We wanted to get out of Edinburgh for a weekend of adventure travels and since we still have a number of Isle’s off Scotland’s coastline to visit we decided on visiting the Isle of Arran.
We also heard there was excellent mountain biking on Arran so strapped the bikes to the back of the car, grabbed the maps, downed a tasty curry for dinner in Ardrossan and were off.
We had decided that apart from all the mountain biking we were actually going to try and take it easy after an exhausting long weekend in Paris the weekend before so had chosen to stay in our first ever Bed and Breakfast!
We were definitely not disappointed. Even after arriving at 11pm the retired couple who were diligently waiting for us to show up offered us tea and home baked cakes. For two sweet-toothed travellers this was the life. The other bonus was knowing that each morning there would be a giant cooked breakfast waiting for us to fuel our legs for the days cycling.
Each morning as the sun rose across the open sea we gorged ourselves on the big brekky. We were treated to stunning vistas from the kitchen table before wandering two minutes down to the rocky shoreline.
For two days we exhausted ourselves on the mountain bike and tourist trails all over Arran. Unfortunately our slightly out of date maps meant that it was not always fun and games.
Sometimes the trails would end suddenly and being the stubborn male that I am I trusted my natural compass to lead us to salvation. Unfortunately we would often end up bush-bashing with our bikes slung across our backs as we made our way up what I assumed to just be an overgrown path. Much to Adela’s dismay I was wrong and we had to spend the next 20 minutes going back down again.
Bit of the ‘Old Silent Game’ came in to play as we both slowly licked our wounds. Mine from reading the map wrong and Adela literally licking her wounds from all the scratches she ended up getting from falling in the blackberry bushes!
There is so much to see and do on the Isle of Arran. We acted like idiots over the ruins of the “Giants Graves” and “oohed” at Glenashdale Falls. And most of the time there was not another soul in sight.
Being blessed with those long summer evenings stretching the available light past 10pm you can spend endless hours cruising the 90 km coastal road (not just by bike). Just make sure you stop to enjoy the secluded beaches. We witnessed birds swooping down to catch their dinner fresh from the sea.
While seals frolicked in the shallows off the shoreline at Kildonan in front of the ruins of one of the many castles.
Before hopping back aboard the Isle of Arran ferry be sure to check out Brodick Castle and the world-famous gardens. Nestled on the shore with a backdrop of the country estate there is plenty of adventure travel activities to spend hours here.
Or just sit back on the grass and relax.
