More cycle route research, on the Isle of Arran, ‘Scotland in Miniature’ – presumably a whisky reference, as the island with no towns still manages to have two distilleries. No drams for me on this trip, though. And nothing miniature about the climbs, I can promise you.
Arran’s delightful mountain profile. Well, delightful unless you have to cycle 15 miles over it in the 90 minutes of remaining daylight to get to your hostel with four panniers full of five days’ worth of food and drink, because the kitchen’s shut, along with the island’s pubs.Waiting for the ferry from Ardrossan. It’s a place that certainly quickens the pulse. In a ‘fight-or-flight’ sort of way.But by gum Arran’s scenic. This is Holy Island, not to be confused with Mull’s Holy Island. Now that would have been an embarrassing satnav fail for medieval pilgrims…Ross Road, vaulting the central mountains between Lamlash and Kilmory. Stunning views on the way up, and a super sunset over the Mull of Kintyre on the way down. Beautiful. Maybe someone could write a song about the area. It might do well.
