The previous part of this narrative can be found here.

I had a little time to spend in Carlisle before getting the train to Ardrossan so I went for a gentle ride around the city centre and went to the Cathedral again and chilled out for a bit and listened to bell ringing which was very impressive. I sat and listened to the choir practice for the Sunday morning service. I would probably have stayed for the service itself only I would have to leave before it finished to make my way to the station.

I went out and sat in the Cathedral grounds for half an hour or so before making my way to the station which isn’t very far. Today would be a leisurely day, most spent travelling. Carlise station is a very impressive building in its own right and the first train service departed Carlise as far back as 1847. I was in good time as I wanted to find my correct platform etc. I hadn’t booked a bike reservation as the Scotrail website said not to do so for folding bikes but the platform attendant told me to do so to save having to fold the bike. I went to the ticket office and there was no additional charge for this and I was given two new tickets, one for me and one for the bike.

The train journey was pleasant but uneventful. I elected sit in the carriage where the bicycle storage was rather than go to the allocated seat number somewhere else on the train. It wasn’t very busy so this was no problem. I think it highlights how much the Irish government need to invest in rail travel after a decades of neglect. The 102-mile journey to Glasgow Central station was dispatched quickly, smoothly and quietly by this electric train. It is infinitely better than sitting in a traffic jam somewhere or on in an endless queue of cars on a soul-destroying motorway.

At Glasgow Central, I changed trains for the Ardrossan line. The other big benefit of travelling by rail compared to driving on long distance journeys is that I was able to sit and look out of the window or read, instead of having to concentrate on driving. The train service and ferry service are timed to work together but I had made a mess of booking it in a way as I had booked the last ferry of the evening and then when I went to book the train, for some reason the mid-day train was less than half the price of the evening train, so I booked the midday train so would have some time to kill in Ardrossan. This is no great hardship to do as you are on the magnificent Ayrshire coast with all it’s many beaches. I would take a leisurely ride to Saltcoats along the Ayrshire Coastal Path. I love this place. The beaches were surprisingly quiet but I suppose it was quite cold despite the sunny blue sky. I returned to Ardrossan in good time for my six o’ clock sailing.

Once onboard the MV Isle of Arran, I made my way to the dining saloon as I had decided to have my evening meal on board the ferry. I had eaten on board Caledonian MacBrayne services before and their food is good and reasonably priced. The voyage to Brodick takes about an hour. On a clear day, the views from on board the ferry are very nice. There is no doubt this is a beautiful coastline and I still have fond memories of sailing past the Isle of Arran to Ardrishaig and back via the Kyles of Bute onboard the P.S. Waverley a few years ago. I really must visit Bute at some point in the future.

Once docked in Brodick and disembarked from the ferry, I had to ride the short three miles to Lamlash to where I had booked to stay in the Arran Sleep Huts. I had stayed there last year too. The ride between Brodick and Lamlash is a scenic route, but a hilly one, especially when carrying luggage. With long climbs like this, I always find they’re much easier mid-ride when your legs are nicely warmed up but here, you are just fresh off the ferry after lounging around and cooling down for an hour or more. But what goes up, has to come down and the second half of the ride to Lamlash is completed at pretty high gravity-assisted speed if you have confidence in your brakes.

I then made my way the final half mile or so to where I would be staying, For me, this is a much more pleasant way to end your day than mixing it with rush hour traffic in Carlisle, which is why I tend to avoid large urban areas when touring. I would just have a relaxing evening sitting outside my room overlooking the sea in the gloaming.

I had booked a trip to the nearby Holy Island with Lamlash Cruises for the morning. This is the Island you see across Lamlash Bay and I was looking forward to it. It offers interesting hiking and nature-watching opportunities. The departure time on Monday morning was at 10:30 so I had ample time to wander around, go to the shop and buy some food and have some breakfast before presenting myself at Lamlash Pier for 10:30. The crossing would only be around ten minutes and we would have four hours on the island. It is only a small boat with capacity for eight people. We were blessed with nice weather for our short voyage and beautiful calm seas.

