The Isle of Arran is located just off the west coast of Scotland and is home to vast open landscapes where you can see for miles and miles. An hour on the ferry is all it took before I was far away from the hustle and bustle of mainland Scotland. The Island itself has very few roads, all of which flow with the land as if not to disturb the beautiful curves of the hills surrounding you. The landscape is so varied and untouched, from the mountains in the north, to the wide green pastures in the south.
The Isle of Arran has a population of roughly 5,000, so it is not surprising that most of the residents know each other. With this comes an air of kindness you only seem to find in small, isolated places, as all of the people I met were more than willing to spend a few minutes sharing their knowledge of the land with me. I started my trip with a walk down to Kingscross Point where I met a local man who told me of the desolate Holy Isle, which is home to only a Buddhist retreat and a wildlife sanctuary. If you were looking to escape the world and get back to nature here would certainly be the place to go! Coming from a busy city it was difficult for me to even imagine such a place existed in the UK.
From here I travelled down the narrow winding roads, donned some hiking boots and made my way down into the beautiful Glen Rosa. On the trails here you can see the Goatfell range, which is the highest peak on the island, reaching 874 meters. The view from here allows the island to show off its infinite stunning landscapes, caught at the right time the light casts a glow across the land that makes it transgress far beyond empty fields to so much more than that. As a photographer, I search for remote and unusual destinations and the Isle of Arran definitely did not disappoint on that front.
Another friendly local I met told me I mustn’t leave without visiting Glenashdale Falls as it is renowned for its beautiful waterfalls and the tall trees which surround it. As I made my way through the thick woodland I didn’t see another soul the whole time I was out there and the only sounds to be heard were the crunching of frosted grass beneath my feet and the rushing water, as if the waterfall is leading you towards it. When the trees finally break you see the waterfall that you’ve been hearing since entering the woods and I couldn’t quite get over the scale of it. I sat and watched the water cascading over the edge for a while, realising just how small I was in comparison. Just sitting there made me really appreciate nature and I truly felt like I might have been the only person on the planet.
