place since they took over in 2022. Their latest project is having a seal fashioned from local granite to replace 'Clyde', the old wooden seal who used to sit on a rock in the waters just outside, fooling many a tourist driving by. Their kitchen works with the excellent Bellevue Farm on their meat sourcing, with serious quality produce. The bedrooms are tasteful too at a boutique bolthole I really rate.
I also enjoy dinner at the Ormidale Hotel. It is very Arran – it's been in the same family for 70 years and you can feel the pride and passion. They only have seven rooms. I tuck into a delicious scampi and chips, followed by homemade apple crumple and Arran Dairies' ice cream. It's a satisfying feast served at a wooden Arran-shaped table peering out towards Goatfell, Arran's iconic mountain.
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With the swish new ferry, the Glen Sannox, now up and running, Arran's ferry woes seem finally to be easing. This new Clyde-built vessel is a joy to sail on, so there has never been a better time to ease over and enjoy Arran's multifarious charms. I've still not yomped out to Carn Ban, not yet hiked the new trail from the Ross Road to Shiskine or seen what the Arran Butcher has done with his second premises in Brodick. Arran is a naturally rich island that just keeps on giving.
CalMac (calmac.co.uk) ferries to Arran sail from Troon and Ardrossan on the mainland, with a third route from Claonaig on the Cowal Peninsula.
For more information see visitarran.com.
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