Mountain Walking Holiday on the Isle of Arran, Scotland
Large Outdoors runs small-group walking breaks for people who enjoy being active outdoors and sharing the experience with others. This 3-night mountain walking trip on the Isle of Arran is for those looking for longer, more demanding days in the hills, exploring the island’s higher ground while staying based in the quiet village of Lochranza.
Duration: 3 nights
Accommodation: Hostel
Meeting Location: Glasgow or Ardrossan / Troon
Group Size: Maximum 10
Level: Active Plus
Pricing & Accommodation: From £475 per person. Shared rooms and twin rooms available - see booking calendar for specific dates and pricing.
Looking for less strenuous walks? Take a look at our: Scenic Walking Holiday - Explore the Isle of Skye, Scotland experience.
Is this trip right for me?
Most people on our trips come on their own
Groups are small, friendly and fully guided
Walking is at a steady pace with regular breaks
There’s no pressure to be super fit or super chatty
If you’re new to Large Outdoors or unsure whether this trip suits you, our Start here page explains how our walking and wild swimming trips work and what it’s really like to join.
Find out more before booking:
https://www.largeoutdoors.com/new-to-large-outdoors-start-here
If you’d prefer to ask a question first, you’re very welcome to get in touch.
Booking Calendar…
We don’t currently have any dates scheduled for this trip.
You can explore our full range of upcoming trips and holidays here:
https://www.largeoutdoors.com/trip-calendar
Experience epic mountain adventures and explore Scotland’s Isle of Arran…
Arran is the most southerly of Scotland’s Hebrides, lying just across the Firth of Clyde, and is an easy hop from Glasgow. The island provides a magnificent and magical remote getaway in the Highlands, offering pristine cliffs and beaches, fantastic sea views, trails leading through the hills, and woodland nature reserves.
On this 3-night Walking the Mountains of… experience, we’ll explore the highest reaches of Arran, including the island’s most well-known peak, Goatfell. We can enjoy the fresh air available by the gallon in Scotland’s mountains, as we take in the panoramic views.
Wildlife on the island includes golden eagles, red squirrels, otters, seals, and even basking sharks, so bring some binoculars!
For the history lover, there are ancient chambered cairns and settlements we can visit, and the stately Brodick and Lochranza Castles, telling tales of thousands of years of Scottish history.
You’ll stay in a seriously lovely hostel right on the shore, enjoying local fare with the group each evening in the area’s fantastic pubs and restaurants.
Suggested Itinerary
Here’s what we’ve got planned - of course, we may have to offer alternatives or make amendments if the weather misbehaves or other unexpected situations arise!
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Our adventure begins! We offer Pickups from Glasgow, either from the city centre or airport, or at the Ferry Terminal in Ardrossan, where we board the lunchtime ferry to Brodick on the Isle of Arran. After the hour-long ferry journey, we’ll head straight out for a bit of walking and exploring on Arran.
We’ll most likely follow a coastal route from Blackwaterfoot, to explore King’s Cave - a series of coastal caves said to have provided refuge for Robert the Bruce. These are the caves where Robert is said to have been inspired by a spider’s repeated and ultimately successful attempts to build a web. We might also visit Machrie Moor Standing Stones, dating to between 3500 and 1500 BC.
After our walk, we’ll check into our hostel accommodation. Tonight, we’ll head out for some local fare for dinner (not included) and perhaps sample a locally produced single malt, whilst getting to know each other and discussing our plans for the days ahead.
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These are our full days out, exploring the best mountain walks and scenery Arran has to offer. We’ll consider the weather before choosing our route each day. After breakfast each morning we’ll pack our lunches and head out to explore!
Some of our options include:
Goatfell: As the highest point on the Isle of Arran - at 874m (2,867ft) - this summit offers panoramic views and is one of four Corbetts on the island. The mountain, along with nearby Brodick Castle, is owned by the National Trust for Scotland. We’ll be sure to keep a lookout for buzzards and golden eagles.
