We started our adventure for today by driving along the Clyde River, following the coastline. We passed through Greenock with its tall smokestack and Wemyss Bay with its pretty brick buildings and a cool red stone castle hotel. Forgot how rare it is to see the red bricks over here until I saw them today. The houses here were as big as castles, sitting high on hills with stone walls around the grounds. We went past Knock Castle, but it said PRIVATE on the gate, so I guess showing up for tea would be inappropriate.
In Largs, there was a Vikingar Centre and many other things Viking related, so I think this must be where many of the Viking invaders to Scotland settled. One of the hotels here had the date of 1791 on it. That is one thing I will REALLY miss when this whole adventure is over—driving through these old towns and saying, “Oh, look—a castle! What a pretty stone wall! That church is from the 1600s!” Just won’t happen at home. Our towns are all so new in comparison.
We drove down to Ardrossan to take the 55-minute ferry ride over to the Isle of Arran. This is one place I have really wanted to go. Supposedly from the mainland, the island looking like a Sleeping Warrior. The roads on Arran are very narrow even though they are two lanes. We decided to take the local bus on its circle route to see all of the island, and it was quite an adventure. The bus was packed, for one thing. And given that the roads were so narrow, I would think the bus driver would have gone slower, but he did an excellent job. Its just that we would go around a corner and meet a car coming the other way and he would have to screech the bus to a halt and wait for the car to move out of the way, which was difficult since there were no passing places. Made for a lot of fun.
At one point, we were turning onto a road and this lady driver just kept on coming with her car, not giving us room to turn. So the bus driver just waited. Now normally I would be offended by the statement I am about to relate to you, but coming from the old Scottish man who said it and given that it was said in deep Scottish brogue and very jovially, I found it very funny. It took the lady forever to decide to back up, but when she did, the old Scottish guy said, “God love ‘em, the women. Give ‘em brains and they’d be dangerous.”
Arran is a beautiful island with tall jagged mountains and gorgeous beaches. The north of the island is the more mountainous. The highest peak is Goatfell at 2866 ft. Also saw Lochranza castle ruins. Near here is where I saw the sheep with their newly shaven coats—silly shorn sheep sleeping sedately in several squiggly circles. Try saying THAT fast. We traveled from Brodick on the east coast all around, following the coastline the whole way. We were on the bus for about 3 hours and it was nicer when it wasn’t crowded. On the south side of the island with its pastoral green hills rolling down to meet the sea, we saw the Pladda Lighthouse and Ailsa Craig, a tall pointy island that says it has a castle on it, but no ferry goes there.
We got back to Brodick and got our postcards and pin then went to dinner at the Eilean Mhor Bar & Bistro where I had fish and chips and peas and DRAFT Coke—two, I have to admit. Afterwards, Ray insisted that we drop in at the Woolery’s Bakery for a treat, so he got a Chelsea Bun (cinnamon roll) and I got a jam and cream doughnut. Oh my—so delicious.
The Scottish Gaelic dialect of Arran died out when the last speaker, Donald Craig, died in the 1970s, but they are trying to bring it back.
I will have to come back to this island as I still want to take the extra ferry from Lamlash out to Holy Island. The Holy Island has a long, sacred history with an ancient healing spring, the hermit-cave of a 6th Century monk—St. Molaise—and evidence of a 13th Century Monastery. Now the Samye Ling Buddhist Community is there.
I also want to go back to take the hike along the trail that lead to King’s Cave. It is reputedly the place where Robert the Bruce, in hiding from the English, was inspired by the spider to try, try, try again. And I need some more pictures to send to my niece, Jenny. Pictures NOT taken from a bus! Her husband's parents spent part of their honeymoon on the Isle of Arran, and they named him after the island--Arran--spelled the same way.
And Brodick Castle and Gardens would be fun to visit. Brodick Castle is featured on the Royal Bank of Scotland £ 20 note.
An all together very nice day of relaxing travel.
***pictures from top: Pladda Lighthouse; mountains from Brodick on Arran, more mountains; harbour view on Arran; mini golf with bridge!
