The Mountains of Arran

Friday 21st April 2017

The weather forecast for this day wasn’t good with rain and wind, which prompted me to take the wet weather route that I had planned around the north-eastern coast of the Isle of Arran, where I’d stopped after spending a few days on the Isle of Islay. There is a path from the youth hostel at Lochranza around Newton Point and the Cock of Arran past some geologically significant rock formations, most notably Huttons’ Unconformity. I’m sure this would have been a great walk, but it would have meant that I had not gone up any mountains during this holiday due to bad weather. After a closer look at the forecast I decided that the weather was going to improve so I, obstinately, decided that it was worth attempting my originally planned walk up the mountains of Arran. I was last on Arran ten years ago when I’d also started my holiday in Inveraray, just as on this holiday, and then spent five days in the fantastic mountains of Arran in glorious weather. That holiday was so successful there were no mountains in Arran left for me to visit, which was why it took me so long to return, but now I deliberately headed home from Islay via Arran so that I could reacquaint myself with these great mountains.

The weather when I started this walk was a bit cloudy, but not too bad as I left the village of Lochranza, and immediately after passing the distillery I turned onto a path that runs up Gleann Easan Biorach. Initially I enjoyed a good path, probably due to the distillery, and as the path climbs beside a narrow gorge formed by a spectacular waterfall I was reminded of similar paths in the Lake District. I was happy that I had chosen to do the mountain walk as there is nothing better than a walk that is like the Lake District. However, above the gorge the path deteriorated into a bog while the valley levelled and left me thinking of the walk that I’d planned to do a couple of days previously up the Paps of Jura. I had not done that walk because I didn’t like the idea of traversing the miles of impenetrable bogs that defend those distinctive peaks. I had dismissively called that bog-trotting, and now as I was bog-trotting slowly up this valley the irony was weighing heavily upon me. When the valley began to steepen once more I decided that my best option would be to cross the river and to climb up the comparatively drier slopes on the other side.

With the wind starting to whip up as a ridge began to develop, I was reminded of the weather forecast. Behind me Lochranza appeared to be enjoying some sunshine, but ahead of me the weather was looking very poor and by the time I plunged into the low clouds it had started raining. With strong winds and now rain I was beginning to think that it may not have been the best weather to go up a mountain, however underfoot the terrain was improving as a satisfying ridge developed that was a pleasure to walk along, despite the horrible weather. It was great being on a mountain again, no matter what the weather, and surprisingly I was actually enjoying myself. Slowly I kept climbing, but however much I climbed the summit of Caisteal Abhail seemed increasingly illusive and unreachable in the worsening weather. Eventually I decided that it was a waste of time going any further as I could have wandered around for hours and not seen the summit of the mountain, and the weather was beginning to make conditions unbearable.

Turning around I followed a path down the south-western slopes of Caisteal Abhail. I may not have reached the actual summit, but I’d been there before in 2007 and now my only thought was to get safely down off the mountain. I had to make several course corrections when I lost the path descending too far west in the misty conditions, but eventually I found the right route that bypassed Cìr Mhor to reach the bottom of the saddle at the top of Coire Buidhe. The rain had continued to fall heavily during my descent while the wind was blowing a gale, but safety was now in sight with a good path that led from the col down into Glen Rosa. After dropping a short distance, I was sheltered from the strong, westerly winds so I hid behind a large rock and with relief to be out of the bad weather I ate my lunch. This walk could have led to serious problems, but I was confident in my experience of bad weather on top of a mountain and in my map reading skills that I could safely get down to my escape route. The bad weather had added an exciting element to the walk and increased the sense of adventure, but if I’d known that the wind was going to be as strong as it was then I would have taken the coastal walk.

A well-made path brought me easily and enjoyably down into Glen Rosa while the rain finally eased and I was sheltered from the winds. As I descended into the valley I was determined to not feel that the mountain, or the weather, had beaten me. Climbing a mountain is not a contest, or a fight. I wasn’t trying to conquer the mountain, just climb it, and if the weather stops this being fun and started making it potentially dangerous then there is no shame in abandoning the planned walk. I had planned on walking over Cìr Mhor and Goat Fell after Caisteal Abhair, but in the end I had a thoroughly enjoyable walk anyway as I slowly descended into the valley. I had never taken this path before so I was looking forward to walking down this distinctive, glacially shaped valley so that despite cutting the walk short I actually really enjoyed it as I slowly made my way down Glen Rosa. Ahead of me the weather gradually improved with blue skies appearing through the clouds while behind me the mountains clung onto the thick, dark clouds.

This walk was completely different to the walks that I did over the mountains of Arran ten years ago with an approach, from Lochranza, that I had not done back then. Even the descent was new with a long walk-out through Glen Rosa so that despite what should have been a horrendous walk was actually an enjoyable one even though it had been cut short when I had decided that the weather was too poor at the top of Caisteal Abhair. The conditions continued to improve with lovely spring weather lower down the valley that made for a great, relaxing stroll down lovely Glen Rosa. I had enjoyed being at the top of the mountains before the weather turned really bad, and that has motivated me to want to return to these fabulous mountains soon. The Isle of Arran has been described as Scotland in miniature, while I would describe the mountains of Arran as being like the Lakeland Fells in miniature, and that is praise indeed.