A trip to the Isle of Arran, Scotland

A stay at Middletons Holiday Park and a day out at Brodick Castle.

We planned an Easter weekend trip to the picturesque Isle of Arran to catch up with some friends. The Isle of Arran is one of Scotland's most accessible islands located off the west coast. Springtime is truly a beautiful time to visit the island; it is still relatively quiet, allowing for peaceful exploration, but the whole place is coming to life with blooming daffodils, clusters of bluebells, and lambs jumping around the fields.

We booked our ferry quite late in the planning process, which resulted in some slim pickings when it came to the available timings. We sailed from Troon to Brodick on the CalMac ferry at 6pm, and even though the weather was a bit cloudy and rainy, we were still able to make out the silhouette of Arran in the distance, with the jagged lines of Goatfell cutting across the sky. The ferry ride was rough as we got nearer to the island, and Esme was not impressed with the facilities available on board. She had been hoping for a long, ferry ride complete with a cabin, kid's entertainment and a buffet meal waiting for her! The ferry crossing is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, and while it does feature a kiosk, it was closed during our trip. We had anticipated this given that it was a shorter crossing, so we enjoyed take-away pizzas from a delicious pizza takeaway called Dough, which is located in Troon.

We booked onto Middletons Holiday Park, which is a 10 minute drive from Brodick Ferry Terminal. When we arrived it was raining and it got much heavier through the night. The holiday park is mostly static caravans with a large camping field on entering. There are no hard standing pitches for tourers so we were parked on the field (not too bad being in a van, but our friend's tent was flooded by an overflowing drain the night we arrived!). The campers were also pitched haphazardly, and there was some confusion over electric hookups as nothing was marked. We soon found out that the site has recently been taken over and the new owners had no idea of who had booked or when they would be arriving. The disorganisation became quite a good talking point (and certainly a bit of a laugh) between the owners and the campers. On one occasion, we returned to find a van had cheekily pitched up right next to our awning! In all situations, the campers and owners came together to help each other out, creating a very friendly and relaxed stay. Eventhough the facilities could definitely do with a bit of updating and general cleaning on a day-to-day basis, it is worth noting that they are heated, and the two rain showers are without push buttons and allow for temperature adjustments. The site is tidy and in a great location with a stream running alongside the camping field. We have read some recent reviews on the campsite since returning, and we hope that they become more positive in the future as we enjoyed our stay and the site has so much potential.

We left the planning of our family weekend to Neil, who is a fountain of knowledge and knows the island, and many more places worthy of adventure, more than the back of his hand. For our first day, we headed to Brodick Castle, a baronial castle fashioned in 1844, but dating back centuries. The castle is National Trust for Scotland, meaning the kids and I had free access as National Trust members. Steve paid £8.50 for entry as a non-member. The castle is a short walk from the entrance and cafe. You can wander around the castle which was the ancient seat of the Dukes of Hamilton and contains a fabulous collection of artefacts. The kids enjoyed hunting for small felt mice hidden in each room, and the boys loved finding the prisoner in the dungeon!

Before heading into the grounds, we walked back down to the cafe for lunch. The cafe offers children's lunch boxes, light lunches such as ploughmans, quiche and a selection of pasties. The cakes also looked delicious and very tempting!

Outdoors the children took part in an easter egg hunt (costing £5 with an egg at the final) around the formal gardens and woodland grounds. The grounds are home to many rare and exotic plants, including three National Collections of rhododendrons and numerous species of camellia, thanks to the Duchess of Montrose and the plant hunters of the 1900s. The kids loved walking through the jungle like paths, and stopped to rest in the Bavarian summerhouse which overlooks Brodick Bay.

After the egg hunt, we explored the fantastic Isle Be Wild adventure play park. The kids climbed up and down the various structures, rode on the ziplines, and ran enthusiastically through the enormous squirrel run, complete with a tunnel bridge that overlooked the stream flowing below. We took a last walk up to the replica bronze age roundhouse built in 2012. It was closed at the time but the kids peered in through the thatched doors.

After a long day, we headed back to the campsite for a BBQ, stopping at a few local shops including Arran Cheese Shop. We tasted a selection of cheeses and came away with some local chutneys, oat cakes, camembert and Arran Claret (a cheddar infused with red wine). Something we have been enjoying since arriving back home!