Route Summary
A wonderfully scenic short walk, taking in coast and countryside, and incorporating two of the best views on the Isle of Arran, from the Iron Age hillfort at Dun Fionn overlooking the Clauchlands area of the island, between Brodick and Lamlash.
Duration: 1.75 hours.
Route Overview
Duration: 1.75 hours.
Transport/Parking: There is a frequent bus service from Brodick. Approx 2 km walk from Lamlash to start-point. Check timetables. Park in the small car-park at the walk start/end point (near the entrance to the access road to Clauchlands Farm). See Waypoint 1 for further guidance.
Length: 5.02 km / 3.12 mi Height Gain/Loss: 154 meter.
Max Height: 157 meter. Min Height: 3 meter.
Surface: Moderate. Mostly good paths, farm roads, and tarred minor public road. Narrow steep path to clifftop at Waypoint 3. Not suitable for off-road mobility scooter due to this section and stiles at Waypoints 6 and 7.
Difficulty: Medium.
Child Friendly: Yes, if children are used to walks of this distance and overall ascent. Take care on clifftop section between Waypoint 3 and 4.
Dog Friendly: Yes, but keep dogs on lead on public roads and near farm animals.
Refreshments: There various options in Lamlash and Brodick.
Description
For its size, the Isle of Arran offers a wonderful variety of walks in different surroundings and at widely differing grades. This route provides a great little introduction to the island, with fantastic views, near and far. Although this is a short walk, there is a steady ascent in the mid-section to the site of an ancient hillfort at Dun Fionn. The walk is characterised by wide-open views throughout most of the route, particularly so as you approach and reach the summit at Dun Fionn. Here, two of the most iconic views in all of the Isle of Arran are achieved from one vantage point. On one side there is a breathtaking view towards Brodick Bay and the Goatfell range beyond, while on the other side there is a splendid vista towards the majestic and eye-catching Holy Isle, in Lamlash Bay. The walk starts at the shoreline, not far from Lamlash, where the immediate outlook is over the “No Take” [no fishing] sea-water zone to Holy Island, just 1.5 km away across the bay. Soon after passing Clauchlands Point and tiny Hamilton Isle the route climbs to the clifftop and follows a fairly exposed path that steadily gains height above the cliffs. After ascending for about 1 km, you will be at the Dun Fionn hilltop, the site of a pre-historic (probably Iron Age) hillfort, possibly vitrified, although there is no obvious visible evidence of that. Thanks to the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland for this: “This small fort occupies the summit of a hillock on the eastern spur of the Clauchlands Hills, where the ground falls away precipitously on the NE to the rocky shore 160m below. Oval on plan, it measures 30m from E to W by no more than 10m transversely … within a grass-grown rampart only 0.6m in height and spread some 3m in maximum thickness … The interior of the fort is featureless.” On the return route, the gradual descent through farmland and woodland is very pleasant and scenic.
Links:
Photos from walk
Download Route Guide(PDF with illustrated Waypoints)
Download GPX file (GPS Exchange Format)
Access Walk on OutdoorActive
Access Walk on OSMaps
Access Walk on Alltrails
Access Walk on Wikiloc
The Mack Walks 