June-July 2025 Glasgow, Arran, Skye, Western Isles (Part 4 -- Arran)

Day 4 -- Sunday, the 29th June

A nice breakfast sorts us out. We exchange impressions of our respective adventures with the other guests, then make plans for the next couple of hours. The festival event (singular) starts on the late tip, today.

Fruit salad for JS, with mostly fruits from the garden
(cherries, strawberries, loganberries, grapes)

adc's Full Scottish

My Vegetarian breakfast (JS has the same)

First, we go back to the duck farm, in the hope that the ducks are hungrier, today: we still have a bagful of seeds from yesterday. They are not: only the same female is remotely interested in our feed, but there are other birds there, namely a chaffinch, a cheeky robin and a couple of majestic herons. They all took modelling classes, which suits us well enough.

The swan is quite relaxed around the ducklings

Just a heron being a heron

Ducklings swimming against the current

Chaffinch

Chaffinch

Robin redbreast

Our second stop is a leisurely hike to North Sannox. The weather is very co-operative, and, if there is little fauna to marvel at (a few garden birds), some of the rock formations and the flora that grows on or out of it are remarkable.

Such as these trees that grow on top of and perpendicular to the cliff, defying any notion of gravity.

Spot the robin

This wee (unidentified) rascal boldly blocks our path 

JS catches this ringed plover right before it enjoys a bit
of sexy-plover time with another specimen

The time comes to head to Lochranza.

June-July 2025 Glasgow, Arran, Skye, Western Isles (Part 3 -- Arran)

Day 3 -- Saturday, the 28th June

The breakfast times dictate when we head to Lochranza for the festival.

My veggie breakfast, with fried potato slices, today.
The store is out of potato scones.

adc's partial Scottish

JS's partial Scottish.
The scrambled eggs are a bit runny, today

We cannot make the early bus and have almost an hour in Brodick before the second one. We use that time to visit Rosaburn Ducks. The information we have found promised armies of ducks eating from our hands, amongst other attractions. Once there, it seems said ducks have just had breakfast themselves, because they are not very interested in the seeds we buy to feed them. Only a female is insatiable, with a couple of drakes observing from a safe distance.

The other myriad ducks are happily ignoring us altogether.

While there, we meet a jovial chap who has been doing the same for a while longer; he is part of the pipe band for tonight's ceilidh at the distillery.

JS spots this fella

Time to make a move. Lochranza is calling.

The Arran Malt Festival (Day 2 -- Part 1): Arran Around the World

The Arran Malt Festival (Day 2 -- Part 2): The Select Exclusives: Single Cask Edition

The Arran Malt Festival (Day 2 -- Part 3)

June-July 2025 Glasgow, Arran, Skye, Western Isles (Part 2 -- Arran)

Day 2 -- Friday, the 27th June

At breakfast, we solve the mystery: we have two towels for three, because JS booked rooms for two people. Safe to assume the user experience misled her. In any case, the host is relaxed about it, and gives us the additional towels, no questions asked. Breakfast is good.

My Full Scottish, complete with edible flower and all

adc's Eggs, Bacon and Tomato on Toast

JS's Vegetarian Breakfast

Our host is talkative to say the least; another Scot who has lived everywhere and done everything. It puts one's own experience into perspective.

Replenished and eager, we drive to Lagg via the southeast road, and reach the distillery, in the rain, at 10:10 for our 11:00 appointment. Ahem. The car sees us take another nap. Gotta catch them Zs when you can!

Read about our visit of the orchard here.

[link to the warehouse tasting to come]

After our tasting, we loiter a bit, then depart. We go back north via the west coast. En route, we spot gannets, a black guillemot and oystercatchers. We stop at Lochranza; the tide is high. A couple of swans patrol the shoreline to the castle. We visit said castle (adc has never seen it from up close).

We also see this sign

Then, we proceed, slowly but surely, to Brodick. There, we take a quick nap (I know), then head to Brambles for supper. Excellent food, decent staff (not always on the ball). It is very warm, though. All in all, it is very positive.

My whisky-based cocktail whose name I foolishly do not write down

JS's gin-based cocktail whose name I foolishly do not write down

Inch's Apple Cider (adc)

Arran Cheddar Scone with Arran black pudding, asparagus, lightly poached egg, hazelnut butter (me)

Brambles Fishcake (adc)

Steamed Scottish Mussels (JS)

Fillets of Sole with orzo, samphire, tomato, capers, black olives (me)

Tandoori Lamb Shoulder with rogan josh jus, creamed potatoes, pickled coriander onions (adc)

Gochujang Sesame Marinated Tofu with rice noodles, Asian vegetable broth (JS)

Battered Onion Rings (JS)

We hit home around 22:00, exhausted. We have enough energy for a doughnut, though.

Vegan Strawberry "Pop Tart"
'Bad' would be too strong a word, but it is not our favourite

June-July 2025 Glasgow, Arran, Skye, Western Isles (Part 1 -- Glasgow to Arran)

Day 1 -- Thursday, the 26th June

It is a super-quick early train to Glasgow. What is near the station?

Aye.

Then, we are treated to the Scottish experience on the car-hire shuttle: the bloke tells us about road works ("This has been there for months. They're not doing anything, just exercising traffic cones."), ship-building, and the various ways the City is trying to ease congestion in the centre.

It goes south at the agency, where a trainee is unnecessarily doing things by the book, much to my annoyance (remember I once hired a car without as much as a proof of ID?), but we make it out with a vehicle. Phew.

A few days ago, we received a notification from Caledonian MacBrayne that our ferry was cancelled due to a fault, and we were reassigned to depart later from another port (on another ship, obviously). All of a sudden, and despite planning a tight schedule, we now find ourselves in Glasgow with a few hours to kill. Oh! noes. We head to Clydeside distillery, because, of course we do.

There, we meet DH and AMcD, have a couple of drams (Clydeside 6yo HMS Glasgow b.2025 (46%, OB, Guyanese Rum Casks) which is very much to my taste and Clydeside Velvet Odyssey b.2025 (48.5%, OB in celebration of 20 years of SWG3, Bourbon Barrels + 5mo Pedro Ximénez Sherry Butt), which is less my thing).

Chilling with the boys

We discuss our impending trip, and receive recommendations -- starting with where to grab a bite now: Celino's. adc and JS bring back sarnies as I guard the automobile.

We eat them, then drive to Troon, which we reach with three hours to spare. A nap seems in order.

We board the ship and depart on time. It is an easy-peasy crossing to Brodick, and it is made particularly funny by the fact MV Alfred, a Pentland ferry we took in 2022, still sports all the tourist information about Orkney, where it usually operates. They did stick up a map of Arran in a corner, which may be even funnier.

Once on the island, we check into our accommodation then head to Lamlash, and settle at the Lamlash Bay Hotel, where MD of the Swissky Mafia left something for us. We enjoy a lovely supper too, and even spot gannets in the bay.

Wild Mushroom & Feta Tart (me)

Lamlash Bay Fishcake (JS)

Arran Butcher Haggis Bon Bon’s With Arran mustard mayo (adc)

Arran Butcher's Sausage of The Day (me)

Salt 'n' Pepper Soft Shell Crab Burger (JS)

Rolled Baby Sole Parcels Wrapped in Parma Ham (adc)

JS has a dram of Arran Sauternes Cask Finish (50%, OB, Sauternes Cask Finish) 7/10

We are treated to Scottish Tablet with the bill \o/

They have the coolest cushions too

There is still room for a Tantrum Doughnut when we get home, though!
(Vegan Mango Matcha and Double Blueberry & White Chocolate 'Old Fashioned')

It could be Charles...