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Arran Coastal Way - 8 Days & 7 Nights

8 Days & 7 Nights 4.4 Read 38 reviews
  • Immerse yourself in island life on Arran - 'Scotland in miniature'
  • Spot basking seals and perhaps glimpse a majestic golden eagle
  • Enjoy panoramic views on the high route option from the summit of Goat Fell, Arran's highest mountain
  • Discover the historic cave paintings in King's Cave
  • Stop off at Lochranza Distillery - why not take a tour and have a wee dram?
The Arran Coastal Way encircles one of Scotland’s most famous islands often described as Scotland in miniature. A wonderfully varied walk where you can walk along beautiful beaches, choose to come inland briefly to climb Goat Fell for spectacular views to the mainland and visit the King's Cave. A scenic 1 hour ferry crossing from Ardrossan on the mainland brings you to Brodick, the hub of the island, and where you will overnight before beginning the Way. Leave the hustle and bustle of Brodick behind and journey north, perhaps electing to take the high route over Goat Fell (874 m) if the weather is good, pass through the charming village of Sannox, and onto Lochranza where the castle ruins and Arran's only distillery await. The views looking north up Loch Fyne towards the highlands are fantastic. From Lochranza, the northern tip of the island, the Way curves south hugging the west coast of the island to reach Blackwaterfoot and Lagg - a wonderful stretch of the Way with views across to the lush Kintyre peninsula. The southern tip of Arran is gently rolling and walking close to the shoreline is rewarding, but can be challenging if you choose to take the low route options which cross the tidal boulder fields between Lagg and Whiting Bay. Finally, swing north via Whiting Bay and return to Brodick for your last night. An unforgettable experience on one of Scotland’s best islands.
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What To Expect

Arran is a beautiful island that has an abundance of wildlife, amazing views and the feeling that you are miles away from everywhere. With its friendly locals and great food, this coastal walk is definitely one not to miss. The lack of a waymarked path makes good navigational skills essential.

Trip Type:

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Activity:

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

This trip is suitable for:

Solo Travellers

As a guide, we would suggest that the minimum age of traveller this holiday would be suitable for is: 15 Years

Ideal if you have an interest in:

  • Islands
  • Coastal Walking

Grade & Terrain

This walk is graded between moderate and moderate to strenuous, depending on the itinerary you choose. You will be following the coast along forest footpaths, hillside tracks, tarmac roads with grass verges, and beaches with boulders, sand and shingle. Some of the ascents and descents are steep and can be exposed so require a good head for heights and sure-footedness in places. Depending on how long you choose to spend walking the Arran Coastal Way, daily walks can be up to 31 km / 19 miles. Due to the difficult terrain (mountains and high ground descending to a rocky shoreline and the sea), it is necessary for some of the route to follow roads, particularly on the west coast from Lochranza down to Tormore. However, these roads are usually quiet and the views out over the coastline are spectacular. The stretch of road between Brodick and Lochranza is slightly busier with tourist traffic so please observe the instructions in your route notes. We also advise that you should have a good level of fitness to get the most from this wonderful trip. 

Navigation

The Arran Coastal Way is well way-marked and easy to follow with the help of the supplied route notes and GPX tracks on the Macs Adventure smartphone app.

Accommodation Information

We take great pride in carefully selecting the accommodations we use on the Arran Coastal Way to ensure you enjoy every minute of your stay. We work with B&B's, Guest Houses, country hotels and charming inns which are normally of 3 or 4 star standard with en-suite bathrooms. All accommodations offer a warm welcome to walkers, traditional hospitality and delicious local food. We do recommend that you book this trip early as the area is always popular and the hotels and inns do fill up early, especially in high season.  

Please note: Due to some accommodation restrictions in certain areas of Arran it may not be possible to start the Arran Coastal Path on certain days of the week.

Solo Walkers & Single Rooms

This trip is available to solo walkers, although a single supplement is payable.

If you require single rooms within your party we would be happy to accommodate your request, although it is not generally possible to secure more than three single rooms in a party and a single supplement is payable.

Meals

A hearty breakfast is included each morning. Most accommodations offer a continental and full cooked breakfast, which should keep you going for hours.

Lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Your accommodation will be more than happy to provide a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival. Alternatively, your guidebook also includes details of local shops and convenient lunch stops on the way. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or in nearby pubs and restaurants.

**Please note that there are limited places to eat dinner at the locations you will be staying in on the Isle of Arran. We therefore recommend that you make dinner reservations as soon as your booking is confirmed. In your hotel information will be a list of appropriate places to book. 

Additional Nights

Many of our clients choose to add extra nights along the walk and these can be added at the time of booking for a supplement.

Included
  • 7 Nights in hand-picked B&B's, guest houses & country inns
  • 7 Breakfasts
  • Baggage transfer
  • Information pack and access to maps, route notes & GPX tracks on the Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app
  • Emergency 24/7 telephone support from our office in the event of a problem
Excluded
  • Travel to / from Brodick
  • Lunches, dinners, snacks & drinks
  • Travel insurance (required)
  • Personal equipment
Extras
  • Additional nights along the route

When To Go

This trip is available to book from April to October. The summer months are busier. Be prepared for rain at anytime but also it can be warm from May to September. 

Getting to the Start

Getting to/from Brodick on the Isle of Arran

Arran is easily accessible from Glasgow, which is one of the reasons it is so popular. From Glasgow catch the train and then ferry to reach Arran within a few hours.  

By Air:

Glasgow is served by two international airports. Prestwick airport is the most convenient for Arran and is only a 30 minute taxi journey to the ferry terminal at Ardrossan (or you can take a train, changing at Kilwinning; total journey approx. 45 mins). Glasgow airport is 8 miles west of the city centre and train timetables are designed to connect to the ferry which departs from Adrossan to Broderick (train is 45 mins, ferry approx. 55 mins) or you can take a taxi which is approximately one hour from Glasgow to Ardrossan.

By Road:

Ardrossan is one hour south-east of Glasgow and there is a large secure car park at the harbour, where you can leave your car during your time on Arran (fee payable).

By Rail:

There are regular services from Glasgow Central Station to Ardrossan which connect with the ferry to Arran.

Should you be arriving into Prestwick airport you can take the train from the airport and change at Kilwinning to get to Ardrossan. 

Further information will be detailed in your information pack, or you can visit www.travelinescotland.com for journey planning. 

Ferry:

The Ferry which runs between Ardrossan and Brodick is operated by Caledonian MacBrayne and you will find a ferry timetable on the Calmac website.

Baggage Transfer

Daily door to door baggage transfer of one 15kg bag per person is included in the price of your trip.  

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.

General Information

Please note that because of a lack of accommodation on the island in certain places you may have to spend the night in either Lochranza or Sannox. Also when walking to Lagg, you will spend the night in Blackwaterfoot. All transfers will be provided and are included in the cost. 

The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes. Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat and sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots/shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer and a day pack.  

Equipment

You will need good walking shoes/boots (ideally waterproof), comfortable walking clothes, waterproof jacket and trousers, a daypack and hats/gloves etc. 

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity, emergency evacuation and hospital care. 

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Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Brodick and Overnight Day 2 Walk to Corrie 9 miles / 14 km Day 3 Walk Corrie to Lochranza 12 miles / 18 km Day 4 Walk to Machrie & overnight in Blackwaterfoot 14 miles / 22 km Day 5 Optional bus to Machrie, or walk directly to Lagg 12 miles / 19 km Day 6 Lagg to Whiting Bay (low or high route options) 12 miles / 20 km Day 7 Whiting Bay to Brodick (low or high route options) 12 miles / 20 km Day 8 Onward Travel

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