For years my older brother has told me to go to Arran as he said its just amazing, especially for cycling! I kept putting it off because I was afraid of taking the ferry, its just something that takes me out of my comfort zone! Well I finally plucked up the courage and I regret not listening to my brother years ago....it is cycling heaven especially if you love hills like me!
I got up at stupid o'clock to catch the early ferry, all the way down it poured with rain but the forecast said it would clear up! My ferry arrived at Brodick which is the Capital of Arran and as I disembarked the rain had just stopped, the roads were wet but it was mild and I was raring to go on my adventure! The Caledonian Isles was my first ferry today and it was really plush inside with very comfortable seats, it was perfect for the trip over as the weather was awful so I sat back in the seat and just relaxed for the 55 minute journey!
Caledonian Isles at Brodick!
As I was leaving the boat there was another cyclist who asked me what route I was taking, I told him I was heading west first over the String Road which starts at sea level and rises to almost 800ft (check the profile) very rapidly, he said he was going north first so I told him to have a great ride and maybe we would meet on the way round! As he had a standard road bike he wanted to warm up a bit before climbing, no such problems with an e bike!
The view at the top of the String Road, low cloud all around!
The descent was just awesome even with wet roads, some of the road was lovely new tarmac but some a bit rough so I had to be careful! This road leads to Blackwaterfoot right on the west coast which has a quaint little harbour!
The clouds were still shrouding the mountains at this point!
My next stop would be Lochranza on the northern tip of the island, most of the road is low lying and hugs the coastline! Some of the road has just been repaired and it was just sublime to ride! This is looking back towards Carradale on the mainland I believe, as you can see the road was in awesome condition!
I reached Lochranza and timed it perfect to see the ferry coming in to dock with the ramp starting to open! By now the sun was starting to break through and it was becoming very pleasant! I had some snacks here as I knew a big climb was coming round the corner, it starts gradually and then just goes up and up!
The climb only goes up to just under 700ft but it sure makes you work even on an e bike, not a bad view part way up the climb!
The descent down to Sannox is just breathtaking and the roads were dry now so I was having an absolute blast, it goes from 700ft to sea level in 3 miles! I reached 45mph down that descent, virtually freewheeling as I didn't know the road that well...now I know it a little better so next time who knows what speed I will hit...
I passed through Sannox and I was heading for Corrie when I spotted a seal sitting on one of the rocks, I was wishing I had a decent camera to get a nice close up...a silhouette will have to do!
I was now heading back to Brodick which was my starting point but my intention was to continue to the southern tip of Arran, I had a lovely view of the Holy Isle which is just across the water from Lamlash! I sat on a bench here looking across to the island and enjoyed my packed lunch which I was going to need for the final climbs ahead of me!
The roads here were just amazing and the view back to the Arran mountains was just stunning!
I continued on around the southern peninsula and the stunning views just kept coming!
I was now heading up the west coast of Arran towards Blackwaterfoot which is where my first descent of the day took me, my intention was to go back over the String Road now that it was dry and enjoy the breathtaking descent back down to Brodick where I would catch my ferry back to the mainland!
Just about to start the descent but I had to stop to capture this scene!
Now it was time to enjoy that wonderful descent back down to Brodick, the best thing about it was the lack of traffic and other cyclists because it was a weekday so I could really go for it! Go for it I sure did, I glanced at my display on my bike and it was showing 50.7mph
I then looked at my gps and it showed 50.2mph, Ridewithgps regsitered it as 49.8!
Proof required!
Back down in Brodick and I was waiting for the ferry to arrive, time for more pictures...
My personal favourite which just sums Arran up!
Then my ferry arrived, aptly named the Isle Of Arran! This one was a bit of an old banger but it had an open deck up top and with the sun beating down now it was truly wonderful! I had a fabulous view of all the surroundings on my trip back to the mainland! I can honestly say this was my favourite ever bike ride, I will be back in a heartbeat as there is so much more to explore! I took that many photos my phone was down to 5% when I sat down on the ferry home!
