papayawhip

…was early January 2007. I stayed with a friend whose family owns a small holiday cottage in Brodick. (There were 4 of us total.)

The cottage was drafty and at one point it was so windy the electricity went out, so my main experience of Arran was that it was VERY damp and VERY freezing cold. Thankfully there was a pretty well-stocked Co-op supermarket within walking distance from us, because I don’t think there were many options for eating short of take-aways.

We tried a few local pubs in Brodick but since it was a few days after New Years, they were pretty dead and the atmosphere wasn’t exactly lively. We also tried a pub in Whiting Bay, but surprisingly it was filled with mostly English people, which, while not a bad thing, was not what I’d expected either. (The pub quiz was fun though, ignoring the fact we came last!)

Arran is a lovely isle, but I’ve only experienced it on the off-season, so I didn’t get the nicest impression of it. I’d like to see it again someday in the summer, when I can actually hike up to Brodick Castle. But Arran in the dead of January? NOT recommended!

…Was Hogmanay (New Years) 2005-2006. Honestly, it was the best New Year’s I’ve ever had. We spent it the only “club” they have there, Club Mondo (the place we love to go every time we’re there), and we had the time of our lives. (There are also a variety of pubs to choose from if you’re interested, including the cozy Oban Inn, built several hundred years ago.)

I’ve been to Oban about 5 times total, and plan to go there again this New Year. It’s a quiet, quaint Scottish seaside town, but every time we go there we seem to have a new adventure. There are a bunch of interesting hotels and B&B’s to stay in, but book in advance so you’re not disappointed. Pretty much everything in the town is in walking distance.

Make sure you go up to McCaig’s Folly, just behind the Oban Whiskey Distillery. It’s a steep climb to get it it, but the view is incredible!

I absolutely loved it. It has a much more captivating atmosphere than Edinburgh Castle. Less touristy too. It’s beautiful. I also love the pretty surrounding village and exploring the nearby graveyard.