| Isle Of Arran |
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The Isle of Arran ( ( 430 Km&2 ). It is in the Unitary Council Area of North Ayrshire . In the 2001 census it had a resident population of 5,058. GEOGRAPHY from a farm in North Ayrshire .]] The island lies in the Firth Of Clyde at . The main village on the island is Brodick (an Old Norse name meaning "broad bay") to which the main ferry to the mainland connects. Brodick Castle is a seat of the Dukes Of Hamilton . Arran has many Mountains in the north. The highest of these is Goat Fell at 874 metres. The south of the island has many Raised Beach es and tall sea cliffs. The island is sometimes referred to as "Scotland in miniature", as it is divided into "Highland" and "Lowland" areas by the Highland Boundary Fault which runs northeast to southwest across Scotland. The island is a popular destination for geologists, who come to see intrusive igneous landforms such as Sill s and Dyke s. Most of the northern part of the island is a Batholith , as seen in the satellite photo. There are three main roads on the island; the coast road circumnavigates the island, while the String and the '''Ross''' both cut across the hilly interior at different points. Villages on Arran
Islands surrounding Arran Arran has three smaller satellite islands;
Eilean na h-Airde Baine off the south west of Arran at Corriecravie is more of a Skerry than an island and, in any case, is connected to Arran at low tide. HISTORY There are many stone circles and standing stones dating from Neolithic times, including the standing stones on Machrie Moor and the Giant's Graves above Whiting Bay. St. Molio's Cave has wall carvings which are evidence of a rare Pictish script. It is likely that along with Bute , Arran was once the home of a Brythonic speaking people. However, the Gaels spread to the island from their adjacent kingdom of Dál Riata and replaced the older language with their Goidelic tongue. Later the island, along with the vast majority of the Scottish islands, became the property of the Norwegian crown. As a result, many current place names on Arran are of Viking origin. Haakon IV Of Norway visited the island in 1263 en route to the Battle Of Largs . After the battle the island was granted to the Lord Of The Isles . St. Columba and St. Ninian are said to have stayed on Arran, and there are other Irish connections, e.g. a stone circle named Fingal's Cauldron. Nearby is the 34 metres deep King's Cave where Robert The Bruce is said to have taken shelter. TRANSPORT in front of Brodick Castle .]] Arran is connected with the Scottish mainland by two Caledonian MacBrayne ferries:
A third ferry route connects Lamlash to neighbouring Holy Isle during summertime. In summer the Paddle Steamer PS Waverley calls in at Brodick on regular cruises. ECONOMY The main industry for the island is tourism, but farming and forestry are other important industries. Successful local businesses include:
The main tourist spot on the island is the imposing Brodick Castle , owned by the National Trust For Scotland . Another interesting site is the twelve apostles of Catacol, a row of 12 small whitewashed cottages along the shoreline. The upper window facing the sea is different in each one. The theory behind this system was that the wife at home would be able to signal to her husband out fishing in the bay with a candle at the window. The husband would be able to identify who was being signalled by the shape of the window. TRIVIA
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