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Isle of Arran, Scotland

The Isle of Arran (Eilean Arainn) is Scotland’s seventh largest island, and the largest island in the ocean inlet Firth of Clyde, located at the mouth of the River Clyde that runs through Glasgow. Measuring about 20 miles (32 kilometres) from north to south, the Isle of Arran is also called “Scotland in miniature” as it offers a variety of beautiful coastal scenery and magnificent attractions—mountain peaks, beaches, forests, a dramatic coastline and its own Scotch whisky—a little bit of everything a traveller may expect from the Scottish Isles. It’s a geologist’s paradise with its scenic combination of mountains, cliffs, low hills, lochs, streams and glens. In addition to its unspoiled beauty, Arran’s accessibility to Glasgow and the Scottish mainland makes it a favourite destination for visitors. It is also the first island on our Scottish Islands and Shetland small group tour, and our guide to the Scottish islands shows how it fits with the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland.

Small Group Tour

Scottish Islands and Shetland

20-Day Tour · Glasgow to Edinburgh · Small group, up to 16 travellers, solo travellers welcome

Two days on Arran take in Brodick Castle and the standing stones of Machrie Moor, at the start of a 20-day journey by ferry from Arran to Shetland.

View the Scottish Islands and Shetland Tour

This Scottish island has a long history. Scholars believe Arran was populated at the end of the last Ice Age. The island also boasts a number of ancient Neolithic burial tombs and Bronze Age stone circles, such as the rich archaeological landscape of the Machrie Moor Standing Stones, six stone circles found across the moor on the west side of the island.

Machrie Moor Standing Stones on the Isle of Arran

Irish monks made their way here. Off Lamlash, south of Brodick, lies Holy Island, a steep rocky island with a cave said to be where the 6th-century hermit St. Molaise stayed. Norse raiders (Vikings) lived on the Isle of Arran for many centuries, and in the 11^th century it was ruled under the Norse Kingdom of Mann and the Isles until 1266, when the Norsemen ceded Arran to the Kingdom of Scotland. The Isle of Arran is separated from the Inner Hebrides on the west coast of Scotland by the Kintyre Peninsula, but shares cultural similarities with them through this shared Viking and Gaelic past. Gaelic was spoken on Arran until the 20th century; English is the island’s language today, but Gaelic survives in many of its place names.

Arran continued to play an important role in Scottish history. According to tradition, Robert the Bruce, the Scottish king who led Scotland during the First War of Independence against England, waited on Arran in early 1307 for a signal fire on the Carrick coast telling him to cross back to the mainland, while his followers harassed the English garrison at Arran’s Brodick Castle.

Today, Arran is well known for outdoor activities and its whisky, cheese, and oatcakes. There is plenty to see on a visit to the Isle of Arran, and our Arran itinerary answers how many days you need on Arran and how to spend them. Arran was once home to many illicit stills. It now has two working distilleries, both run by Isle of Arran Distillers: Lochranza in the north, opened in 1995, and Lagg in the south, opened in 2019. Both offer tours and tastings. (Read more in our article on Scotch Whisky here.)

Historic Brodick Castle, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, is open to visitors in season. Parts of it date back to the 13^th century, but most of what you see is a 19^th-century red sandstone mansion, with a walled garden, a fine rhododendron collection and woodlands beyond.

Arran’s dramatic landscape is dominated by Goat Fell, standing at 874 metres (2,867 feet) with its jagged summits, perfect for those looking for a more challenging walk.

View of the Goat Fell Mountain, Brodick (Tràigh a’ Chaisteil, “Castle Beach”, Breadhaig) the main town on the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland.

To get to the Isle of Arran from Glasgow, take the train to Ardrossan and the CalMac ferry to Brodick, about 55 minutes across the water; some sailings leave from Troon instead, so check CalMac for the current port before you travel. There are also bus services to the ferry.

Arran is the first island on our 20-day Scottish Islands and Shetland small group tour. The group crosses by ferry to Brodick and spends two days on Arran, visiting Brodick Castle and walking across Machrie Moor to its standing stones, before travelling north by ferry to Mull and Iona, Skye, Lewis and Harris, Orkney and Shetland. Groups are up to 16 travellers and solo travellers are welcome. Our guide to island hopping around Scotland follows the whole route.