Tales from the Isle of Arran

I may be a born and bred city girl but there has always been a huge part of me that loves the outdoors.  Being out in the middle of nowhere, exploring around some ruins of an old castle from centuries ago, having a picnic on a hilltop with nothing but the wildlife around me.  When I'm at my happiest, it's there, out on an adventure, in nature.

A while back, this urge to get outdoors brought me to a ferry over to the beautiful Isle of Arran for the first time.  The moment I headed outside to watch the ferry nearing the Isle, I knew I was in for a treat. It just looked stunning. 

 I only had a day on Arran so decided to walk the 45 min route towards Brodick Castle and spend the day there.  The route itself was sublime, walking along the shore with a beautiful sky, dodging golf balls while crossing over the golf course, and being completely awestruck with the domineering Goat Fell as the backdrop.

As much as I do love a castle, when I arrived at Brodick, it was the castle grounds and nature paths that completely took me by surprise.  The castle gardens were stunning. Beautiful flowers to touch and smell as you wander around.

The main attraction for me that day however, was the gorge trail I stumbled across. Not being part of my original plan for the day, I ended up spending just under 2 hours walking along the route, marvelling at the absolutely stunning scenery and silence.  There was not another soul on the route, something I hadn't experience before.  I remember clearly the moment I turned round a corner, looked up and straight into my line of sight was the most beautiful image I've ever seen...just acres after acres of the brightest green grass, flowers and hill tops...it looked like there was nothing else in the world at the moment in time. It literally did stop time for me.  On the way back I even came across a little hidden waterfall (I do love a waterfall!), hidden away in a dark corner of the walk.

Before I knew it, it was time to head back the long walk to the ferry. Exhausted by this point, I had to laugh when, running to catch the last ferry of the day (yes I know, I did cut it rather fine with the timings), the mood on the island turned rather gloomy and I was treated to the dark side of the island. I even had to run through a new river which had just appeared on the pathway!

So for those who wake up one morning with the urge for an adventure, trust me, get yourself on that boat to Arran.  You won't regret it for a single second.

Leanne x