A week of adventures on the Isle of Arran

We had a busy few days before leaving for our 2025 annual anniversary trip to the Isle of Arran. Even taking days off work before leaving didn’t help us get organised any quicker. 😂

A few weeks before, I had to change our sailing as CalMac Ferries rescheduled for the second time, and also the ferry we were sailing on.

This year we were sailing from a different port in Troon, so this was perfect as it’s only around a 15 minute drive from where we live. As always, we take our car across to the island with check-in being 30 minutes before our sailing time.

Our car was packed, my children (now young adults) were stocked up with supplies and whatever else they needed for a week. The house was tidied, garden was tidier than it was, food for our two cats stocked up and medication instructions for one of them. Oh, and food for our tropical fish sorted … gosh the list goes on. Why does it feel stressful trying to escape for a peaceful holiday? 😂

I was so busy making sure everything was sorted at home and still wasn’t sure I had everything we needed for our holiday as well. I am grateful though that my children are there to look after everything or we wouldn’t be able to go on holiday at all. Thank you, we really appreciate it, and I love you both. 💕

We decided to drive along a quieter country road to Troon Harbour, hopefully avoiding busy traffic but I began to feel slightly tense again. We ended up getting stuck behind a slow driver … a really slow driver. We have patience and are both courteous drivers, but with no opportunity to overtake the car on a bendy country road, I thought we weren’t going to make the ferry check-in time. The CalMac website says if we are late, we could lose our space.

Thankfully we pulled up into the ferry car queue about one minute after our check-in time and passed through with no issues to board the ferry.

Phew … can I relax now? 😂

The new MV Glen Sannox ferry

I was excited to sail on the new Motor Vessel (MV) Glen Sannox. Before going for food, we wandered around this lovely spacious ferry and found our way outside to Deck 7, the highest level you can reach. Passenger lifts are available if you struggle with the stairs.

A ‘Tall Ship’ was docked in Troon Harbour, and I wondered why it was there. I’d love to sail on a Tall Ship. Isn’t she beautiful!

Her name is ‘Thalassa’ and is one of the most beautiful and fastest sailing ships in the Dutch fleet as said on their website. I was aware of The Tall Ships Races 2025 taking place in Aberdeen in July, so maybe this is why she was visiting.

And we were off on the new MV Glen Sannox, steady as she goes. Even though it was a cloudy start to the day at least we could see the shape of the island and Ailsa Craig was also peeking up to the left of us.

It was different sailing from Troon rather than Ardrossan. I loved seeing the views from a different perspective and we got to enjoy the sailing for longer, one hour and 20 minutes.

It was time to eat, so we walked back to the stern, said farewell to Troon and mainland Ayrshire, then back inside to the Mariners Café on Deck 5. Hopefully the queue should be quieter now.

It was fish and chips for me, steak pie and chips for Alan, and that was lunch and dinner sorted for today.

As I was eating and looking out of the huge windows to sea, I was surprised that gulls were flying alongside the ferry. I don’t remember seeing gulls follow the ferry whenever we sailed from Ardrossan. Could they see our food through the new clearer large windows? 😂

This reminded me about the first time I visited the Isle of Arran when I was 18 years old, as an emotional teenager. Back then I remember gulls flew alongside the ferry from Ardrossan, and my brothers told me to hold out food for them as they would take it out of my hand. As a young naive teenager, I remember being excited to try this. 😂 Times have changed though and we definitely should not feed the gulls.

I vaguely remember a photo of feeding a gull on the ferry, so I climbed up into my loft space where I keep my old printed photos. I was interested if this moment was how I remembered it. I think the year was 1989.

I found it and here is the photo! It’s a bit faded, yet it still tells a story from 36 years ago.

I always carried a camera with me back in the days. I enjoyed taking photos of friends, people we met on nights out every weekend, and on holidays. There was no need to worry about photo permissions back then as the internet and social media didn’t exist. Printed photos of old friends and people I don’t know still sit in my loft! Over the years I became more of a scenery person than a people person.

We both enjoyed our meal, with no gulls trying to steal it thankfully. It was time for another wander, so we walked up to Deck 6 to see the lounge at the bow of the ferry. Rows of comfortable seats looked out the huge windows where we could relax and enjoy the panoramic view. It was busy though and is a favourite place for everyone to sit and watch the island get closer and closer, on a clear day of course. Some days you wouldn’t know there was an island there.

I was keen to stand at the front and take photos from the window but was thinking I might annoy the people sitting in the side aisles and front row. I quickly and quietly walked down the aisle to the front excusing myself and snapped a couple of photos.

I placed my phone against the window but felt a little awkward standing there too long with everyone sitting behind me and blocking their view, so a couple of snaps and that was me finished.

If only I was like this with all the photos I take, no fuss and just press my phone button without taking ‘just in case’ photos. 😂

Maybe I need to go back to 1989 when we only had the luxury of either 24 or 36 photos per camera spool. Thinking back, it was exciting waiting to see how they turned out and were often very funny. One of my friends must have taken the gull photo with my camera in 1989, great shot of its time actually!

