Arran Coastal Way - 8 Days & 7 Nights

Arran is a beautiful island that has an abundance of wildlife, amazing views and friendly locals who are always up for a chat. You wouldn't think an Island which is so accessible (Only 2 hours from the centre of Glasgow) could give that feeling of remoteness which so many walkers crave, but Arran proves this is possible. If you want to experience a wilder side of Scotland and prefer sharing the trail with wildlife instead of people, walking the Arran Coastal Way will give you an unforgettable experience. To fully appreciate the Way, it is recommended you are a regular walker who likes to challenge themselves. Although there isn’t a huge amount of ascent/descent on the coastal way, bar the Goat Fell walk, the terrain throughout is very rugged and rough underfoot.

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 in Scotland, the world renown Tour Du Mont Blanc and Germany's Moselle Cycle Path, to name but a few!

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

Solo Travellers

The minimum age for this tour is: 15 Years

This walk is graded moderate. Our most popular itinerary, 8 days and 7 nights, is graded at the upper end of moderate. Our slightly longer itinerary, 9 days and 8 nights is slightly easier going as it breaks up some of the road walking on the west coast of the island.

The grade is determined on the basis of the entire trip. Individual days may vary in terms of difficulty, i.e. some walks may be slightly more difficult or easier than the overall grade. On both itineraries, you will follow the coast along forest footpaths, hillside tracks, tarmac roads with grass verges, and beaches with boulders, sand and shingle. In general, most of the walking is rough underfoot when not on roads and can also become slippery after recent rainfall, so you do need to be comfortable with this kind of terrain. If choosing to walk via Goat Fell summit on your first walking day, the ascent and descent is steep and can be exposed so a good head for heights is required and sure-footedness in places (It is easy to avoid this by taking the coastal route instead). 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 on the Macs Adventure app.

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.  

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.**

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. Lochranza is a great place to linger, an extra night here will allow you to visit the Lochranza Distillery (Tours available here; //www.arranwhisky.com/our-distillery/visit-us) and give you more time to appreciate the dramatic scenery.  We also offer the option of upgrading to Auchrannie Resort and Spa for your last night on the Island.

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.

This trip is available from March to September, to start on any day of the week.  

Getting to/from Brodick on the Isle of Arran

Arran is easily accessible from Glasgow, from here you have the following options:

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 Ardrossan to Brodick (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.

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.

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.