Arran Coastal Way
Scotland - Isle of Arran
The trail:
- Location: Scotland - Isle of Arran
- Categories: Spring / Summer / Autumn / Human continental / Highland / Mountain / Lowland / Plain / Coastal / Forest / Wood / Sea / Lake / River / Waterfall
- Duration: 5-8 Days
- Distance: 65 Miles
Walking the trail:
- Summary: A 65 mile circular route around Scotland's beautiful Isle of Arran. A superb mix of wild coastline, amazing wildlife and the ability to grab a drink in a classic pub make this a perfect balanced Scottish adventure. Together with great transport links makes this long distance trail super easy to plan whether you choose to tackle in one hit or separate adventures!
The Arran coastal Way is a challenging and rugged long-distance trail that runs around pretty much all of the perimeter of the entire island but also ventures inland on some sections, so you get a more varied walk than just non-stop coastal.
At 65 miles it’s a long route and one that can be done as a full adventure in 4-8 days or in separate sections at your leisure.
With an excellent bus service that serves most corners of the island, it is also one of the easiest walks to plan logistically! There is always a way to get back to Brodick (main port town) after a day walking anywhere on the island, as long as it’s not too late!!
I had my camping van during my trip and did see a few people come unstuck in the middle of nowhere when the bus service has ended for the evening!
Arran is famous for being “Scotland in miniature” And this is so true. It has a perfect mix of coastline, forests and challenging mountain passes and scrambles. You can even head up Goatfell (Arrans highest peak at 874m) as an additional part of the overall walk.
The coastal path has some very demanding and rugged terrain at times which will be quite demanding, and some sections that can only be passed during low tide. However, there are always alternative routes to take if needed.
Wildlife lovers will really enjoy this walk with good opportunities to see Seals, deer, otters (I saw 4 otters in total!) red squirrels, dolphins, and whales! Due to the large distance, it is likely you will see something when you least expect it. My otter encounters were just from walking along the coast and spotting them swimming or darting between rocks at low tide. That is worth the days of investment doing the trail!
I could not recommend this trail enough. Its glorious, wild, relaxing, and just a beautiful part of Scotland. Its honestly one of my favourite places so far and the first time I’ve actually looked at house prices somewhere I’ve visited!!
Full details of the hike can be found on the official web site, link below:
To get to Arran the most common way is the ferry from Ardrossan (mainland) to Brodick (Arran) It’s an hour trip on the ferry and you can go either on foot or vehicle. There are lots of places to stay in Brodick and a few camp sites around the island.
Just beware if the seas are too rough the ferry will be cancelled! There is a smaller (non-bookable) ferry that runs between Lochranza (Arran) and Claonaig (mainland) as well.
Link to Calmac Ferry below:
https://www.calmac.co.uk/article/7713/Arran-Ardrossan---Brodick
Now what are you waiting for…go now!
Any questions feel free to message.
GPX route available on request.