cycling around arran (sco) hints and tips?

bombo999

hi , myself and a few friends are in the early stages of planning a long weekend of cycling on arran and i was wondering if anybody has had any experience of cycling on the island ? looking for good wild camping info, best direction to kick off on etc or any other interesting hints and tips you could thro my way ? hoping to go may/june ps camped on campsites and done abit of walking on the island but never cycled. thanks

nottscobb

A friend and I cycled round Aaran in a day a few years back. We did it for charity and thought going round the coast road was being clever. However, don't be fooled, the road across the south and the north of the island in not flat! We stayed in a hotel near the ferry terminal so can't be much more help than that I'm afraid. You say you've been before so you already know how beautiful it is. I'm sure you'll have a great trip.

LittleB0b

We cycled round the outside last year (blog report) - which is very doable in a day.

You might also find the Arran Bike club website useful - it has maps and suggestions of ways to link the roads together.

Bank hols will be busy, as proximity to glasgow makes it a popular weekend gettaway.

bombo999

yes its a cackin wee island with beautiful scenery ,clean and friendly. whether its golfing, cycling , walking or just generally chilling i cant recommend it enough. the last time i was over we tried to climb goat fell but the weather drove us off the hill it was foul with zero visibility then cleared up halfway down. nice brewery and shop at the bottom ,local ale was spot on . ended up an excellent day out . looking forward to getting over and cycling round under our own steam etc .... anyway thanks for your input guys will check out your suggestions for sure thanks again ..............

pneumatic

It is a 56 mile loop round the coast and a really good ride. Heading South from Brodick, you have a well surfaced even gradient climb that is quite satisfying, around the Southern shores is up and down like a whore's drawers but very scenic, the West Coast usually gives you the benefit of a prevailing SW wind. Recommend you stop at the golf course half way up where they did very decent soup and homemade sandwiches and cakes. Further up, you turn around and have to climb the (reasonably arduous) road up the glen from the Lochranza distillery. The rest of the ride back to Brodick is a matter of feeding off the adrenalin of the descent and the fact that you have nearly achieved your objective.

Thoroughly recommend it!

bombo999

sweet , thanks.