Isle of Arran: All of Scotland in one island
The Isle of Arran is an island located in the Firth of Clyde, west of Glasgow. Arran is this perfect little island that offers everything: dramatic mountains, lush forests, large sandy beaches and amazing cheese (very important!). Thea went on a girls camping trip with her friend Anne for a quick city get-away, and was surprised by the changing landscape and the great atmosphere on Arran.
Check out the Let's Go Slow video from Arran
Are you looking for some slow adventure inspiration? Have a look at our video from Isle of Arran.
Rail and Sail
Isle of Arran is not more than two hours from Glasgow - just a short train and boat trip away. You can buy "rail and sail" tickets at the train station. We were surprised how nice and easy it was to get there, and used the train + boat timetable that made it really easy to book the right tickets.
Wild Camping at Glen Rosa.
Glen Rosa Wild Camping
We started our Isle of Arran slow adventure at a wild camping site called Glen Rosa. We had never heard of a "wild camping campsite" before, but it is perfect if you have a limited amount of time. If you go wild camping, you often spend half a day finding the right spot to pitch your tent. By using this simple campsite the tent was up in no time and we got the most out of our day. It had a toilet and cold water from a tap. Not much, but perfect if - like us, you want to avoid caravans or sleeping next to cars. You can even make a fire and that made cooking dinner super cosy. The campsite also has a beautiful stream with purling water where you can wash your hands (or body if you are brave), and collect water.
Glen Rosa Valley
All of Scotland on one Island
We decided to spend the day hiking in the surrounding landscape and during our one day Scottish Island hike, we experienced what felt like all of Scotland. The first stage of our tour was a dessert looking valley, where spring has not yet set in. This is the same valley that will take you up the highest mountain on the Island: Goatfell. We followed this valley for a while before crossing the river and following the stream down on the other side. This path eventually led us into a forest and onto the woodland trails around Brodick Castle. We were delighted to find this lush, green oasis, with a waterfall and huge flowers growing everywhere.
Sea Fishing on Arran
After a refreshing pint at the Arran Brewery we continued our adventure to the nearby beach, to try our fishing luck. The moon was almost full and the tide was coming in accompanied by an orange sunset, burning behind us. All the signs were there, but no one told the fish to bite. Something did tell the big seal that something was up, lurking about 30 meters from the shore scaring all the fish. But nobody told the fish to bite. So, we ended up making a delicious vegetarian Thai curry. It was good, but next time we are going to fill it with freshly caught sea fish (always hoping for sea trout).
Anne sea fishing on Isle of Arran in her beautiful Norwegian "Marius" jumper.
Film and photography is by Thea Hermansen and Anne Rassbach
