Brodick

Last but not least Brodick.

Brodick - The Douglas Hotel to the centre and the Coop to the right

The Coop to the left and a hotel to the right

Bilsland's to the left and a block of self catering apartments next door

The white building to the right is the small Coop

The seafront at Brodick

The seafront at Brodick

Brodick Bay and Goatfell





Brodick Beach with Goatfell in the background

Rainbow over Brodick Bay

Brodick contains a number of shops and tourist attractions.

Bilslands, the largest independent retailer on the island. They sell all manner of souvenirs, clothing, shoes, children's toys, books, postcards etc., and have a cafeteria which looks out on to Brodick Bay & Goatfell. There is also a miniature Crazy Golf Course outside the shop.

Just a little further northwards you will find Wooleys the bakery and shop, which supplies much of the bread and confectionery for the island. Wooleys has been in business baking on the Isle of Arran since the middle of the nineteenth century.

Present owner Lindsay Keir has been running the bakery since the 1980s. At that time the traditional skills of craft baking were in decline, with much of the bread on the islands shelves being mass-produced and shipped from the mainland.

Through 20 years of hard work, Lindsay and his staff have reversed that trend. Wooleys produces a wide range of bakery products that are widely available throughout the Isle of Arran, using a mix of traditional and modern techniques.

It is from Wooleys that we always buy or sandwiches & pastries for a delicious mid day snack!

About a quarter of a mile north of Brodick is the Brodick Heritage Museum. This is well worth a visit. There all sorts of historical items associated with Arran to be found here.

General View of part of the Arran Heritage Museum

The Laundry Room inside the Arran Heritage Museum

About another quarter of a mile up the road you will find Duchess Court, which house a selection of shops with a touristy flavour.

The entrance to Duchess Court



Arran Aromatics is a local firm which makes and sells lotions, soaps, deodorants and perfumes



We always return from our visits to Arran with a goodly number of Arran Cheeses which are made (and sold) here. There are an assortment of varieties including whisky,crushed herbs, oak smoked, and Cheddar cheese & claret.

View of Duchess Court





View of Duchess Court Shops

Of course it would be very remiss of me to forget Brodick Castle, which is renowned for its gardens as well as the castle itself.



So there you have it - Brodick in a nutshell!

Eating Out on Arran

Having visited Arran for the last 20 or so years we have become quite familiar with the places to eat out at. We have patronised the Brodick Brasserie which is situated in Alma Road, just off the sea front. The establishment is run by Iain MacFadzean and his family and was run by his father before he took over. In the time we have visited it, it has been completely re fitted.

The Brodick Brasserie

If you look on "Trip Advisor" you will see that in nearly all cases it gets a very good write up, both for the quality and quantity of its food. It is, perhaps a little pricy compared to some of the other establishments on Arran, but, you get what you pay for, and where The Brodick Brasserie is concerned you will get a well cooked, beautifully presented, tasty meal. I have never tasted a more delicious Pizza than the ones prepared at the Brodick Brasserie! The bases are cooked by the resident chef - (none of you Pizza Hut rubbish) and the coverings of either salami and pepperoni or chicken and sweetcorn are mouthwatering.

However there are three or four comments which criticise the attitude of Ian to his customers. We have never had any reason to complain at his attitude, in fact during the times we have visited we have been engaged in conversation with him many times, and discovered he has friends who live in Baildon. This year when we were there he told us he was going down to their sons wedding. 

The dining area in the Brodick Brasserie

The well stocked Bar

There is a wide selection of starters, main courses and sweets displayed on a large blackboard at the end of the dinging area. This is regularly changed and updated.

The selection of food available on the blackboard

If you are looking for a slightly less costly meal, then the place to visit is the Pierhead Tavern in Lamlash.

The Pierhead Tavern in Lamlash

The Pierhead Tavern is your "friendly local", with a dining area which is
adjoining the bar area, although meals can be taken in the bar. The meals here can be best described as "wholesome" as well as tasty.

An unusual feature of the end wall in the dining room is that it is completely built of large pebbles. (See the right hand side of the photo above.)


For a cuppa or a less substantial meal you can visit The Coffee Pot, situated in Whiting Bay. Here you will get good home cooking at a reasonable price. 



The Coffee Pot in Whiting Bay

The Coffee Pot has an outside seating area where you can take your cuppa and relax whilst admiring the view of the sea (which is across the road) and mainland Scotland.

The outside seating area at the Coffee Pot

All around the dado shelf on the walls of this establishment are a collection of coffee pots of all shapes and sizes. There is a large coffee pot above the garden entrance to the cafe too!

The Coffee Pot above the garden entrance

It was whilst we were on the Isle of Arran last year that we came across a newly opened bijou restaurant on the front at Whiting Bay. The establishment was called Coast, and is aptly named as it is quite literally on the coast!

The view from the conservatory of Coast

As usual, we got talking to the owners of Coast, and discovered that they both had been employed in high powered executive posts in Glasgow, but had decided that the stresses of their jobs were not for them, so they decided to look elsewhere for employment.

One of the owners came from Arran, and it happened that a property had become vacant on the front at Whiting Bay. The co owner had chef qualifications, so they decided to purchase the property and open it up as a restaurant.

Russell Lee & Mark Currie the co owners of Coast

From the moment you walk into Coast, you sense that you are going to enjoy the experience. Mark acts as the "greeter" and he has a very welcoming and bubbly personality which will very soon put you at your ease. He shows you to your table, where he will take your drinks and food order.

Either he or Russell will return within a short space of time and bring your drinks and a plate of freshly baked bread and butter. The bread is the most delicious I have ever tasted, and I learnt that it is baked by their resident lady cook. It is her speciality tomato bread.

Starters, Main Courses and Sweets are tasty, well cooked and beautifully presented. The Brodick Brasserie used to be our number one choice of eating place, but this year it has been overtaken by Coast!