Even though the lounge is a drier and warmer place to enjoy approaching the island, I must admit I was beginning to miss the old MV Caledonian Isles ferry. I loved standing outside at the bow bracing the fresh elements, and the experience of watching the full island change shape as we sailed closer.

The wind could blow me off my feet though, and I’ve many a photo of my hair blowing in the wind, over my face, flying high in the air. That was the fun of it though!

We found our way back outside again where we now see partial views approaching the island from either side of the ferry.

Since I was missing this, an obligatory flying hair photo was a must!

And of course, a photo of just the two of us, since I’m feeling braver (almost) about sharing photos of myself.

There was an announcement to make our way back to our vehicles, so the deck quickly emptied and was a good opportunity to take photos.

Before we returned to the car deck though, we watched MV Glen Sannox dock at Brodick ferry terminal. It’s impressive watching the crew manoeuvre this huge vessel to dock safely!

And there she is, MV Glen Sannox docked at Brodick.

Garden Cottage, Sannox

And we were back at the lovely Garden Cottage. I loved staying in this little cottage last year and was excited to be back.

There was a bit of a garden tidy up this year with a clearer area at the Sannox Burn which has opened the space beside the banks of the burn. Even more perfect for a picnic I thought!

On the first day when I wandered across to the Sannox Burn, I picked up ticks which I couldn’t understand as the longer grass and foxgloves were mostly gone from last year. My plan to sit on a picnic rug reading a book and listening to the water didn’t happen. I felt a little sad.

I don’t know why ticks seem to be everywhere, and not just on the Isle of Arran, all over Scotland. The past two years of visiting the island we have been picking up ticks on our clothes and they are making me slightly paranoid about walking in wilder places, which I love to do.

Our winters have been milder over the years, so many of the ticks don’t die off like they normally would. As I mentioned in an earlier story, we now use a lint roller across our clothes to stick any potential ticks hanging on before they find their way to skin.

I was more wary of ticks this year than the actual pesky midges. Sitting in the garden area was tick free thankfully.

Tap or click to view larger photos of the cottage and pretty walled garden.

Talking about midges, we came with plan this year to hide from potential midges in the garden and brought a midge net for the parasol. 😃 This would be great as we could still sit outside and enjoy the fresh air without being swarmed and bitten.

The next morning, we walked down to the Corrie Tearoom (also known as Fran’s Tearoom) for our delicious breakfast rolls to eat in the garden, under the midge net. We were all set up inside for our ‘midge free’ breakfast, then in less than a minute the wee blighters managed to squeeze through the holes in the net! We realised later the net was for larger flying insects. 😂

Oh well, at least we tried and next time we’ll find one with smaller net holes. We did have midge free days in the garden as well though, mostly when there was a breeze.

Alan took the net down the next day, not just because we couldn’t use it. We watched the resident red squirrel from the cottage window attacking this strange new object, and it looked really annoyed that it was in its garden. Maybe we placed the net where the squirrel had buried food, the wee soul. Sorry little red squirrel, we hope the sunflower hearts made up for it.

We planned to explore two new walks this year. One was to walk up North Glen Sannox to access a more strenuous hike up to Caisteal Abhail, pronounced ‘Kashteel Avall’, also known as The Castles. Another was a gentler walk along Glen Iorsa to Loch Iorsa.

The weather forecast was pretty much a mix of sunshine and rain, but more rain than sunshine. I’ll write separate blog stories about these two beautiful walks.

Imachar Beach

We were driving along the road to the north of Arran one day when we saw Tall Ship Thalassa again, this time out at sea sailing alongside us!

“Let’s drive to Imachar Beach and we might be lucky to see her pass us on the beach” I said to Alan. I love this beach with its unique rock formations and was happy being back even on a dull day.

We wandered around for a short while until at last Tall Ship Thalassa appeared. Alan recorded footage with his camera. YouTube seems to compress the videos I upload, so I hope this clip doesn’t look too blurry and might be better viewing on a mobile phone.

We even saw seals this year further along the coastline, resting on huge boulders as the tide came in.

They blend in so well sometimes they look like part of the rocks!

Arran Art Gallery, Whiting Bay

This year we also visited the Arran Art Gallery in Whiting Bay for the first time. I found two pieces of art on their website that I loved and was keen to buy these as my Arran treat. I love taking a piece of Arran home with me every year.

Wandering around the gallery admiring the artwork is calming and inspiring. Especially when I think about the heart and soul that goes into a piece of art, and the artist’s inspiration behind it.

I found two limited edition prints of Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, both reminding me of our exciting hike last year up Glen Sannox to The Saddle, then the long slow walk down Glen Rosa to Brodick.

These are the two beautiful prints I took home with me:

• Arran Art Gallery: Glen Sannox by Ed Hunter
• Arran Art Gallery: Sundown Glen Rosa by Ed Hunter

I still need to frame the prints which will cost more, but it will be worth it to see these up on my wall, hopefully this year.

