Miss me? Blog traffic indicates that people (or web-indexing spiders) actually read this very repository of ephemera during my absence, so there exists the possibility that you may wish to know why I’ve been slacking off in the last week or so.
I was taking a holiday: I’m allowed one, apparently. What larks!
We went to Arran, which is off the West Coast of Scotland and must have something going for it, as my family goes to the island twice a year. Ironically enough, we managed to time our arrival so as to miss the fortnight-long heat wave which preceded our holiday and found the weather to be…changeable.
Allow me to illustrate, via the medium of camera phone pictorial:
This ferry is in dock at the Ardrossan ferry terminal. You had to back your car onto the deck. Our ferry was a mite bigger...
Nice blue sky, bright sunshine – good holiday weather all around, I think you’ll agree.
Arran's wonderful micro-climate, but one day later...
But 24 hours later, you’ll note, things were not quite as agreeable. I’ve yet to have a complete wash-out in Arran, but the weather was gleefully up and down during the first part of the week. As long as we get to walk the dogs, the odd shower and chill wind really doesn’t worry me.
I want miniature cannons by my front door. Why can't I have them? #Doormat Cannons
Fine venues like Brodick Castle exist for the history-minded tourist, but I prefer to just have a wander around their lovely, expansive gardens with the dogs and check out the funny nooks and crannies which add to your understanding of the building and it’s history.
The Ice House, Brodick Castle, Arran
Bringing back the Metal theme of recent posts, by going to Brodick Castle on Monday last week, I was a day late and could have taken in the sight of Arran’s own Viking re-enacting society running amok and generally being all Battle Metal. Crivens!
It’s not just the big, tourist things which delight about Arran – it’s the incidental stuff. Take my new friend, for example:
My new pal - I call him Billy Boulderson. Lovely lad, always smiling.
Idiosyncrasy – one of my favourite things in life and certainly a quality that Arran has in abundance.
Weird weather, quirky history and friendly locals – Arran is the kind of place that you want to keep coming back to.
great post! i love scotland,my mum is from Nairn, great place to visit????
Lovely place to visit – it’s often referred to as “Scotland in miniature”, due to the geographical variance over a comparatively small landmass. I recommend it wholeheartedly.