Wild camping on Arran & Islay

[Fisherman]

It was a sign on the toilet door at Sannox explaining why the toilets were shut but no doubt you won’t believe that. �� As I said enjoy Arran.
I like your signature by the way. ��

What about blackwaterfoot was there a sign there also.

I thought you did not visit this island grossly over populated full off cassette dumping selfish motothomers.
And 5000 residents up in arms about us :lol-049:

Or was that just another pack of lies Caledonia :have fun:

Oh and I like my signature to.

 

[2cv]

I must say that I find abuse of other members views and comments very tedious, and not at all in keeping with the generally fun and friendly demeanour of the forum. There are plenty of other less pleasant forums to go if you want to hurl abuse at people.

 

[caledonia]

First time I’ve been called a liar on the forum. Only trying to give helpful information.
The Laird actually posted a while ago regarding sign at the Sannox toilets.
I don’t think an open forum is the right place to go calling someone a liar because you don’t agree with them.

 

[davef]

Arran and motorhomes.

I live on Arran, and yes some islanders do resent motorhomes, especially the very large ones. As always its all to do with consideration for others on how and where you park up and how you drive. If a wide van is pootling along at 25 or 30 mph admiring the amazing scenery, but not pulling into laybys to let drivers pass who are maybe in a rush to catch a ferry or make an appointment on time its obviously going to cause anger and resentment. ( This is even worse with the large groups of cyclists who have been coming over and driving in continuous convoys up to 200 yds or more long making it suicidal to overtake... there are always a few who spoil it for the many.)
The other problem is the difficulty of getting on the ferry without booking way in advance since RET was introduced. Not everyone here works in the tourist industry and for them not being able to get off the island when they want to is frustrating. Some of this is blamed on motorhomes - the very conspicuous large ones especially.
Most islanders are welcoming and friendly....but try not to give a reason for the small minority who are easily offended to take offence.

 

[Fisherman]

I live on Arran, and yes some islanders do resent motorhomes, especially the very large ones. As always its all to do with consideration for others on how and where you park up and how you drive. If a wide van is pootling along at 25 or 30 mph admiring the amazing scenery, but not pulling into laybys to let drivers pass who are maybe in a rush to catch a ferry or make an appointment on time its obviously going to cause anger and resentment. ( This is even worse with the large groups of cyclists who have been coming over and driving in continuous convoys up to 200 yds or more long making it suicidal to overtake... there are always a few who spoil it for the many.)
The other problem is the difficulty of getting on the ferry without booking way in advance since RET was introduced. Not everyone here works in the tourist industry and for them not being able to get off the island when they want to is frustrating. Some of this is blamed on motorhomes - the very conspicuous large ones especially.
Most islanders are welcoming and friendly....but try not to give a reason for the small minority who are easily offended to take offence.

Lucky man Dave, living on Arran. I have loved your island since my youth.
I believe calmac are planning to introduce larger capacity ferries, hopefully sooner than later.
The Scottish government should have made provision for the effects of RET.
It’s looking like the northern isles will be joining the RET scheme soon, completing the full programme.

Yes I agree I find the vast majority of the islanders very friendly and welcoming, that’s what I have always loved about the island.

In 1978 I was having a drink in the old Lamlash inn. The rain got really heavy that night and high winds made camping a bit difficult. Well a man called John Morrison came up to me and offered me a bed for the night in his home.

Also there used to be a shop in Lamlash on the left as you came into the village it’s gone now.
I asked for a pint of milk.
I went outside to drink it and it tasted horrible.
I went back to the shop and complained about the milk, saying it had turned.

The reply

Don’t be silly son, it’s fresh out the goat only this morning.

They then gave me a pint of cows milk, and we all had a laugh.

 

[caledonia]

What about blackwaterfoot was there a sign there also.

I thought you did not visit this island grossly over populated full off cassette dumping selfish motothomers.
And 5000 residents up in arms about us :lol-049:

Or was that just another pack of lies Caledonia :have fun:

Oh and I like my signature to.

I found it! There was a thread titled Arren where the laird posted information on the signs at Sannox. If I knew how to do it I would post a link but I don’t. Knew I wasn’t lying.

 

[Fisherman]

Found this article from bbc website there are others about the new higher capacity ferry delays.

