Has anyone stayed in Lochranza on Arran?

Hi, Mardee,

Damn those bank holidays! Arran is a favorite weekend destination "Doon the watter" for Glaswegians. Fortunately (for you, anyway!), many of the weekend visitors are foot passengers, so they are pretty much limited to the Brodick area.

I haven't stayed in Lochranza, but it was on the radar for our last trip to Arran. Fortunately, the late lamented Glenartney had a room available. I was actually looking at the Lochranza Youth Hostel, which has private en-suite rooms in addition to the standard dorm accommodation.

Another possibility could be the Lagg Hotel, which is on the south end of Arran. It's a bit of a drive from the Lochranza ferry, but from appearances, it is a an old style country hotel, and looked very comfortable. We had stopped to use the hotel's toilet facilities, so I can't say anything about the rooms. The hotel has some very good reviews on TripAdvisor.

You could also try in Lamlash, which is just a few miles south of Brodick. We had booked in to the Stonewater B&B there in 2020 before Covid put paid to our plans. Seemed like a really nice place to stay. It is all vegan, so you don't want to arrive smelling of fish & chips!

Also, the Corrie Hotel, just up the way from Brodick, could be a possibility, unless you're staying on June 16th., when they have apparently tripled their normal booking rate!

If all else fails, you could call the TI office in Brodick, and explain your situation. They may be able to supply you with some B&B suggestions that are off the radar. 011 44 1770 303774

Good luck to you, and don't give up on Arran! Let us know when you confirm your accommodation.

As always, best wishes!

Mike (Auchterless)

Mike, don't worry, I'm not giving up on Arran! If the one on Lochranza doesn't work out, I will check out the others and I'm sure I can find something. Thank you for the ideas - I will look them up now.

When you are talking about 'doon the watter' it is really Dunoon on the Cowal Peninsular or Rothesay on the Isle of Bute rather than Arran ;-) That is where the paddle steamers went.

Arran however is a popular place for a weekend from here, and some people commute in and out of Glasgow from the Brodick area. More eating opportunities will be had in Brodick itself, but never heard anything bad against Lochranza.

Arran is nicknamed Scotland in miniature due to the north being very similar to the Highlands across the water in Argyll, the south closer to the central belt in Ayrshire. What it will be in Lochranza is remote and it can be especially quiet at night.

Mike, I booked the Lagg Hotel - it looked very nice and they had a lovely single room for a good price. In fact it was £135 cheaper than the Kincardine Lodge in Lochranza so I decided not to wait for Kincardine to respond as I really wanted to get something booked. And the location is also quite lovely. It's only 45 minutes from the ferry, too, so I'm happy to have this!

It's also a fairly quick walk to the beach and the Lagg Distillery! Thanks so much for checking these out - once again you have helped so much!

MC-Glasgow, thank you for the clarification! I have a feeling that outside of Brodick it will be quiet all over, so that will be nice in the evenings. I'm feeling very contented with this choice but I will definitely report back and let you all know how it went. :)

By the way, MC, when I read your posts I imagine you saying them with a broad Scottish accent in my head. :) And that's not bad - I love the accent! That's why I liked Shetland so much - I could hear different accents depending on where the characters were from.

Lochranza is gorgeous. Stayed at the youth hostel a few years ago.

There is the Lochranza Country House Hotel for a meal in the evenings. Or there's another pub a short drive away in Catacol.

There is nothing to do except go for a walk and watch the red deer enter the village. Visit the distillery during the day.. And yes it's ideal for the ferry to Cloanaig.

Hi again, Mardee,

Glad you booked the Lagg Hotel. Let us know how you liked it when you get back from your holiday. There is a very pleasant walk to Kilmory Beach from the hotel. The walk goes right by the Torrylinn Cairn, which is a thousand year old burial cairn. We took that walk in 2018, after our toilet stop at the Lagg Hotel. We did have to climb over a wooden gate to get back to the main road, so if you take that walk, don't wear a skirt!

I'm not sure whether the Lagg does evening meals. If they don't, you should be able to find something in Whiting Bay or Lamlash. The Co-op in Brodick is very well stocked, if you need to get supplies.

Best wishes once again!

Mike (Auchterless)

Hi, MC,

Well, I suppose that "doon the watter" originally meant Dunoon or Rothesay, or maybe even Millport, but apparently the Waverley has expanded her coverage. Looking at her website, Brodick is listed as one of the Scottish points of departure, and since Arran is in the Firth of Clyde, it's even farther "doon the watter". :)

As an aside, I had always thought of Rothesay as a sort of a rundown tourist trap, as popularized in the song The Day We Went to Rothesay O". However, this summer we travelled through Rothesay on a four ferry trip from Port Ellen to Wemyss Bay. I was very surprized at how nice it was, and not down at the heels as I had expected. We arrived on Bute in enough time to have a good walk around Rothesay, a visit to Mount Stuart, and a drive around the south end of the island. We were so charmed that we are planning to return on our next holiday. And yes, we did visit the Victorian toilets at the ferry terminal! I smuggled Mrs. A in so that she could have a look around.

You are very lucky to be living in Glasgow. I have fond memories of the University Cafe, the Necropolis, the People's Palace, and the Barras, among other things!

Mike (Auchterless)