The Isle of Arran, is known as a ‘miniature Scotland’, as it has highland and lowland areas. Only 4,600 or so people inhabit the island, almost all of whom live clustered in villages and hamlets on the coastline. A winding two-lane road rings the isle. Along with a few streets within the villages on the island, only a couple of other roads bisect any part of the island and generally only in the southern half. Thus, the vast majority of the interior of the island is pristine and unpeopled. But deered…

Our first port of call was Brodick castle and what an interesting past for a building – a  

fortress has been on the site since at least the 5thC, when Gaelic invaders from Antrim (northern Ireland) expanded their kingdom. By the 10thC Norse influence had grown, and Arran was under the control of the King of Norway.

In 1262 the Earl of Ross sacked and pillaged Skye with the King of Scotland’s blessing. King Hákon determined to avenge this slight and set out in July 1263, with a large fighting fleet for Scotland. The Scots were victorious, and Hákon’s forces retreated to Arran, and thence to Orkney to over-winter, where Hákon died. The ensuing Treaty in 1266 ceded Arran to the Kingdom of Scotland.   In 1406, the castle was badly damaged by an English force that had sailed into Brodick Bay.  Lord Arran was the English King’s (Henry V111) representative in Scotland and during his tenure at Brodick, he continued to enlarge and expand the castle.

In the following years Brodick was used mainly as an occasional sporting estate. Note deer heads on walls!!  In 1844, massive building work was undertaken at the castle, almost tripling the size of the building, under the architect James Graham. The Twelfth Duke of Hamilton, William had no male heirs, so he ‘entailed’ the castle upon his only daughter. She married James Graham and so after more than five hundred years Brodick castle passed out of the Hamilton family.

The Castle and gardens were acquired by the National Trust for Scotland from the Lady Jean Fforde in 1958, in lieu of death duties upon the death of her mother, the Dowager Duchess of Montrose. The castle is open to the public during the summer, with the country park open all year round.

The 1998 film The Governess,  starring Minnie Driver, was filmed at Brodick Castle.  Loved the dining and drawing rooms (photos courtesy of National Trust).

We took advantage of some sunshine breaking through the clouds to take pics of the Goatfell Summit –  the highest point on the Isle of Arran at 874 metres. There are many possible routes of ascent, the most commonly used route, is 5km in length and leads up through the forested grounds of the castle, passing many rhoddie bushes. At just under 300 m above sea level, the path leaves the forestry, and the route continues through bare moorland, reaching the summit by way of the east ridge of the mountain. There is a viewpoint table at the summit: on a clear day Ireland can be seen. 

Then to Corrie village and the shop that sells sculptures by local artist Marvin Elliott. Outside his shop, I’m taking a pic in poxy weather of one of Marvin’s wee creations with Mark’s assistance, and his wife Wendy taking a pic of me taking a pic. What fun!

Having just a few more hours before we needed to catch the ferry back, with some determination we drove through the very atmospheric undulating hillsides of Fionn Bhealach and Rosa Pinnicle to get to the Isle of Arran Distillery, Wendy and I were intent on doing a tasting. We were giggling gerties after 8 wee drams of different whiskies and settled on buying a bottle of “The Bothy”. Absolutely delicious.

Then onto to visit the stunning location of Lochranza, and the ruins of its 13thC Castle; poxy weather had turned and we were lucky to get blue skies.