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Isle of Arran Itinerary

 Isle of Arran 

A dog-friendly, 3-night trip to the wonderful Isle of Arran, staying at the awesome Lochranza Youth Hostel. 

I'll do a day-by-day summary below, but scroll to the bottom if you'd like a short, summarised list 😊

Day 1:

Edinburgh - Lochranza. 

We set off from Edinburgh and drove to the ferry port in Troon to catch the 1:30pm ferry. It's worth planning to arrive a bit early to make use of the big Morrisons right by the port to pick up any food you'll need. There are some shops on the island - the largest being the COOP in Brodick - nothing big supermarket size!

Once we arrived in Brodick we took a right and set off to Lochranza. The island has 1 main road that goes around the outer island perimeter, and another that cuts right through the middle, so it's easy to get around. Around 4:30pm we arrived at the Lochranza Youth Hostel, so I said hello to the hostel dog, checked us in, and got unpacked. We had a private room (all people staying with dogs need to book one), and an ensuite - luxury! The sun was still shining, so we set off for a wander around the Hostel. Very close by is Lochranza Castle where the boys had a zoom and a swim, before we continued on to the top of the headland (Colliemore) and saw the one of the ferries arriving. 

After our walk I made myself dinner (while the boys snoozed in the room) in the Hostel kitchen, and we had an early night ahead of an early start! 


Day 2: 

Lochranza - Goatfell - Whiting Bay - Eas Mor - Kildonan - Glen Rosa. 

This was a jam-packed day, and I was speeding through things to try and visit as much as possible. I would probably put less in your day agenda if you want to take your time and enjoy it more!

Up bright and early, we got to the start of the Goatfell (via North Goatfell) route in Corrie about 7:30am. This route involves crossing a ridge and has mild scrambling, so I set off with high hopes of the cloud burning off, or getting an cloud inversion at the top... sadly not!! Nae views the entire hike, but the route was still very fun. 

I was then in need of coffee and a pick-me-up post cloudy summit, so I drove to Whiting Bay to visit Bay Wool and Crafts where I treated myself to some Arran sheep knitting yarn! The shop is full of work from local artisans and is worth a stop. Dogs aren't allowed inside, but there is dog parking right outside the door (or you can leave them in the car like I did). A short walk further down the street is The Shore - a dog-friendly cafe/restaurant that has lots of lovely options. 

The sun started to appear so back into the car and further south we went to get to Eas Mor. The walk starts next to The Forest of The Falls Cafe which has lovely garden seating and great food. Very dog friendly with dog bowls set out everywhere, its a great spot for lunch after the walk. The Eas Mor walk takes you through a beautiful forest, past a waterfall and even to the Hidden Library - walking through here was one of my trip highlights! The WalkHighlands route i've linked takes you out to Loch Garbad - the loch iself is nice, but the walk there is through a felled forest which feels a little sad! With hindsight, I wouldn't have done the walk out, and instead would have spent more time in the Eas Mor forest, or exploring the forest south of the road. 

From here, you're just a 5 minute drive down to the parking in Kildonan for Silver Sands beach which is access via a steps path down from the cliff. The beach was really quiet when we went and you get uninterrupted views of the wee island Pladda, and out over the Firth of Clyde. 

On our way back to Lochranza we headed to the highly recommended Glen Rosa (near Brodick). This is an absolutely stunning walk along a track through the Glen where you're flanked by the Islands mountains. The river opens up to give you plenty of pools to swim in, and theres a particularly 'grammable' ones just past the waterfall called the blue pools. 

Back to the Hostel for dinner, then off to bed! 


Day 3:

North Glen Sannox - Corrie - Sannox - Lochranza

Determined to get some mountain views on Arran, we set off early to nearby North Glen Sannox to hike another of the island's corbetts - Caisteal Abhail. The hike was brilliant, suitable for most hikers and has phenomenal views! If hills aren't your thing, a walk through North Glen Sannox is still a must-do if you're visiting, and/or the separate Glen Sannox ⛰️

It was nearing lunchtime when we returned to the car, so I drove a little further down the road to Mara's Fish Bar in Corrie to get some food. Their entire menu looked great, and I settled on the fish tacos (highly recommend!). Its super dog friendly, and the owner's dog Mac has free roam. Post lunch we walked along to The Wee Bookshop that's next to the Corrie & Sannox Village Hall. The bookshop is dog friendly and has its own resident doggy librarian, Lottie. 

With the sun still shining, I drove us back up the road to Sannox, where we parked near to the bay beach and went for a stroll along the start of the Sannox-Lochranza section of the Arran Coastal Way. If you fancied it, it can be followed all the way to Lochranza, but we opted to sit on Sannox Bay Beach for a while and chill! 

Late afternoon we headed back to the Hostel for a shower and then set off down the road to the Lochranza Country Inn for dinner. It's entirely community run and has a lovely warm feel. I sat in the garden and had fish and chips with a lovely view out to the sea. It's dog friendly and most people there had a pup or two with them. If you're visiting, book ahead! Full and starting to get sleepy, it was then back to the hostel under an incredible sunset to pack and head to bed. 


Day 4:

Lochranza - Brodick - Home

After checking out of the hostel we set off to Brodick Castle, Gardens and Country Park for a little walk. Dogs need to be on a lead (and cant go into the Castle itself), but it was still lovely to walk around! Next was the obligatory trip to the Arran Cheese Shop and while I can't have dairy, i've been told on good authority that the original and chilli Arran Cheddars I bought were great, and the Arran Brie was brilliant. Dog's aren't allowed inside the shop so the boys snoozed in the car.

With our ferry departure time getting closer, we headed closer into Brodick. We walked along the shore to pop into Arran Active for a nosey at the outdoor gear, and then next door to Little Rock for a coffee (both dog friendly). After that, it was time to say goodbye, so we set off to the ferry port and made it back home by 5pm! 


Photos in order of appearance: Lochranza Youth Hostel, Eas Mor Forest, Glen Rosa, Caisteal Abhail, Lochranza Castle sunset, Brodick Castle.


Summary (including things we didn't get time to do):

Walks/sightseeing:

Food:

Shops:

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