Glen Sannox Horseshoe: One of Arran’s mountain classics - this 10 mile walk offers great views if you’re prepared to put in the effort. There is a good deal of scrambling required and loose rock to contend with, along with leg-testing climbs and a steep rocky descent down to the wonderfully named Ceum na Caillich (the Witches' Step).
Glen Rosa & Beinn Tarsuinn: A rugged but well-trodden route, this walk takes in Glen Rosa Water and the waterfalls at Garth Alls before reaching a point which offers views of the horseshoe of peaks encircling Coire a’ Bhradain. There will be boggy sections and slabs of granite to cross, before the ascents to the summits of Benin Nuis at 792m (2,598ft) and Beinn Tarsuinn at 826m (2,710ft). Then it’s a steep downhill section before testing those legs once more, up once more to enjoy the views from Beinn a’Chliabhain at 653m (2,142ft).
Each evening we’ll head out for fantastic local fare (dinners are not included) and conviviality at pubs and restaurants.
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With a heavy heart, today we’ll wave goodbye to Arran. After breakfast and checking out of our accommodation we’ll make our way back towards Brodick, taking in Arran’s beautiful scenery one last time. We should have chance for a morning leg-stretch on a short walk, or perhaps a nosey around some local art/craft shops or attractions.
The ferry will take us back to the mainland at Ardrossan and for those who took advantage of our Pickup service from Glasgow, we’ll drop you back off there.
Essential Information
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Important Travel Information – Isle of Arran
Due to ongoing changes to the ferry service to Arran, we are currently unable to confirm the exact collection time or departure terminal. Ferries may depart from either Troon or Ardrossan.
You have two options:
Be collected from Glasgow City Centre (around 08:00),
Or meet us at the confirmed ferry terminal prior to departure.
We’ll confirm the terminal and departure time once the ferry schedule is released. At present, we are aiming for a ferry departure between 10:00–12:00.
Please do not plan to fly in on the day. We are not offering airport collections due to the unpredictable ferry arrangements, and recommend all travel plans allow for flexibility.
Returning to Glasgow (Day 4): We can return you to Glasgow on the final day. We aim to be back in Glasgow between 4-5pm and can drop you back in the city centre or at the airport. Please book onward travel accordingly, to allow for flexibility with the return time to the city centre or airport - we (sadly!) can’t control the traffic.
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We’ll base ourselves at the excellent Lochranza Youth Hostel for this getaway, heading out each day on in the Large Outdoors vehicle to explore Arran. The hostel accommodation offers comfortable rooms, shared living and dining area, a handy drying room and Wi-Fi.
Bedding and a towel is provided, but don’t forget to bring your own toiletries.
Room Types:
You can book one of the following options, subject to availability:
Bed in a Shared Female Room
Bed in a Shared Male Room
Twin Room (en-suite)At this hostel there are primarily Shared Rooms, where you’ll be sharing a dorm room - with bunk beds - with other participants (room sizes vary and bathrooms are shared). There are also some Twin Rooms with two single beds, which sleep up to two participants booking together (bathrooms are en-suite).
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Included:
Pickup service from Glasgow or you can meet us in Ardrossan - see the Meeting Location & Time section above.
3 nights’ accommodation at Lochranza Youth Hostel.
A Large Outdoors host/guide to welcome you and deal with the logistics for your experience.
Guided walks on 3 days of the trip.
A DIY breakfast each morning (toast, cereals, fruit and yoghurt provided).
A DIY packed lunch (sandwich and snacks) for Days 2 & 3.
Tea (including decaf and herbal options), coffee (including decaf option), and squash at the accommodation.
Bedding and towels - but don’t forget your own toiletries.
The chance to make new friends and meet like-minded people - Large Outdoors is all about making outdoor adventures sociable.
Pre-event support from the Large Outdoors team - give us a shout if there’s any advice or information you need and check out our Blog for useful articles too.
