13 June Arran – Laggan Cottage Walk

Alan, Allan, Davie C, Davie Mc, Ian, Jimmy, Johnny, Malcolm, Paul, Peter, Robert

Despite the seeming chaos surrounding arrangements for today’s outing, eleven of us turned up at Johnny’s for bacon rolls and coffee before heading to Ardrossan for the quarter to ten ferry for Arran. And even on the ferry there was a bit of debate about what walk we would actually do when we reached the island.

The day had dawned unpromisingly; the overcast skies that scattered overnight showers, still hung about in the morning and dark clouds to the west didn’t promise too much for the day ahead. But, by the time we sat on Johnny’s decking enjoying his hospitality, - for which we thank him once again - the day had turned pleasantly clear, sunny and warm. That was the cause of the debate on the ferry; some were for the high tops on such a glorious day while others preferred a level and less exhausting day in the sun. The debate ended with the decision to be first off the ferry, get the bus round to Lochranza and have a leisurely walk over the hill to Laggan cottage. (See 09/09/2009) So that’s what we did. We took the bus round to Lochranza.

An incident occurred even before we left the bus, an incident that involved us only as witnesses. When the bus drew up at the Lochranza distillery to let the tourists alight, it drew up at the wrong entrance; it drew up at the car entrance, the one with the cattle grid, and not the pedestrian one. An Aussie woman who had ‘Ooohed’ and ‘Aaahed’ at the scenery all the way over in the bus was still taking it in as she approached the cattle grid. Looking skyward at the surrounding hills, she never saw where she put her feet. Her first step saw her left foot slip into the space between the round spars and her weight thrown forward bringing her shin into harsh contact with the metal spar. We last saw of her was being lifted out by companions, an ugly bruise already apparent on the injured limb, for that’s when the driver chose to drive on. We could only hope for her sake that the leg wasn’t broken.

We got off the bus at the golf course much to Davie Mc’s surprise for he had expected a visit to Lochranza Castle. But we did get off the bus there – sorry Davie, no visit to the castle today – and started walking along the tarmac that lead to the other side of the river. As usual, deer grazed on the golf course though more distantly than on our last visit. But the cameras were busy anyway while the non camera men strolled casually on. We turned right off the tarmac at the sharp bend, took to a farm track signposted for ‘Laggan Cottage – 3 miles’ and climbed the glen side with it. At another sign pointing out the path to Laggan Cottage we stopped for coffee for this, after all, was to be a leisurely stroll in the sun.

The path rises gradually up the side of the hill and affords splendid views into the high northern hills of the island. Pangs of regret stirred in the hill men as we climbed for these hills looked splendid today. We looked into the northern face of the Castles ridge, rocky and serrated and looking splendidly inviting against the blue sky. But we were on the path for Laggan Cottage and we continued to rise with it.

Near the top of the climb we came across a young lady from Aberdeen University, a geology student doing a six week field study on the island. In days gone past her rucksack would be full of samples but now sample collecting has been stopped and the best the soul could do was photograph anything that she found interesting. We left her to it and came to the top of the rise, a shallow col between two hills.

No matter how often you come this way, the first sight of the sea is always superb and for those doing this walk for the first time this was a dramatic and awe-inspiring change from the green of the glen we had just left a few minutes before. We came through the gap in the hill and stood high above the blue firth, looking north-eastward over the sun-drenched Isle of Bute to the hills of Dunbartonshire and northward along Loch Fyne to the blue distant hills of Argyll. Landscape features were pointed out and named but, try as we might, none of us could remember the name of the wee island off the west coast of Bute, the one with the old monastery on it. (Inchmarnock – Ed.)

The view over the sea was to stay with us, changing subtly as we dropped down the path towards the cottage. Below us, on the shore, a larger party of geology students could be seen examining the rocks. We would meet them later. But for now we continued to drop down to sea level at Laggan Cottage.

We chose to lunch at the cottage – it’s as good a place as any and better than most. The author (see 09/09/09) was in residence in the cottage and stuck his head out to acknowledge our presence but was unable to interest us in his book. The group of young students we had seen earlier came by with one or two older folks that we took to be lecturers and leaders. Two minutes later they came back by and asked us if we knew the whereabouts of a path over to Lochranza. Being obliging souls that we are, we set them off on the right path. There you go ,wives; we old boys come in handy for some things.

We spent some time at the cottage while Jimmy sloped off with his new camera and Davie Mc entertained Holly with sticks in the sea. Such antics looked far too much like exertion to the rest of us though and we were content just to laze around in the sun. It’s not often we’ve had the chance to do that this year. But the time came as it invariably does, and we had to move off.

The walk was now along the raised beach and in keeping with the day we set off at a leisurely

pace examining the landscape, the flowers, the birds and the butterflies and blethering about nothing in particular. But leisurely strolls seem to be anathema to some of us and the pace was gradually picked up. The group split once again. Peter and Jimmy and Robert and Allan and Johnny seemed to have the smell of ale in their nostrils already and shot off at a fair old lick leaving the sensible to come on at a reasonable pace. By the time we reached the fallen Rocks they were a hundred metres in front and by the time we came into the forest at Sannox they were out of sight completely. So much for leisurely stroll in the sunshine!

When we reached the car park at Sannox bay we fully expected to find the fast lot having another break for coffee but there was no sign of them. We walked on. There is no direct route from the car park to the path on the other side of the river and we know from experience that the river can be high here so we took to tarmac and crossed the water by the road bridge and took the path down the other side. This path took us through the trees, under the old sea cliffs, over the ‘steppies’ in the river and out to tarmac at the bus stop. That’s where we found the fast lot waiting for the bus.

We had fully twenty minutes to wait for the bus and when it came it was nearly empty. It carried us as far as Mac’s Bar in Brodick where FRT was taken outside in the sun for the first time this year. Here we must thank Davie C for in gratitude for his recent retirement and now becoming a full member of the Ooters, bought the first round. Thank you DC.

In the summer time Calmac lay on extra ferries and it was the six o’clock one that brought us back to the mainland.