Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ark (Millport's original marine station), and an old-fashioned aquarium displaying
giant whelks, starfish, dogfish, conger eels and cod.
ARRIVAL AND GETTING AROUND
GREAT CUMBRAE
By ferry
The CalMac ferry from Largs is very frequent
(every 15min in summer; £4.75 return/person, £19.65/
car), and takes just ten minutes to reach the island's
northeast tip, with a connecting bus to Millport.
Bike rental
If you're short of time, or just don't fancy
walking the island, grab a bike from Bremner's,
17 Cardiff
St (
T
01475 530309; £4.20 for 2 hrs).
ACTIVITIES
National Centre Cumbrae
Near the ferry terminal on
the northeast of the island
T
01475 530757,
W
nationalcentrecumbrae.org.uk.
Scotland's premier
watersports centre offers courses in just about every
conceivable waterbound activity, including sea-kayaking,
windsurfing, powerboating and dinghy sailing; most of
these activities cost around £45 for the day.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
College of the Holy Spirit
College St
T
01475 530353,
W
cumbraeguesthouse.co.uk.
If you fancy stopping over,
make a beeline for the delightfully tranquil Anglican
retreat house adjacent to the cathedral, which has a mix of
twins, double and family rooms, some en suite.
The
library
and common rooms are available to guests too.
£80
Ritz Café
26 Stuart St
T
01475 530459.
If you don't
fancy fish and chips, head to the fabulous
Ritz Café
,
which has been in business since 1906, doling out
home-made ice cream, marshmallow ices, toasties and
Millport
Rock,
amongst
other
goodies.
Daily
noon-11pm.
4
Isle of Arran
Shaped like a kidney bean and occupying centre stage in the Firth of Clyde,
Arran
is the
most southerly (and therefore the most accessible) of all the Scottish islands. he
Highland-Lowland dividing line passes right through its centre - hence the cliché about it
being like “Scotland in miniature” - leaving the northern half sparsely populated,
mountainous and bleak, while the lush southern half enjoys a much milder climate. he
population of around five thousand - many of whom are incomers - tends to stick to the
southeastern quarter of the island, leaving the west and the north relatively undisturbed.
here are two big crowd-pullers on Arran:
geology
and
golf
. he former has fascinated
rock-obsessed students since Sir James Hutton came here in the late eighteenth century to
confirm his theories of uniformitarianism. A hundred years later, Sir Archibald Geikie's
investigations were a landmark in the study of Arran's geology, and the island remains a
popular destination for university and school field trips. As for golf, Arran boasts seven
courses, including three of the eighteen-hole variety at Brodick, Lamlash and Whiting
Bay, and a unique twelve-hole course at Shiskine, near Blackwaterfoot.
Although
tourism
is now by far its most important industry, Arran, at twenty miles in
length, is large enough to have a life of its own. While the island's post-1745 history,
including the Clearances (set in motion by the local lairds, the Hamiltons), is as
depressing as elsewhere in the Highlands, in recent years Arran's population has actually
increased, in contrast with more remote islands.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
ISLE OF ARRAN
By ferry
CalMac (
W
calmac.co.uk) operate two year-round
ferry services: one from Ardrossan in Ayrshire to Brodick
(April-Oct 4-6 daily; 55min), and a smaller ferry from
Claonaig on the Kintyre peninsula to Lochranza in the north
(April-Oct 8-9 daily; 30min).
GETTING AROUND
By bus
Transport on Arran itself is pretty good: daily buses
circle the island (Brodick tourist o
ce has timetables) while
the Arran Day Rider (£5.40) allows you to hop on and off as
you please. Buses also link in with the two ferry services.
