ARRAN AND THE MULL OF KINTYRE

We'll take a trip around the Ise of Arran and, just a couple of miles from Lochranza is the beautiful Catacol Bay.

We can have a pint or two here, at the Catacol Bay Hotel.

We now take to the water, on our own private transport, heading for Campbeltown, the main place on the Mull of Kintyre. This is the harbour (Creative Commons License).

From this point, the long closed Cambeltown & Machrihanish Railway departed. 

The railway, of narrow gauge, had only the most basic of facilities. 

Services ceased in the early 1930s. Since then, puublic transport has been in the hands of West Coast Motor Services. The company's main depot is in Campbeltown.

OSB829K skirts the sea front in Campbeltown.

About to depart for Machrihanish is an Optare saloon.

We leave the mainland (yes, the Mull of Kntyre is part of the mainland, but a tortuous journey from the major places) and take our private boat again back to Arran, landing at Kildonan Bay.

Here we find the Breadalbane Hotel, for refreshments.

The postbus network on Arran once served Kildonan.

A rather convoluted route to the island's capital, Brodick, takes us through the beautiful Glen Sannox.

We approach Brodick from the north, with fine views of the bay.

It's here that find Arran Brewery.

A myriad of small operators combined to form Arran Transport in the 1970s.

Stagecoach later became the main bus operator.

Here's an old postcard view of the bay at Brodick.

Brodick still has a small fishing fleet (Creative Commons License).

For us, it's the Calmac ferry to Ardrossan (Valters Grivins - Creative Commons License).

On the journey back to the mainland, we're visited by the air-sea rescue services on a practice visit.

The next post will see us touring Ayrshire. Follow progress here.