The island is very small at less than 2 miles long and just over half a mile wide. The island has long been a sacred site with a Holy well and the cave where the sixth century hermit St. Molaise lived. It’s known that the Vikings sheltered their fleet in the bay before the Battle of Largs. There is a Buddhist Community on the island and the rest of it is a nature reserve where you can find Eriskay ponies, Saanen goats, Soay sheep amongst other wildlife. You can also see the Tibetan Buddhist rock paintings.

I elected to walk the path along the coast with the intentions of visiting the lighthouses. There is also another route option to the highest point of the island but I understand it’s difficult and loose terrain and I am wary of such things nowadays as I can’t afford to injure my already damaged ankle. As it turns out, I didn’t get to the lighthouse as the path was blocked by a group of the Eriskay ponies who had young foals and they were very aggressive and protective towards the foals. The general advice had been not to get too close to them. I still enjoyed my day though and the Lamlash Cruises boat crew and the other passengers were all extremely friendly.

Once back on Arran, I retuned to base and had something to eat and got my bike. I decided to ride back to Brodick to visit the museum. I got there about an hour before it closes and they wouldn’t allow me in as they said I’d need at least ninety minutes to see it all. I did call at the visitors’ centre at the Isle of Arran brewery instead which was nice to see and I know they make lovely beer. I did sample their wares and bought a t-shirt.

It was still reasonably early so I decided to ride on to Lochranza. I had ridden this road the previous year but in the other direction. I loved it although it is definitely not an easy ride, more than three gears would be recommended. I had a quick walk around the ruins of Lochranza castle and then returned to Lamlash. It was after eight o’ clock when I got back. I had ridden nearly forty difficult miles and I was really hungry when I got back.

The Tuesday would be my final full day on Arran. Last year I had ridden around the island in two sections taking in the inland roads. I was wondering if I could do the full circuit today. It’s only about sixty miles but a very difficult sixty miles. The weather was less promising today too, misty, damp and surprisingly cold considering it was the end of June. I would give it a go anyway so set of after breakfast.

I decided to ride in a clockwise direction as I had already been to Lochranza the evening before in an anti-clockwise direction. I made my way through Whitting Bay and around the coast to Lagg in thick fog so I could see relatively little in places. I stopped at the distillery in Lagg for a look around their visitors’ centre before continuing on towards Blackwaterfoot.

It had started raining heavily now and I sought shelter in a bus shelter to eat my lunch and discovered that bus shelters are surprisingly social places as a variety of backpackers and various bus passengers came and went and all were friendly. It was decision time for me. Should I continue with my riding plans and get soaked or just fold the Brompton up and get a bus back to Lamlash?

I’m not made of sugar after all and don’t dissolve in the rain so I decided to continue. I have got soaking wet many times when cycling or walking and accept that it will happen again. I knew I had dry clothes waiting for me back at base camp anyway. This is why I don’t like to commit to camping on trips like these. I don’t mind getting wet during the day but to have soaking wet clothes in a small tent and nowhere to dry them and then have to pack up a wet tent in the morning is not my idea of fun.

It was starting to show evidence of improving now anyway. I made my way up the west side of the island towards what I consider one Arran’s best features – The Machrie Moor standing stones. I spent a lot of time here last year, this year would only be a quick walk around but to me, this place is amazing. I love visiting these types of monuments and this is one of the best I’ve experienced and it is fascinating even in less-than-ideal weather.

I continued along the coast road until I found myself back in Lochranza again. The rain had now cleared and I had dried out again. I had tried to use my waterproof coat earlier but it was just too hot and sticky and I would only have ended up soaked in sweat instead. I spent quite a bit of time in Lochranza as I got talking to people waiting for the ferry to Claonaig on the Mull of Kintyre. I know it is part of the five-ferry challenge to do this route but as an Irish-based person, at some point in the future I must look at using this ferry route in some creative way to link with Campbeltown to Ballycastle or Port Ellen to Ballycastle services which I think could make a hugely interesting route through some stunning terrain.

