Scottish Tour Guide's Blog

• Scenic bay.
• Shopping: the widest range of shops on Arran.
• Brodick Castle: dates from the 13th century and together with extensive grounds is open to visitors.
• Goat Fell: a mountain which dominates the local scenery. This is accessible to most hikers. The named derives from the Old Norse for ‘goat hill’. The rugged peak shown in image above is a function of frost shattering during the last ice-age when Goat Fell and some other peaks on Arran remained above the ice sheets.
• A wide range of lodgings including hotels, B&Bs and Guest Houses.
• Golf: an 18 hole links course.
• Some well preserved examples of prehistoric rock art.
• Arran Heritage Museum featuring social history, genealogy, archaeology, archives, Viking heritage and geology.
• Beach.
• Restaurants.

Here is a landscape view of Brodick Castle

Brodick Castle, Arran, Scotland

 

 

Here is a close-up of Brodick Castle

 

Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, Scotland

 

 

Here is the principal ferry linking Arran to the mainland.

 

Ardrossan-Arran Ferry, Brodick Bay, Isle of Arran

 

Brodick is a good location to use as a base for touring Arran.

Prehistoric Rock Art, Stronach Wood, Isle of Arran

• Laboriously ‘pecked’ out using stone tools, possibly during the Neolithic and/or Bronze ages.
• Found on a downward sloping rock face where the designs make use of the natural occurring features of the rock. ( See final image below.)
• Use of appatrently abstract designs from a ‘standard’ reference source.
• Dating uncertain, but probably at least 3000 years old.

The images in this post show cups (inverted cones), single line, chevrons, multiple rings and ‘keyhole’ figures.

Prehistoric Rock Art, Stronach Wood, Isle of Arran

 

 Image immediatley below shows cups, a single line, a chevron and multiple rings.

Prehistoric Rock Art, Stronach Wood, Isle of Arran

 

 Here are two linked ‘keyhole’ figures. 

 

Prehistoric Rock Art, Stronach Wood, Isle of Arran

 

Here is another ’keyhole’ figure. 

Prehistoric Rock Art, Stronach Wood, Isle of Arran

 

This is the exposed rock face on which the carvings can be found.

 

Site of Prehistoric Rock Art, Stronach Wood, Isle of Arran

 A fascinating site, and one not frequently visited. About 10 miles away are the famous Machrie Moor  stone circles which date back to before 2000 BC

This morning I arrived on the Isle of Arran off the west coast of Scotland for a short tour. Focus today was on prehistory with which Arran is well endowed.

Prehistoric Rock Art, Stronach Wood, Arran

First I went off to Stronach Wood, an isolated spot where can be found a well preserved portfolio of rock art and cup an ring markings in a good state of preservation.Dating with precision is extremely difficult but best guess is the carvings date back to between 3000 and 6000 years ago.

Next we travelled about 10 miles to visit Machrie Moor where can be found a heavy concentration of stone circles and standing stones dating back 4000 to 5000 years. The area is now largely covered by peat deposits but prior to climate change about 1000 BC was fertile ground and supported a large population.

Machrie Moor Prehistoric Site, Arran, Scotland