The construction of two new ferries for Caledonian MacBrayne has been affected by further delays.
One of the boats is for the Uig-Lochmaddy-Tarbert Triangle while the other is to operate between Arran and Ardrossan.
Ferguson Marine on the Clyde won a Scottish government contract worth about £97m to build the vessels.
It has notified CalMac's parent company, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd, of the new delays.
The first ferry, MV Glenn Sannox - which is destined for the Arran-Ardrossan route - was launched last November and was due to enter service this summer but construction delays meant that was initially put back to the winter of 2018/19.
The shipbuilder blamed technical challenges in constructing the dual-fuel ship, which can be powered by liquefied natural gas.
Earlier this year, the ship went into dry dock for work on problems with the bulbous bow section.
Ferguson Marine has now confirmed the ship will not be ready until next summer, a full year behind schedule.
News of the latest delays comes amid calls for increased capacity on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network to meet greater demand from islanders and tourists.
MSPs are to be informed of a revised timetable for new ferries in the next few weeks.

 

[caledonia]

Found this article from bbc website there are others about the new higher capacity ferry delays.

The construction of two new ferries for Caledonian MacBrayne has been affected by further delays.
One of the boats is for the Uig-Lochmaddy-Tarbert Triangle while the other is to operate between Arran and Ardrossan.
Ferguson Marine on the Clyde won a Scottish government contract worth about £97m to build the vessels.
It has notified CalMac's parent company, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd, of the new delays.
The first ferry, MV Glenn Sannox - which is destined for the Arran-Ardrossan route - was launched last November and was due to enter service this summer but construction delays meant that was initially put back to the winter of 2018/19.
The shipbuilder blamed technical challenges in constructing the dual-fuel ship, which can be powered by liquefied natural gas.
Earlier this year, the ship went into dry dock for work on problems with the bulbous bow section.
Ferguson Marine has now confirmed the ship will not be ready until next summer, a full year behind schedule.
News of the latest delays comes amid calls for increased capacity on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network to meet greater demand from islanders and tourists.
MSPs are to be informed of a revised timetable for new ferries in the next few weeks.

Did you have a look for the thread regarding signs about toilets being emptied at Sannox? No need for an apology but do think twice about calling people a liar on an open forum. :wave:

 

[davef]

There was supposed to be a new Ardrossan/Brodick ferry in service by now. In a fit of virtue signalling the Scottish government decided it was to be dual fuel, able to run on oil or LNG, seemingly a first ever. Fergussons the Clyde yard building it has run into major technical problems and is in ongoing legal dispute with the the Scottish government as to who is responsible for the escalating costs.It earlier had to be modified after they discovered the bow bulb made it unable to get into Ardrossan harbour. In the meantime I believe the build has stopped and the ferry route is still reliant on the old Caledonian Isle - or was until it crashed into the new pier at Brodick. Its away being repaired and a smaller replacement operating.....causing chaos to the island.
The new ferry terminal at Brodick, a multimillion pound project, is causing yet more problems as it is at right angles to the old pier and now subject to easterly swells when the ferry is unable to dock. Cal Mac were warned about this before the project was started, but chose to ignore the advice.
As fracking for the gas has effectively been banned in Scotland, if the new ferry is ever completed, I am assuming the LNG will be travelling across the Atlantic from fracking sites in the USA into Grangemouth then trucked across to Ardrossan. I'm not sure how this helps the environment.
What the island actually needed was to have 2 smaller ferries criss crossing increasing capacity and convenience.
Arran is an amazing place and you are right I'm lucky to be living here even if we do sometimes complain.....midges, cleggs( horseflies), rain, more rain, Cal Mac, state of the roads, gales, about 50" of rain a year in the sunny south of the island and possibly twice that in other parts, long winter short summer as in all of Scotland. But then the rain stops, the sun sparkles on the sea and Kintyre and the islands of Sanda and Ailsa Craig magically appear and there is nowhere else to compare.

 

[2cv]

I often see the new dual fuel ferry when passing Greenock. Even from a distance you can see that it’s going nowhere soon.
The government are keen to be seen as leaders in environmental protection. Unfortunately their enthusiasm is not matched by their abilities. When they introduced plans for a ULEZ in Glasgow the taxpayer ended up paying £10 million in order that buses would continue to be available!

