Isle of Arran without car

Yes, Arran is probably one of the best places to go to in the Isles without a car. They have decent public transportation there. I had a car and really enjoyed my 3 nights there, but 2 women (a mother and daughter) were staying at the same inn, and they were getting all over the island by bus quite easily. You can get more info at the Visit Arran website. Just scroll down and it gives you a bit of info on buses. https://www.visitarran.com/plan-your-trip/getting-around You can find timetables here: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/plan-a-journey

They also have some private tours that you could take as well. More info here: https://www.visitarran.com/see-do/tours

I would suggest staying in Brodick, which is the largest town there (and where the ferry drops you off), as it will give you easier access to everything, and is a nice town with good restaurants.

You may find this a more useable form of the Stagecoach Bus Timetable for Arran- https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/Timetables/West%20Scotland/WSCOT_JAN%202024%20Timetables_USE%20THIS%20FILE/321-322-323-324-Jan-24-WSCOT_23-24_13.pdf

Even if you are a foot passenger it is imperative currently that you pre book both outward and return trips with CalMac.

That way if there is weather or mechanical disruption CalMac can communicate with you, also if they have to return you to the wrong mainland port they can order enough transfer buses to return you to Ardrossan.

This week has been great fun and games with breakdowns and weather disruptions to Arran. From Ardrossan the service is on it's 3rd ship in a week- one having now been drafted in from the Outer Hebrides to cover. That ship only has a limited retail and catering offer, not the normal full meal service.

Thanks so much. Looks like I needed to dig more deeply into the Visit Arran site. I feel much better about the trip now!