The Shore, Whiting Bay

After the gallery we popped into The Shore in Whiting Bay for lunch, a lovely café and restaurant with a view of Holy Isle and the open sea at the back.

We munched into ‘The Shore Melt – Arran Butcher haggis, home-made caramelised red onion marmalade and cheddar’, and curried cauliflower soup. Delicious local food as always!

The first time we visited The Shore was in 2017 when we walked the Arran Coastal Way. I remember walking in looking bedraggled and dripping all over the floor after being soaked to the skin. We were hungry, tired and relieved to find a place to rest and restore our energy levels while we waited for a bus to our campsite.

Arran Heritage Museum, Brodick

On our anniversary day, rain fell constantly from the clouds above. We knew it would, so already planned to visit the Arran Heritage Museum. In all the nineteen years of visiting the island together we had never visited the museum.

The lady in the gift shop, where we also paid our entry fee, was friendly and kind making this a great start to our rainy anniversary day. We could also return any time during our holiday and not pay entry fee again, which I thought is a lovely way to encourage visitors to return. I don’t always take everything in the first time, so return visits are always worthwhile.

It was time to explore the wonders of Arran’s past.

Tap or click to see larger photos in the image galleries.

This unique wooden seat structure is in memory of Duncan Thomson for his services to the Arran Society of Glasgow, the island and its people.

The three tall wooden shaped pillars reminded me of standing stones. Each shape cut into the wood has meaning with information plaques:

• Sun – denotes ancestors worship of the sun
• Hand – denotes guidance, security and strength
• Cross of Christ – giving man freedom, hope, courage and inspiration

Bathing Box beside the Rosa Burn

Bathing Boxes were placed on the beach at Brodick in the summer from the 1890s until the 1970s. These would be rented out to visitors, so they had their own private space for changing into their beachwear and keep their personal belongings.

I love all the beautifully illustrated funny old postcards displayed in the Bathing Box. I laughed at the ‘A Pebble from the beach’ postcard.

Mr and Mrs Duck from Rosa Burn were also visiting and wandering around quacking in ‘duck’ conversation.

A 1940s school room

The 1940s school room is before my school days, but I vividly remember my only time of getting ‘the belt’ at primary school in the late 1970s. The leather strap on the old school desk reminded me of this.

I wasn’t a naughty child, and a group of us were taken to the headmaster’s office for ‘the belt’ because we were inside the school building before the school bell sounded. I suppose this was classed as ‘not following the rules’, but it was slightly raining if I remember right, and we were supposed to be allowed inside when it was raining.

Some of my class friends were also running around the cloakroom area laughing and chasing each other, carrying an echoing noise up the wide stone staircase to the higher level where the office staff and teachers were. I can still visualise this scene in my mind, and I couldn’t understand why we should be punished.

The old piano and dolls house are beautiful pieces and a treat to see.

When I was young, I remember asking if I could learn to play the piano. I was excited when my mum said nana (mum’s mum) was going to pay for lessons as my mum couldn’t afford it, but sadly it didn’t happen. It’s never too late, so maybe another hobby for the future and whenever I can retire.

Old Post Office

The old Post Office has interesting history on how the people of Arran contacted each other over the years.

The large parcel basket has a sign saying:

This basket has happy memories for many Arran couples. It was used to transport postal workers to the pier when leaving on their honeymoon.

One such couple (shown here) were Wilma and Jim Pirie of Whiting Bay.

Arran Heritage Museum

It’s certainly changed times on how we communicate with each other. We’ve all moved with the times and mostly adapted to now texting, writing emails and using social media. I don’t phone and talk to friends and family often now, but do try to visit, meet up and talk face-to-face whenever I can.

These are few more gallery photos of our visit, there’s so much more to see though!

Arran’s geology

I’ve saved my favourite room until last, the geology room, with each rock telling a story of the island over millions of years!

It’s mind-blowing to think how old our planet is and how time has shaped it to what we see and experience in our lifetime.

In April 2025, the Isle of Arran was designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark, recognising the importance the island’s unique geology, biodiversity, and protecting the island. UNESCO means United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

It was fun stepping back in time to the Isle of Arran’s past. The museum is a historical treasure trove with social history, genealogy, archaeology, geology, cafe, gift shop and more.

Arranology: The Big Story video

It took me a few days to properly relax this year, I felt a little unsettled. This is unusual for me, and I don’t know exactly why. It passed though thankfully, I was probably just tired.

My next blog story will be our walk up North Glen Sannox with nature’s waterfalls, gorgeous gorges, then hiking further into the glorious Arran mountains. We struggled more than usual with the hike this year though.

Thanks for reading.

Love, Dawn-Marie xxx

Links to more information about this blog story

• My Garden Cottage 2024 story
• My Isle of Arran blog stories
• CalMac: MV Glen Sannox
• Tall Ship Thalassa
• Arran Art Gallery
• The Shore
• Arran Heritage Museum
• Arran Geopark | UNESCO Global Geopark