ROAD CYCLING ROUTES
North Loop - Circumnavigate Arran's stunning high mountains
From Brodick head North to Lochranza then south down the West coast to Machrie, take the Machrie Moor road to meet the middle 'String' road and East back to Brodick.
Approx 40 miles, includes 2 big climbs, 2 - 4 hours depending on fitness.
Machrie Moor - Perfect for aspiring families
From Blackwaterfoot follow the middle 'String' road East through Shiskine to meet and take the Machrie Moor road North West to Machrie. Head South back to Blackwaterfoot.Approx 13 miles, flat and undulating, 1 - 2 hours for most people.
Middle Loop Arran's highest roads, Ross & String
From Brodick take the middle 'String' road West through Shiskine and South through Sliddery to meet the Ross road North East to Lamlash. Head North back to Brodick.
Approx 30 miles, includes 2 big climbs, 2 - 4 hours depending on fitness.
Ross & South End - A shorter but still challenging loop!
From Lamlash climb the Ross road South West to meet the Coast road East through Whiting Bay and back to Lamlash. Approx 23 miles, includes 1 big climb and a few smaller ones, 1 - 3 hours depending on fitness.
Lamlash Shore Short, flat and quiet
From Lamlash head North East along Shore road to a gate at the end, take the track through the gate to Clauchland's Point, and return. Approx 5 miles, flat single track coast road, half to 1 hour, perfect for young families.
South Loop Circumnavigate Arran's picturesque Southern lowlands
From Brodick take the middle 'String' road West through Shiskine and South through Sliddery, Whiting Bay, Lamlash and back to Brodick. Approx 35 miles, 1 big climb and quite a few smaller ones, 2 - 4 hours depending on fitness.
Arran Circular The Island's complete coast road.
From Brodick head North to Lochranza then south down the West coast to Blackwaterfoot, through Sliddery, Whiting Bay, Lamlash and back to Brodick. Approx 57 miles, 2 big climbs and quite a few smaller ones, a challenging 3 - 6 hours depending on fitness and stops.
For anyone with a little fitness and a sense of adventure Arran’s coast road has always been a great, challenging day’s ride. There are more and more charities and event organisers using the 57 mile loop, tempting all levels of cyclists around one of Scotland’s most beautiful and accessible islands and rightly so, you’d be hard pushed to ride a more perfect loop, just the right balance of flat and hills, an abundance of cake stops and scenery that really is second to none. It hugs the coast most of the way around so there’s always sea scapes to one side and mountain scapes to the other. On a good day there are
views over the islands of Bute and Cumbrae all the way into the highlands north across the Firth of Clyde, to the south west is Ireland beyond the tip of the Mull of Kintyre, and around the south and east views past Ailsa Craig to the Ayrshire coast, Troon and beyond into the Galloway hills.
Arran’s Alpine Stage
Unfortunately for some, Arran’s coast road is over far too quickly, consisting of a morning ferry from Ardrossan on the Ayrshire coast, a lap of the island and an afternoon ferry home. The island has 2 other less cycled roads across it’s interior and although they are only each about 10 miles long connecting east and west coasts, they do contain Arran’s 2 highest road summits and with a little creative route planning open up a whole host of different cycling opportunities, which is where this Alpine Stage is born. It uses the islands 3 big mountain passes, one of them from both sides plus a another smaller hill to create a 70 mile route with 3500ft of climbing in these 5 climbs alone, never mind all the other undulations bringing the grand total to well over 4000ft.