For The Love of Travel

The Isle of Arran, is known as a ‘miniature Scotland’, as it has highland and lowland areas. Only 4,600 or so people inhabit the island, almost all of whom live clustered in villages and hamlets on the coastline. A winding two-lane road rings the isle. Along with a few streets within the villages on the island, only a couple of other roads bisect any part of the island and generally only in the southern half. Thus, the vast majority of the interior of the island is pristine and unpeopled. But deered…

Our first port of call was Brodick castle and what an interesting past for a building – a  

fortress has been on the site since at least the 5thC, when Gaelic invaders from Antrim (northern Ireland) expanded their kingdom. By the 10thC Norse influence had grown, and Arran was under the control of the King of Norway.

In 1262 the Earl of Ross sacked and pillaged Skye with the King of Scotland’s blessing. King Hákon determined to avenge this slight and set out in July 1263, with a large fighting fleet for Scotland. The Scots were victorious, and Hákon’s forces retreated to Arran, and thence to Orkney to over-winter, where Hákon died. The ensuing Treaty in 1266 ceded Arran to the Kingdom of Scotland.   In 1406, the castle was badly damaged by an English force that had sailed into Brodick Bay.  Lord Arran was the English King’s (Henry V111) representative in Scotland and during his tenure at Brodick, he continued to enlarge and expand the castle.

In the following years Brodick was used mainly as an occasional sporting estate. Note deer heads on walls!!  In 1844, massive building work was undertaken at the castle, almost tripling the size of the building, under the architect James Graham. The Twelfth Duke of Hamilton, William had no male heirs, so he ‘entailed’ the castle upon his only daughter. She married James Graham and so after more than five hundred years Brodick castle passed out of the Hamilton family.

The Castle and gardens were acquired by the National Trust for Scotland from the Lady Jean Fforde in 1958, in lieu of death duties upon the death of her mother, the Dowager Duchess of Montrose. The castle is open to the public during the summer, with the country park open all year round.

The 1998 film The Governess,  starring Minnie Driver, was filmed at Brodick Castle.  Loved the dining and drawing rooms (photos courtesy of National Trust).

We took advantage of some sunshine breaking through the clouds to take pics of the Goatfell Summit –  the highest point on the Isle of Arran at 874 metres. There are many possible routes of ascent, the most commonly used route, is 5km in length and leads up through the forested grounds of the castle, passing many rhoddie bushes. At just under 300 m above sea level, the path leaves the forestry, and the route continues through bare moorland, reaching the summit by way of the east ridge of the mountain. There is a viewpoint table at the summit: on a clear day Ireland can be seen. 

Then to Corrie village and the shop that sells sculptures by local artist Marvin Elliott. Outside his shop, I’m taking a pic in poxy weather of one of Marvin’s wee creations with Mark’s assistance, and his wife Wendy taking a pic of me taking a pic. What fun!

Having just a few more hours before we needed to catch the ferry back, with some determination we drove through the very atmospheric undulating hillsides of Fionn Bhealach and Rosa Pinnicle to get to the Isle of Arran Distillery, Wendy and I were intent on doing a tasting. We were giggling gerties after 8 wee drams of different whiskies and settled on buying a bottle of “The Bothy”. Absolutely delicious.

Then onto to visit the stunning location of Lochranza, and the ruins of its 13thC Castle; poxy weather had turned and we were lucky to get blue skies.

Today we were intent on exploring the Isle of Arran, but when we arrived at the ferry, we discovered we should have booked ahead. So plan B…..we took the ferry slightly further north to the Isle of Bute.

Mount Stuart is the seat of the Stuarts of Bute, direct descendants of King Robert of Bruce. The family has been on the Isle of Bute for over 700 years and on the present site for 300. The first house was built in 1719, and rebuilt after a fire destroyed the central section in 1877. 

Britain’s most spectacular Victorian Gothic house is the architectural fantasy of the 3rd Marquess of Bute and his architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson.

The mysterious interiors reflect the romantic and scholarly Marquess’ passion for art, heraldry, astrology, mythology and religion – including the stunning White Marble Chapel and magnificent Marble Hall complete with kaleidoscopic stained glass. The architecture is stately, opulent and imaginative. I loved the wood carvings at the end of the bed – a fox playing pan flute and badger playing bagpipes; the astrology circle in the ceiling; the Bute coat of arms for Earls and Marquess’. Mount Stuart sits in 300 acres of landscape and woodlands.

I saw the flyer for the Barr ‘wee’ Gallery displayed on the noticeboard when we paying for lunch at the Whitings Restaurant @ Maidens. We decided to visit on the weekend driving through the beautiful valley of the Stinchar and the winding scenic Carrick hills. 

Rising in the Galloway Forest, the Stinchar river flows through the villages of Barr, Pincherry and Colonel, reaching the sea at Ballantrae. There are many oak woodlands and a huge variety of wildlife, including badgers, otters, greater spotted woodpeckers, owls. Hadyard Hill wind farm provides an eery and dramatic backdrop of “technology of the new age” on the hillsides, with sheep in the foreground as they have lain for many a century. 

We got to the Barr wee Gallery and saw the gorgeous works produced by Merlin and Angus Currie (he received a wee grant from the Prince’s trust and has been developing his business with his mother as a result) – fused glass art works and plates in every imaginable colour to suit your taste, portraits, paintings, and cards. See Angus’ work @ http://ayeglass.com/ 

Angus recommend we also visit Peinn Mor Pottery on our way through to the coast. A slight diversion inland and we arrived at Peinn Mor pottery – to be greeted by Keith and Beryl Dawdry, the makers of contemporary Scottish studio ceramics. They showcase work by themselves along with ceramics by Simon and Clare Dawdry of We Make Pots. Jacqui and Jack got tempted by one of the celtic inspired flagons displayed (more purply hues than the one pictured) and decided to buy it. Keith was also a whiz in being a local tour guide and suggested we visit Glenapp House, just south of Ballantrae. He told us we should ring beforehand and make a booking, which we did, as the estate was private and ‘hidden’ down a side road (no sign posts).

 

Ballatrae is a coastal village situated on one of the most scenic stretches of coast road in Scotland (reminded me a bit of Great Ocean Rd). Dominated by the ruins of Ardstinchar Castle, once home to the Kennedys of Bargany. We took a right turn directly after the bridge, wended our way down a single lane roadway and found ourselves at a security gate, which opened when I provided the secret password “Lidia”.

Wow, Glenapp!!  We were taken on a private tour of the public areas of the Castle.

It was built in 1870, a strilingly beautiful example of Scottish baronial style of architecture. Designed by the celebrated architect David Bryce for the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire, Mr James Hunter, the castle’s mellow sandstone battlements are topped by soaring turrets and towers,earning Glenapp rightful place as one of the most romantic castles in Scotland. 

From 1902, world renowned gardner Getrude Jekyll and Sir Robert Lotimer, a prolific architect, were commissioned to design the Italian garden from scratch.  (Gertrude had created around 400 gardens in Europe, UK and America). 

The Walled Garden predates the castle, with some of its fruit trees planted in the early Victorian period.   Local hoteliers, the McMillan Family, purchased the castle in 1994, by which time parts of the castle and grounds had fallen into a poor state of repair. Family members embarked on a 6 year period of restoration of castle, gardens and grounds retaining original character and atmosphere. Now part of the exclusive Relais chain of hotels. 

Check out the view of the castle from the ornamental pond!!!! Stunning!!!