Kick Scootering on the Isle of Arran

Recently I went to the Isle of Arran with a few friends for the day for some fun. Arran is off the West Coast of Scotland and only an hour's train journey from Glasgow Central Station to Ardrossan and a 55 minute ferry crossing to Brodick, which is the main town on Arran. 

We picked a lovely day with sunny weather and warm temperatures of 23C. The trains to Ardrossan are modern ones with power sockets and WiFi so it is possible to surf the net and keep phones charged at the same time.

The train was not too busy so we were all able to sit together and keep out kick scooters in the luggage area. It is always advisable to buy a combined rail and ferry ticket as it saves money and prevents a long wait at the ferry office in Ardrossan to purchase a ticket for the ferry.

Waiting to go on the ferry at Ardrossan

The ferry we were on was called 'Caledonian Isles' which was launched on 25th May 1993 by The Princess Royal.

Watching cyclists waiting to board the ferry from the deck 

There were a large number of cyclists waiting to board the ferry by the vehicle entrance and were able to watch them from the deck of the ferry.

View of the hills on Arran from the ferry.
 



Arran is good for walking and has good hills and valleys. 'Goatfell' is the largest mountain on Arran at a height of 874 meters.

Goatfell

Brodick Bay

Arriving at Brodick, the sun had disappeared and it looked like it might rain. However, the sun came back out about an hour later and the remainder of the day was lovely and sunny. Many boats were moored on Brodick Bay.

Brodick Beach

Brodick has a nice sandy beach. In the picture above the ferry can just be seen in the top left corner.

We scootered northwards, past the Castle towards Sannox. An open-topped bus passed us near Brodick Castle and we thought of taking this the next time we go to Arran, so long as it is a nice day and not lashing with rain!

Mountains on Arran

View from the beach near Sannox

It's quite hard work travelling along on a scooter but it gives a good work-out and allows for stopping at places along the way to admire the scenery.

Scooter on the shore near Sannox

A few cyclists passed us as well as a few walkers. The roads on Arran are quiet and nothing like those in the city. There are very few traffic lights on Arran.

Looking southwards at Goatfell

Wild flowers near Sannox

Brodick Golf Course

On the way back we carried the scooters through Brodick Golf Course. This is a private course which visitors to the island can use for a fee. It looked a nice course with hardly any rough so would mean that not a lot of time would be spent looking for lost balls.

Before getting the ferry back to Ardrossan, we stopped at the local Co-op and bought some food which we ate on the beach.

The ferry crossing was smooth and the rest of the journey home was quite uneventful and  peaceful.

Further information

Scotrail - train services in Scotland.

Caledonian MacBrayne - ferry company

Arran Tourist Site - tourist information