I completed the route around the coast via Brodick back to Lochranza. Yet again I was too late to visit the Brodick Museum. Maybe next time! I had successfully circumnavigated the Isle of Arran and all its hills on a three-speed Brompton so I am pleased with that. Considering there had been long breaks sheltering from the rain, visiting the distillery and talking to random strangers, I had completed it in reasonable time too.

Arran has become one of my favourite cycling destinations. It’s mostly very quiet roads, stunning scenery, friendly people and challenging terrain make is a true cycling delight in my opinion. I would be leaving the following morning, part of me wishing I had booked another night.

I had booked a mid-morning ferry from Brodick. I had booked a ferry to Troon as I was heading south along the Ayrshire coast anyway so it made sense even if is a slightly longer ferry crossing. I made my way to Brodick in good time as I wanted to make sure I was in time for the ferry. I had planned to get breakfast onboard the ferry. That all went wrong when I discovered it was not a CalMac ferry operating on this service (even though I had booked it through CalMac) and there was no food on board. Even the vending machine was empty! Thankfully I had some biscuits but it wasn’t the breakfast I had hoped for.

When we arrived in Troon, I found a shop and food and then decided to backtrack to Irvine for a look around the harbour (which sort of defeated the point of sailing to Troon as opposed to Ardrossan in the first place but plans are made). I spent time at the harbour having a look around and seeing the giftshop belonging to the Scottish Maritime Museum and some of the things they had on display. It was very interesting. At Irvine harbour, you can see the Spartan which is one of the few remaining Clyde Puffers (although it was converted to diesel power at some point). The Clyde Puffer is a type of small steam powered ship developed from canal boats in the nineteenth century. Originally used on the canals, they were later made sea-worthy and used to sail to the western isles carrying cargo. The Spartan is being restored and unfortunately, I was not able to get close for a look around.

From Irvine, I retraced my steps down the coastal path, eventually ending up in Ayr. I took a leisurely ride along Ayr’s magnificent sea front and then in through the town itself, looking at the many lovely old buildings including the Tam O’Shanter Inn, said to be the pub used in Robert Burns’ brilliant narrative poem, Tam O’Shanter. My tour had taken me from where Burns died in Dumfries and now, I was back almost at his birth place. Time had run away with me today. I had always intended to cycle from Troon to Ayr along the coastal path but hadn’t intended back-tracking to Irvine or spending so much time there. I had a vague plan from Ayr to either continue along the coast to the Heads of Ayr and Electric Brae or else go inland to Tarbolton and Mauchline which are other towns associated with Burns and I would like to have visited Poosie Nancies which another ancient inn associated with Burns as the setting for The Jolly Beggars.

In reality, it was now six o’clock and I had to make my way to Stranraer where I would spend the night before getting the ferry home again in the morning. Tarbolton, Mauchline and the Poosie Nancies would have to wait for another occasion. I made my way to the bus depot,

folded up my Brompton and got the next bus to Stranraer. I spent a quiet evening in Stranraer and in the morning, rode the six miles to Cairnryan to check in to the ferry for a midday sailing and then getting the train back to Derry. I had covered just over 450 miles on Scottish soil and enjoyed every minute of it. I wish I had have had longer as there are always other things I would like to have done but I suppose that always gives you reasons to go back! The Brompton coped admirably with it all too. I have traditionally used my Brompton to tour when I knew I would be using buses or because it fits easily in the car but on this occasion, I opted to use it for no other reason than I wanted to. I only I had one bus journey between Ayr and Stranraer (and I could have used the train or booked a bike space on a coach service if I had used a large wheeled bike). I feel the Brompton makes a good companion for a leisurely tour like this and carries luggage very well. Three gears are enough for me most of the time so long as you’re not going anywhere seriously hilly. I doubt I would have enjoyed it any more if I had taken a large wheeled bike. It’s all about the places you visit too, the bike has little to do with it so long as it’s comfortable to ride and in sound mechanical condition.