I love Arran - it really does have that Island Magic. Its annoying bits (Brodick, Geriatrics in Buses, Buses, Tourist Tat Shops, Interpretation boards, Psychotic Lochranza Sheep) are easily avoided just by getting out into the hills and glens, or along the roadless bits of the shore. However, today, it's raining. That's no excuse for finding myself in the Old Byre Show Rooms in Machrie, which sells a startling array of Tweedy Knitwear and Woolly Tweed items, but even so it's depressing. The Ballymichael Visitor Centre is either worse, or better, depending on your point of view, as most of it is closed. Island business have an annoying habit of having a random closing day during the week - it might be better if they all picked the same one, but they don't.
It's a relief to arrive back at Lochranza and to get out for a run in the afternoon. It's stopped raining, so I head out around Newton Point. This used to harbour one of the worst bogs on Arran, a real nightmare after a walk around the North Shore - the dogs had to be dangled in the sea to get the worst of it off them before they could be allowed anywhere half-respectable. Now though, there's another of those lovely raised stone tracks across all the really bad stuff, and it makes a great route to the Fairy Dell, where I cut up through fields to reach the upper track and descend pass the home of the Arran Stonemen (don't ask!). It's only a short run of about 5 1/2 miles but still a great antidote to tat - as is the Catacol Bay Hotel, sadly cleaned up and painted beige nowadays (as opposed to its glorious bright orange and blue decor of years gone by). You can still get a decent pint and a great pizza there though - although I do miss the dayglo posters announcing "Great (Carry) Hooters" and "Big Jugs" as the cheapest way of buying your ale. 
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