Whiting Bay

Arran is a paradise for walkers and the only difficulty is choosing which walk to go on. We hadn't really planned this walk very well, just decided to do it as we were passing through Whitting Bay. There is a map in the village which indicates the way to go, and the walk is fairly well signposted.

Bearing in mind this was January, the weather was perfect that day. I would describe the walk as relatively easy, but the path does get a bit narrow in places and can be slippery. You need decent footwear. Even before you get to the falls, there are lots of little burns and mini waterfalls to see. You hear the main falls long before you get to them. The walk takes you through a beautiful forest up one side of the burn, past an Iron Age fort and finally above the falls. The best place to see them is a little further on, as a viewing platform has been built which allows you to walk out over the burn. Great view from there, but I always find it difficult to walk onto those things (irrational I know, but I cant help it). The falls are an impressive sight, particularly after a rainy spell. The path then takes you back down to Whiting Bay along the other side of the burn

The walk takes about an hour and a half to complete. My only regret is that not having planned this properly we ran out of time and didn't get the chance to go and see the ‘Giants Graves, which are in fact a group of Neolithic chambered cairns. If you decide to go and see that, be aware that you will need to climb 265 steps! Even without that extra 45 minutes added to our walk, I was ready for lunch by the time we got back.