Why I love the Isle of Arran in Winter
- heatherfifi
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Growing up, my family and I always spent a week of the summer holidays on the Isle of Arran. It was normally a week filled with adventures and fun, but also normally with the unpredicable summer Scottish weather and a whole lot of midges thrown in.
Then, about 10 years ago, we went for the first time at the start of December. We were very skeptical about what winter might look like on a Scottish island known for being a hit with tourists during the summer months. But what we quickly discovered is how much there is to love about the Isle of Arran during the winter months.
If you're looking for a beautiful place to visit in Scotland during the winter months, let this blogpost be my entry to why the Isle of Arran should be added to your list. This blogpost should hopefully help you see why I love Arran so much during the winter months, and why you consider planning a trip at this time of year yourself.
Arran is a Fantastic Destination for Christmas Shopping
One of the reasons we love visiting the Isle of Arran during the winter months is because of fantastic small businesses and shops we love to support during the run up to Christmas. I've always love the Isle of Arran, and one of the key reasons why I love the island so much is because of the incredible array of amazing small businesses that you can support.
As part of our Christmas dinner at my parent's house, we always enjoy a starter we simply call "The Platter". It's basically a big grazing board with various meats, cheeses, breads and crackers, and it's one of the highlights of Christmas for me.
There's still Plenty to do
One common misconception about visiting anywhere in the Scottish Highlands or Islands during the winter months is that everything is closed and there's nothing to do. This couldn't be further from the truth.
Most years, we manage to fill our days with walks into Brodick, coffee stops, and wanders around the shops. During our visit in 2023, we visited the Eas Mor Forest and Library in the south of the island and had an amazing wintery walk exploring this beautiful nature spot.
In our winter visit in 2025, we took part in a distillery tour of Lochranza Distillery in the north of the island. I love finding out more about whisky and hearing about the process of making our national drink here in Scotland. We also bought a bottle of the Arran Malt to enjoy over the Christmas period, which we loved to enjoy with friends and family.
It's so Cosy
I think one of the reasons we love visiting Arran in winter so much is that it's really one of the cosiest places to be during the winter months. We stay during our wintery visit at the Auchrannie Resort and Spa in Brodick and we love using all the amenities Auchrannie has to offer. We especially love being able to use their pool and spa area, which is such a lovely way to relax in the late afternoon before dinner. We also love eating dinner at Brambles Restaurant in the Hotel, which is one of my favourite places to enjoy seafood and fish in Scotland.
One of our favourite activities to enjoy during the winter months on the Isle of Arran is visiting the Cladach Beach Hut on the outskirts of Brodick for a late afternoon drink. For the last few years of our winter adventures, we've wandered through the wintery conditions (no matter the weather) and found ourselves at Cladach Beach Hut in the later afternoon. At this time of year, this cosy little spot makes wintery cocktails, as well as serving wines and beers, to really add to that cosy Christmassy feel. There's normally a fire going and you can see the ferries coming and going from Brodick. It's a real highlight of our time on the island.
A Warning about the Predictable and Unpredictable
One thing that is ever so predicable about winter in the Scottish Highlands: the unpredictable winter weather. Almost every year, we end up having to leave the island early because ferries are cancelled or weather looks like it's getting worse so we leave early. As well as this, the current unpredicability of the current Cal Mac fleet means that ferries are cancelled on a more regular basis.
These two reasons often put people off from visiting the Scottish Islands, especially in the winter months. But for me, it's still so, so worthwhile visiting the Isle of Arran during the winter months. It's such a wonderful place to enjoy the cosy vibes and beautiful cold weather of winter in Scotland. It's a place to slow down and enjoy curling up with a good book, or heading down to enjoy a wintery cocktail somewhere really special.
Looking for more Arran inspiration? Make sure to check out these blogposts
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