The south-west corner of Arran, with the road high up a sloping hill, was very enjoyable, with a few cyclists coming the other way, but not much else in the way of traffic. Approaching the south, a 20% slope leads down to Lagg, where I found an unexpected Velo Café, decorated with everything cycling related. Lovely. Apart from the matching hill on the way out.
They say Arran is Scotland in miniature: if so the south of the island is Ayrshire, another place I've never been so far. Verdant rolling meadows, the Arran Creamery, and The Wee Gallery. I didn't visit, so I can't tell you more about it. The road overlooks the enigmatic Ailsa Craig, which sort of demands to be photographed, so I have dozens of pictures of it from different points, which I can show you sometime if you express even a polite interest.
A lighthouse marks the south eastern tip, and a nice descent leads you into Whiting Bay, an unapologetic seaside town, like a much smaller version of Scarborough with its big houses lining the long seaside. From here there were several villages, the next being Lamlash, a couple of miles away. Hills were appearing ahead, like a mini Cuillin, which was a bit of a worry. I stopped again for a relaxing cream tea. It feels a million miles away from the tragic attack in Manchester, which I've only just heard about.
A lighthouse marks the south eastern tip, and a nice descent leads you into Whiting Bay, an unapologetic seaside town, like a much smaller version of Scarborough with its big houses lining the long seaside. From here there were several villages, the next being Lamlash, a couple of miles away. Hills were appearing ahead, like a mini Cuillin, which was a bit of a worry. I stopped again for a relaxing cream tea. It feels a million miles away from the tragic attack in Manchester, which I've only just heard about.
There are three largish villages within about ten miles on the east coast. All have similar situations, based on a wide, gently shelving bay, but they each have different characters. If Whiting Bay is Scarborough, Brodick is Skegness, and Lamlash is in between, in every sense. The road up the east coast is flat, based on a raised beach left by a receding sea. It continues through a couple of picturesque hamlets, and then, stretching the Scotland in miniature analogy to its limits, you come to the Lake District. Big hill up, not too bad, big hill down, light drizzle but excellent visibility so no need for brakes. Excellent. In Lochranza, the Arran distillery, to add to the collection.
Like many southerners I always thought that Ailsa Craig was a species of tomato and never thought of them as enigmatic. And I had presumed that they were named after some gardening celebrity. Pity it's not the right season for them.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoying your blog. It's a great way to start the day!!
ReplyDeleteIs it me or does that first picture look like the house we stayed in on Skye all those years ago?
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