Isle of Arran, Scotland

Liz and I set off at 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning (June 24), driving out of Glasgow and through the countryside to the town of Androssan, where we caught the 9:45 ferry for Brodick on the Isle of Arran.  Skies were clear when we left, but it was raining when we arrived.  We decided, therefore, to make our first stop Brodick Castle, the previous summer home of the Dukes of Hamilton, now owned by the Scottish Trust.  We spent a good deal of time touring the rooms of this Victorian Highlands estate and gathering an abundance of information from the gracious and friendly guides in each room as well as the placards for adults and children.  The adult information sheets provided the names and styles of artwork and furnishings as well as a bit of family history, while the children's sheets provided insight into such things as how sugar loaves were made, where secret compartments are located and the lives of the young servants.  The Hamiltons obviously had much wealth and a fine collection of ornate furniture, china, silver and paintings by such artists as Fragonard, Watteau, and Herrick.  In addition to the Hamilton collections, Brodick Castle displays fine silver, china and furniture collected by William Beckford, the heir to a Jamaican sugar fortune.  His only heir, Susan Beckford, married Alexander, the 10th Duke of Hamilton, in 1810, and she inherited the family estate and collections when William died in 1844.  The beauty and richness of the combined collections is truly stunning.  (Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the castle.)

Brodick Castle

Since I was finally feeling like eating, we stopped for a small lunch in the castle tearoom.  By the time we were ready to leave the castle, the rain had stopped, so we were able to stroll through parts of the Country Park.  I find the Bavarian summer house overlooking Brodick Bay to be charming.  This, along with three others, was built (as well as new additions to the castle) by the 11th Duke of Hamilton for his wife, Princess Marie Amelie of Baden to make her feel more at home, even though they spent most of their time in Paris and Baden.  The interior walls and ceilings of the summer house are decorated in geometric patterns using pine cones and other natural objects.

Ceiling of the Bavarian summer house at Brodick Castle

The formal walled garden was particularly lovely and well-maintained.  From it, the bay could be viewed as well as the castle rising above the garden.

Brodick Castle from the formal garden

With the Brexit referendum vote to leave the EU of the day before, the value of the pound to  the U.S. dollar dropped to a low level, so I took advantage of the favorable exchange rate to purchase souvenirs in the Scottish Trust gift shop.  Not having heard from Peter, Katya and Matthew, Liz and I decided to do some more exploring on our own.  It began to rain, so we contented ourselves with admiring the views from the shore side road as we passed through Lamlash to the south of Brodick.  By the time we reached the next town, Whiting Bay, the rain had ceased, so we stopped to take photos of Holy Isle across the bay and visit a gallery that had many beautiful pieces of art in various media.  We continued traveling around the southern end of the Isle of Arran and up the southwest side to Blackwaterfoot, where we turned inland and went east across the island, back to Brodick.

Holy Isle from Whiting Bay

Liz and I arrived at our hotel only shortly before Peter, Katya and Matthew.  After we settled into our rooms and sat a while for a chat, we walked into the heart of Brodick to find a place for dinner.  The first restaurant we tried was booked for the evening, so we ended up at the Brodick Brasserie, where we enjoyed delicious food in a pleasant setting.  Now, at nearly 10 p.m., the sky is still bright.  Night is probably still an hour away, but it's bedtime for us.