Fairy Dell Walk, Lochranza, Isle of Arran

The Fairy Dell Walk is an easy scenic walk along the coast of Arran near Lochranza. It’s one of many car-free walks that you can enjoy on the scenic Isle of Arran.

Lochranza | Scotland

We started early-ish hoping to see the famed red deer of Lochranza and there they were– a stag and a herd– just a few metres from our campsite, grazing on the golf course. We spotted them as we crossed the bridge and they spotted us too and then the whole herd began to stare at us in all earnestness. I took some photographs and watched them– so majestic, so beautiful in the watery light of the morning– then quietly padded along the footpath and through the gate. All the while they kept watching us, keeping pace and proceeding towards the edge of the grounds, behind the ewes and the baby lambs whose day was just starting.

We walked past the lovely homes that hem the edge of Loch Ranza. A pair of swans were feeding in the mud left by the low tide. The castle stood lonely but strong. The loch’s resident seals can often be spotted here but there weren’t any that day. Just past the last house, there is an information board for Fairy Dell with information on the flora and fauna and also on the geology. You can see Hutton’s Unconformity here. At Newton Point, we rounded the edge of the land and headed east. The gorse, in the low light, appeared pale yellow. There were birds everywhere. So many birds tittering and singing, flying and hopping, beginning their day in the shrubs. We passed a cyclist and continued on the well-trodden path. The Fairy Dell walk is truly one of the best things to do on Arran.

According to Wikipedia, “An unconformity is any break in the normal progression of sedimentary deposits, which are laid the newer on top of the older.” Hutton’s Unconformity is a name given to various notable geological sites in Scotland identified by the 18th-century Scottish geologist James Hutton as places where the junction between two types of rock formations can be seen. You can see this on the Fairy Dell Walk. To learn more about it, see this article by Arran Geopark. We walk past the unconfirmity, trying our best to identify the junction between the “gently-sloping sandstones” and “steeply-dipping schists” like the sheep in that photograph captioned “Sheep looking for Hutton’s Unconformity” we saw at the campsite.

A short turn inland and we keep walking east on rugged trails, the waters of the Firth of Clyde a pale blue shimmer in the morning light. We continue on the headland beneath the lofty red sandstone cliffs characteristic of this part of the shore to reach the whitewashed cottage at Fairy Dell. Though just a short walk from Lochranza, it feels absolutely remote. There is no one here and we have all this openness, this vibrant scenery to ourselves.

TIP: If you want to continue to Sannox along the Arran Coastal Path, continue south from the cottage.

At the cottage, we turn right (before the dyke) and ascend the headland. It’s a short walk through a wood that knocked the air out of our lungs but the views are mesmerising. The views across the waters to Kintyre, Bute and Cowal, are picturesque. The sky is streaked with clouds lit up by the sun. We can see the path below, the sand and rocks on the coast, the wilderness. There is a gentle breeze and the sun is still low in the sky and the light– the light in Arran is magical really– is like muslin shimmering over the landscape. Everything seems to glow from within.

This part of the Fairy Dell Walk is on the clifftops and reminds us of the walking on the Seaton Cliffs. We walk over the sandstone cliffs, through gorse tunnels alive with bird song. The air smells of coconut and vanilla with a hint of salt. It is clean and cold. Across the waters, we can see the white windmills on Kintyre. We watch the first ferry of the day head to Claonaig, leaving a trail of frothy-white water in its wake. We watch a dog on its morning ramble. We watch the boats anchored in Loch Ranza, their white sails swaying languidly in the breeze and soon we are back in civilization.

Past a couple of houses and we see Whin Cottage, home of the Arran Stonemen who create and sell products made of rock collected locally. We were admiring the cute display of yellow ducks coming down the drain pipe and then suddenly, a red squirrel scrambles across the path. Then another one ran swiftly down a tree, then disappeared in the blink of an eye. We are so full of joy! It has been a perfect morning, a beautiful morning. From the path, we can see the mountains in the south lit with golden sunshine. We amble down the hillside slowly and join the main road. A flock of ducks takes flight from the loch as we make our way to the Sandwich Station, one of the best places to eat on Arran, for breakfast.

Have you done the Fairy Dell Walk? Tell us about your experience.

Difficulty: Easy
Itinerary: Circular route from Lochranza
Distance: 4.94 km
Time taken: 1 hour
Public Transport: Stagecoach bus 324 to Lochranza