Arran – the walks

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Machrie Moor

Moss Farm Road Cairn

The trail to Machrie Moor Stone Circles is an out-and-back walk of 4km. Before we got to the main event, we passed Moss Farm (above), the burial cairn of a powerful person who lived about 4,000 years ago, and Fingal’s Cauldron Seat (below), named after the legendary warrior Fhionn / Fingal.

Fingal’s Cauldron Seat

We stepped through a gate just beyond this onto open moorland and the sight of five separate stone circles – the tallest standing stone is over 5m high.

Stone circles
Stone circles
Stone circles
Stone circles
Stone circles

Kilpatrick Preaching Cave

Kilpatrick Preaching Cave
Kilpatrick Preaching Cave
Kilpatrick Preaching Cave

A coastal walk took us to the well-hidden Kilpatrick Preaching Cave. After the Highland Clearances in the 19th century, when the Earl of Arran evicted many of his tenants to make room for more sheep, local people showed their disapproval in the only way they could by rejecting the Earl’s choice of minister. The Preaching Cave provided a suitable meeting place for the congregation. A sad story, but a beautiful setting.

Kilpatrick Preaching Cave
Kilpatrick Point and Drumadoon Bay

String Road Viewpoint

Returning to Brodick on our last afternoon in Arran, we crossed the island via the String Road (B880) from which a short trail led to a beautiful viewpoint. Ayrshire was just visible on the horizon.

String Road Viewpoint
Anabel, Kenn, Valerie
Kenn, Valerie, John

And behind us were beautiful mountain panoramas.

The next morning, we took the ferry back to the mainland while hoping to return to Arran soon.

Linked to Jo’s Monday Walks – today she’s taking us to Bolton Abbey, and her cyber-companions are walking all over the world.

Scotland, UK , , ,

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  7. Pingback: Jo’s Monday walk : Simply Church Stretton | restlessjo

  8. Thank you for taking us on these wonderful walks, the pictures and words brought me there. I love the moors having lived many years in West Yorkshire and visited many further north.
    The stones are amazing, always make you wonder….

    Didn’t know about the Preaching caves, fascinating and what a good place to meet.
    miriam

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  11. What a beautiful walk . . . but hate the horrors of the land clearance. A period in our history in Scotland, Ireland and England that most are unaware of.

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    • Seem to come across evidence on walks so many times here. I think people are becoming more aware of the clearances now as there are often info boards, or trails round whole lost villages, in the highlands which is a good thing.

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  19. Some lovely walks and magnificent landscape! It must have been a harsh life back in the day. The story about the “Preaching Cave” intrigues me – they must have been very determined folk! My mum used to knit Arran sweaters – you’d certainly need them to keep warm here!

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  21. Aren’t they just, Anabel? Walking all over the world! 🙂 🙂 I’m holed up in a very nice apartment in Church Stretton while the rain tipples down but I’ve walked and am fed. Lookng foward to tomorrow. Many thanks for the link. Love the standing stones.

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  23. Well, you certainly had some grand walking weather. Looks beautiful.
    I always get Arran and Aran mixed up! Both islands but Arran in Scotland and the Aran islands off the coast of western Ireland. Both places I want to visit.
    So many places to visit and so little time 😞

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  26. Hi Anabel – what a delightful island to visit … and with a wealth of alternative sites to walk to and visit, or to see vistas … amazing to see your photos … cheers Hilary

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  27. Fine impressions, Annabel. What I can see is the fact, that Arran is not far away from Islay. A travel destination I would like to visit in the next few years. Thanls a lot for the pictures.

    Best regards

    Achim

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    • I’ve not been to Islay for some time, but it is beautiful too. You would travel to it from a different port though. My great-grandfather came from Islay – his family wanted him to be a preacher so he ran away to the mainland to work on a farm!

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  30. Standing stones and that cave… two places on Arran I’ve not yet visited despite dozens of trips over decades and yearly coastal walks during summer holidays.. Just shows you how much interest is to be found on one relatively small island..

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  31. Coming from Ireland as I do, the stone circles (fairy forts) are not so surprising to me, nor the Dolmans and preaching caves. In Ireland, it was the Catholic clergy forbidden to say the Mass by the English rulers that led to the use of caves or, more often, ditches, in which to preach. I loved your pictures of wild, open spaces, so seldom seen these days.

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