Family Day Out Review: Isle of Arran, Scotland

During the recent school holidays we decided to visit a local caravan park in Ayrshire with some friends. We had the best week there as the sun was shining and we also managed to visit some lovely places such as Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Kelburn Castle and Culzean Castle.

We also took the opportunity to head to Isle of Arran to spend a day there as it was only a ferry away and boasts of stunning landscapes and blue waters.

Keep on reading to find out how our day went and get some tips on where to go or if you are planning to camp there using the TentBox Lite XL as well as what to do if you do visit the Isle of Arran.

Our first stop of the day was Brodick Castle which is surrounded by mountains, set amid sprawling gardens and a castle packed with treasures. The castle is currently undergoing a major renovation project to help protect it withstand the effects of time, rain and climate change. The restoration work will include roofing repairs, overhauling windows, repair of stonework and guttering/drainage. Visitors are still allowed inside the castle and tours are ongoing as normal.

Brodick Castle is said to have been in the care of the National Trust for Scotland since 1958.  If you are a National Trust Member (in England) then you would be able to use your membership card when visiting the castle and other National Trust for Scotland properties (and vice versa) due to a special arrangement.

We headed into the castle for self-guided tour while our children decided to do the Brodick Castle Safari Trail where they needed to spot various animals throughout the castle.

Please do note that due to its history, you will find various animal  themed sporting trophies adorning its walls.  If this causes you distress, maybe it is best to just visit the garden.  The castle itself contains a fabulous collection of artefacts, silverware, porcelain, paintings and period furniture amongst others.

There are a few trails available which will lead to the formal gardens, woodlands, ponds or waterfalls. Some have said to have spotted the red squirrels whilst on a walk along these trails.

Dogs are welcomed to the garden and country park but they must be kept on a lead.  There is also the Isle Be Wild adventure play area which is great is you are travelling with younger children. There is a lovely gift shop and café area with outdoor seating spaces which is perfect on a nice sunny day.

After the tour and visit to the garden, we had our lunch and soon headed to our next destination.

Lochranza Castle

Our next stop is Lochranza Castle!

Located on the Northern coast of Arran, the castle is an old fortress, standing on stunningly beautiful spot at Lochranza. The original building was a hall house, with storage on the ground floors and chambers above.

The great hall on the first floor could accommodate crowds of  tenants bringing their  rents in kind. It was also used for dispensing justice.  It is said that the castle was built in the 1200s.

During the summer the inside of the castle is open for tours to visitors. It was late spring, so we did not get the chance to see the inside but we did manage to enjoy a lovely walk around the area, admiring its stunning location and view.

Machrie Moor Standing Stones

Our next stop was to pop by Machrie Moor Standing Stones, located 3m north of Blackwaterfoot on the West side of Arran, this is a Neolithic centre of ritual and domestic activity, scattered across a lonely moorland. There is a free carpark for visitors and you need to pass through a wooden gate which will lead you on a scenic pathway with stunning views to the standing stones.

We walked for around a 15 minutes and soon arrived at the rich archaeological landscape which includes stone circles, standing stones, burial cairns and cists, as well as hut circles and an extensive field system, all dating to between 3500 and 1500 BC. The place is considered sacred as they have discovered that the place is associated with religious activities dating back around 4,500 years.

What to buy when in the Isle of Arran

There are lots of lovely shops to stop off to get souvenirs while you are in the Isle of Arran as you can find a lot of lovely local products on sale. Some of the items which makes a lovely gift from Isle of Arran would be Arran Botanical Drinks (which sells a selection of lovely gin), The Arran Tablet Company is available in most shops as well as Arran Ice-Cream.

Arran Cheese Shop and Arran Aromatics make great gifts as they come beautifully packaged as well.  Another must stop place, especially if you have children would have to be The Arran Chocolate Factory which sells a delicious spread of chocolate and fudge selection.

What did we think of Isle of Arran?

We had such a beautiful day visiting Isle of Arran. Getting to and from the Isle was very easy, just make sure you have pre-booked your tickets online via Caledonian MacBrayne.

We embarked the ferry from Ardrossan, North Ayrshire and disembarked at Brodick, Isle of Arran. Our tickets were booked for 8 adults and 2 cars, and the ticket price came up £59.40 per way. We needed to be at the port half an hour earlier and the ferry journey took us around 50 minutes in total. We managed to visit all these places in just one day. It is best to plan well so that you are aware of the closing times of the places and how far the location is to the ferry port, so as to not miss your ferry (if you are taking the last ferry from the island).

I would totally recommend stopping by the Mariners Cafe located on the ferry for some delicious warm breakfast, lunch or dinner. We had hot drinks with warm bacon and sausage baps in the morning for breakfast and a lovely meal of Fish and Chips for dinner on our return trip.  Food was freshly made and tasted delicious and staff who worked onboard were very polite (despite them having such a long and busy day).

Isle of Arran was all we expected it to be, such a peaceful place where you can drive for hours with no other car in sight with stunning views of mountains and sea.

We loved every bit of it and can’t wait to return again. We would totally recommend visiting the Isle and maybe even stay a night or two there so you have more time to explore the rest of the island and all it has to offer.

You may also want to read this:

Family Day Out Review: Culzean Castle, Ayrshire

Family Day Out Review: Kelburn Castle, Ayrshire

Family Day Out Review: Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Ayr