What To Do On Arran?
Now that you have found your perfect Arran B&B, what do you want to do? But where to start? One thing for sure-no matter how long a stay you have planned it will be nowhere near enough!
Arran is a place where you can find a little bit of everything you’d ever want from a Scottish Island: mountains, lowlands, rocky bays, beaches, iconic wildlife, castles, stone circles, distilleries, golf courses and a range of activities to fill as much time as you have available.
The compact diversity of the island lends itself to a wide variety of activities. Walking features in many visitors’ itineraries one way or another: there is something for everyone with a wide range of terrain from the casual stroll to the challenging mountain adventure. Also, Arran has many sites of significant archaeological and historical interest ranging from the late stone age (Neolithic) to the clearances, which can form the basis of any excursion.
The staff here at Cruickshanks B&B (Nanette, Rob and Jess the Collie) have managed out every day for the greater part of the decade that we’ve lived on Arran. That represents a fair amount of first-hand experience to share, not to mention guidebooks and maps. Here’s a good place to start: https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/arran/
Turning to another favourite Arran pastime: Golf is well catered for with 7 courses of varying character across the island. The closest is just a short walk away from our Bed and Breakfast. For more information about what’s on offer including details about how to play all 7 courses (The ‘Arran Golf Pass’) then just click here. For those with a more casual approach to balls and clubs there are putting greens in a variety of locations and a newly constructed 18 hole mini-golf course on the Brodick front.
We have a reasonable number of cyclists staying at our B&B: Arran has a lot of variety, off-road and on with some options listed here. Bring your own and store it with us or hire from Arran Bike Hire who are based in Brodick, both conventional hybrid and E-bikes are on offer. Helmets are provided but you will need to bring your own lycra!
Other adventures are on offer include taking to the water with Kayak Arran with the chance to get a different perspective on the island and its abundant wildlife. Set up for everyone from beginner to the more experienced, there are a range of tours led by highly trained local guides, with all equipment provided. Alternatively, you might like to try some gorge walking or wild swimming with Otter’s Tail.
Other half day excursions and options include a visit to the Holy Isle, just off the coast in Lamlash, which has an ancient spiritual heritage stretching back to the 6th century. The Holy Isle Ferry offers a range of boat trips and day visitor crossings to the Isle and other local locations during the summer season operating on a daily basis from the Old Pier in Lamlash.
On those rare days when the weather is less than conducive to time outdoors there are other interesting options. At the Island’s north is the home of the Isle of Arran distillery while closer to our B&B in Whiting Bay is the recently opened Lagg Distillery based in the islands south end. Both welcome visitors, conduct tours, offer tasting sessions and have comfortable cafes.
Alternatively you might spend a day indoors at the islands museum which opened in the 1970s, located in Brodick it tells the story of the island’s culture and social history with a wealth of local artifacts and exhibits; a fascinating place.
A visit to Brodick Castle also shines a light on some of Arran’s past. A couple of years ago, the Castle was renovated and now has a new interactive visitor experience; the castle sits in magnificent grounds with a wide variety of trees and shrubs collected since Victorian times as well as a fabulous walled garden.
But perhaps, having found your ideal place to stay on Arran, you might at least spend some time simply enjoying Cruickshanks: for indoor days we have a comfortable lounge/library complete with log burning stove. And for fine days, there is a well-established spacious garden, with impressive views in all directions.
Cruickshanks is a luxury 5-Star Boutique B&B based on Arran and has been awarded the AA Scottish Guest Accommodation of the Year. We are happy to provide help and advice on whatever itinerary takes your fancy; we also have storage and drying facilities available to all of our B&B guests.
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