Lochranza - Arran - Scotland - etc....

Scenes around Loch Ranza
[Kyle]First, let’s define some terms. Loch Ranza is the loch called Ranza, Lochranza is the little village next to Loch Ranza. The Scots do this a lot with place names so expect more. Apparently Ranza means ‘red’ in the Viking language and referred not to the loch but the colour of the pretty little rowan trees with bunches of red berries that populate the area. Loch Ranza is also the place where Queen Elizabeth II spent the first night of her honeymoon aboard the Royal Yacht Brittania.

By late morning the day after we arrived in Loch Ranza in the much less posh Footprint, the weather had cleared and the Day Star was out and shining. Maryanne and I rowed ashore to have a look around. During our walk, we found a sign that read Distillery: 1 and a 1/4 miles. Off we went.

The Arran Distillery is not old or historic in any way. Even though the island has a long history of (mostly illegal) whisky making, the Arran distillery has only been around since 1994. I have t-shirts older than that. Nevertheless, the distillery was very nice and the tour was well done and informative. The whisky was gorgeous. Maryanne and I had been worried that it would resemble the Islay variety we had on Sanda since it is from the same general region but Arran did a much better job, I think. Whisky over here is very expensive as it is mostly (nearly 80%) tax. We bought a sampler mini pack of our favorites and a bottle of their really nice cream liqueur. Perhaps if we find ourselves in a French supermarché someday (reputedly the cheapest place to buy whisky), we can load up on proper amounts.

[Maryanne]Notably, the Arran distillery does not dry the malted barley over peat smoked fires, nor does it add any peat aromas during its processing - this means that Arran whisky does not have the distinctive peaty taste typical of the Islands. Their explanation? Arran is Scotland in miniature and it can pick the taste of the region it's master distillers like best. It was good.

[Kyle]After the distillery, we headed up into the mountains on the three mile trail up Gleann Easan Biorach (pronounced: Thpthpthchackackack) toward Loch na Davie and were rewarded with stunning views of the glen. As we went further and further up the glen, the path became noticeably mushier. All the recent rain had turned much of the path into a little brook. Maryanne had on her distillery tour wellies (see Whiskey and Wildlife, July 2009). I was wearing sandals. Once we both realized that trying to keep our feet dry was pointless, we had a nice time splashing our way up the path. A couple of times, each of us mis-stepped and, squelch!, one or both feet would sink to the knee in sticky mud. With the one of us (Maryanne) pulling it usually took all of our strength to pull the other one (me) out without losing the shoe. Maryanne had one particularly upsetting moment when she sunk deep enough for the goo to flow over the top and into her boot. Eeew! Still, the scenery was very Scottish and breathtaking. That walk really made me feel like we’re in Scotland.


The trails for this hike seem to be wet, soggy streams; thank goodness it was not raining!
On the way back, we bought a few provisions and had a look at the ruin of Lochranza Castle, which has a commanding view of the Loch. On the way out of there, Maryanne spotted the most adorable little baby seal. He was only about two feet long and kept making cute little sleepy faces. Aawww!


This seal just can't stay awake