South of the Hebrides, in the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran is “Scotland in miniature”, according to Gavin Bell, a “jumble of hills and glens and pretty seaside villages that can be explored in a day, but better in two, within easy reach of Glasgow.
“The Highland fault line divides the island, separating the verdant south from the wilder mountainous landscape of the north. In the middle stands heather-clad Goatfell, the highest peak at 2,866ft. It is a relaxed, whimsical place with a slow heartbeat. And there is, of course, a distillery producing golden drams from the island’s sweetest water.”