Isle of Arran - Day 2
Day 2 on Arran and the weather windy and wet and we set off to further explore the south of the island. Arran has recently come to terms with it’s reputation/tagline as ‘Scotland in miniature’, and the south of the island does remind me of the Scottish lowlands.
Rolling hills; rather than the northern rugged peaks, meet the cliffs or pebbles of the coastline. We pull up to the coast at Whiting Bay and head off through the woodland, along the river towards the Glenashdale Falls.
The trees here are old and tall. They sway in unison in the wind, and the noise they make as they rub against each other is unnerving. As we move up the hill, I trust the trees will hold up against the wind, but it is strong so watching them sway is somehow safely mesmerizing, and it slows us down.
At the top of the hill, a viewing point juts out towards the Glenashdale falls. The double falls are beautiful and loud. We then deviate for a short while along the path goes up behind the falls to the right and into a forest. We turned around as the forest got dark and we heard voices…
The lovely couple and their dogs that we meet on our way back to the main path direct us onward to the Giants Graves. We walk quickly as it rains and we are on the outer side of the forest.
We find the Giants Graves at a clearing the top of the hill, overlooking Whiting Bay. These are the remains of two Neolithic chambered tombs that have been much robbed over the years, with the covering mounds have long since worn away. Again, a feeling of silence and atmosphere is present at the site, and the importance of this place to the Bronze Age peoples of Arran is not difficult to extrapolate.
We walk down the steep side of the hill and arrive quickly back at the car once at the bottom. Driving further south on the island, we arrive on Kildonan to walk along the shore in search of seals. We found none, and although the walk on the shore was beautiful, the terrible weather sent us packing and to the ferry terminal earlier than expected.
Our lovely weekend in Arran can be summed up by – beautiful landscapes, excellent archeological sites and solid short walks amid terrible weather (this part truly tested how tough and ‘scottish’ I am...it’s a thin layer ontop of my Canberran mushy insides, but I guess that is something). Make a weekend of it if you ever get the chance, if only to enjoy the piercingly blue skies.