Not Included:
Travel to and from the meeting locations.
Dinner on 3 evenings - we’ll book a table at a local pub or restaurant to enjoy dinner as a group and you can purchase whatever you fancy from the menu available.
Any extra (i.e. not mentioned above in ‘Included’) excursions or activities that you may partake in which incur a cost, e.g. visitor attractions.
Bottled water - tap water and squash are available at the accommodation, so please ensure you bring sufficient water bottles or carriers to fill up and take out with you.
Alcoholic drinks - there’ll be opportunities to pick up some local tipples during the trip.
Any food, drinks or goods you choose to purchase at any shops, restaurant, pubs or cafés visited.
Travel/activity insurance - we recommend having insurance to cover, at a minimum: cancellation and curtailment; medical and emergency expenses (including repatriation); personal accident; injury and death.
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As with all ferry travel, departure is reliant on timetables, which sometimes do have to change after publishing and/or after we have made bookings and communicated timings with you. Travel is also subject to suitable weather conditions, so it is possible that unforeseen delays or cancellations may occur.
If our outward journey to Arran is delayed or cancelled, meaning we must stay an additional night(s) in or near Ardrossan, Large Outdoors will attempt to arrange accommodation and the relevant costs will be charged to you (or you are welcome to source your own accommodation).
If our return journey to Ardrossan on the mainland is delayed or cancelled, meaning we must stay an additional night(s) on Arran, accommodation and food will be arranged by Large Outdoors and the relevant costs will be charged to you.
Large Outdoors cannot accept responsibility for any delays to onward journeys, or additional costs incurred by ferry changes or cancellations. Please ensure you have suitable travel insurance in place to enable you to recover such costs, as per our Terms & Conditions.
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Please see our Residential (Walking) Kit List.
The compulsory items are selected for your safety, which is of paramount importance to us at Large Outdoors. Each participant should be carrying the items listed.
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• What level of fitness is needed?
This trip is graded as Active Plus. Click here to see Large Outdoors’ Experience Levels.• Can I attend on my own?
Absolutely. The majority of our participants are solo travellers and adventurers. Plenty of fun, laughter and numerous long-term friendships (and a few marriages!) have begun on Large Outdoors experiences since 2008, so there’s no need to feel worried about your first experience, or indeed trying a new type of outdoor activity, with us.• I am currently on a specific diet / have an allergy - can you cater for me?
Unfortunately, we are generally unable to cater for a wide variety of diets or food preferences due to the nature and cost of our catered trips and/or the use of shared kitchens. However, we can offer vegetarian meals, vegan meals, provide meals with gluten* free ingredients, and/or provide dairy* free meals - these options can be selected when booking. This particular experience offers a little more flexibility catering wise, as evening meals are taken at local restaurants, so please contact us if you’d like to check whether it is suitable for your dietary needs.
*Please see our general FAQs for more information about dietary options.• What transport is provided during this experience?
We offer transport with a Pickup service (see Meeting Location & Time section above) and transfers from the accommodation to the activity start points.• Can I bring my dog?
Dogs are not allowed on this experience, except for trained assistance dogs. If you wish to bring your trained assistance dog, please let us know in advance of booking so we can discuss the itinerary and any activity/equipment/accommodation, and of course additional safety requirements or considerations that may be necessary. -
The Isle of Arran is the most southerly of Scotland’s Hebrides islands. Often referred to as ‘Scotland in miniature’, Arran boasts spectacular geological, historical, and wildlife sights around every corner. It’s an island of stunning coastal paths, dramatic hills and mountains, rivers, lochs, and beautiful beaches.
The island is famous for its culinary delights, including creamy cheeses, traditional oatcakes, locally brewed beers, and ice cream. Arran whisky, distilled on the island, is renowned amongst dram-lovers around the world.
This map is provided for guidance regarding the general location. For detailed meeting information, please refer to the 'Meeting Time & Location' section.