 

[Fisherman]

There was supposed to be a new Ardrossan/Brodick ferry in service by now. In a fit of virtue signalling the Scottish government decided it was to be dual fuel, able to run on oil or LNG, seemingly a first ever. Fergussons the Clyde yard building it has run into major technical problems and is in ongoing legal dispute with the the Scottish government as to who is responsible for the escalating costs.It earlier had to be modified after they discovered the bow bulb made it unable to get into Ardrossan harbour. In the meantime I believe the build has stopped and the ferry route is still reliant on the old Caledonian Isle - or was until it crashed into the new pier at Brodick. Its away being repaired and a smaller replacement operating.....causing chaos to the island.
The new ferry terminal at Brodick, a multimillion pound project, is causing yet more problems as it is at right angles to the old pier and now subject to easterly swells when the ferry is unable to dock. Cal Mac were warned about this before the project was started, but chose to ignore the advice.
As fracking for the gas has effectively been banned in Scotland, if the new ferry is ever completed, I am assuming the LNG will be travelling across the Atlantic from fracking sites in the USA into Grangemouth then trucked across to Ardrossan. I'm not sure how this helps the environment.
What the island actually needed was to have 2 smaller ferries criss crossing increasing capacity and convenience.
Arran is an amazing place and you are right I'm lucky to be living here even if we do sometimes complain.....midges, cleggs( horseflies), rain, more rain, Cal Mac, state of the roads, gales, about 50" of rain a year in the sunny south of the island and possibly twice that in other parts, long winter short summer as in all of Scotland. But then the rain stops, the sun sparkles on the sea and Kintyre and the islands of Sanda and Ailsa Craig magically appear and there is nowhere else to compare.

Your cleggs are clever wee things, and bye god do they know how to bite.
Perhaps the local breed them for the Motorhomers to put us if visiting the island :

 

[caledonia]

Last time on the Arran ferry we had black rhibs surrounded the ferry and sas type soldiers boarded and abseiled off the other side then disappeared as soon as the arrived. Then a submarine appeared. All very exciting if and a bit unnerving.

 

[Fisherman]

It’s a real shame that RTE scheme did not take into account the changes that increased access to the islands would result in the problems that have occurred. For decades the Scottish islands suffered from expensive transport to and from the mainland. This in some cases having a devastating effect on local economies and resulted in many leaving their islands for employment on the mainland. Islanders campaigned for years for this, it’s a real shame if some now see it as a burden, instead of a benefit.

Arran is not the worse case here, I was on Mull two years ago, and the drive from Salen to Tobermory was to say the least stressful. We spent three days on the island and we were shocked at the increased volume of traffic on a single track road, never designed for such volumes. We managed to get away from the hustle and bustle and spent two days in Calgary. When we left our toilet was full to capacity, and had to empty it on our return. Fidden farm looks worth a visit we might head back onto the island and try it out.

Skye since lifting the tariffs on the bridge is almost a no go area now in summer. I know it’s not part of the RET scheme, but it’s symptomatic of what’s going on. Then we have the 500 route, were Europeans come over with their Motorhomes only to find problems finding somewhere to empty their toilets. I was chatting to a Belgian on Arran who could not believe the lack of basic facilities available over here.

There’s no point in trying to attract tourists without puting the required infrastructure into place.
That only creates problems for everyone, and can result in the locals resenting those who visit their islands, towns and villages.

 

[davef]

Certainly RET has been a double edged sword here with many lamenting the quieter state of the island prior to RET. There was a good case to have been made for the RET to only apply to island residents. In my own case with a campervan, pickup and motorbike, I'm paying about £600 pa in road tax. This entitles me to drive on the approx 100 miles of roads here unless I pay to cross to the mainland and pay CalMac - which is owned by Scottish government - so pay the government again - to use the road system that others have access to. However the government idea was to increase tourism on the islands to generate more taxes, rather than to just benefit islanders.

 

[Fisherman]

Certainly RET has been a double edged sword here with many lamenting the quieter state of the island prior to RET. There was a good case to have been made for the RET to only apply to island residents. In my own case with a campervan, pickup and motorbike, I'm paying about £600 pa in road tax. This entitles me to drive on the approx 100 miles of roads here unless I pay to cross to the mainland and pay CalMac - which is owned by Scottish government - so pay the government again - to use the road system that others have access to. However the government idea was to increase tourism on the islands to generate more taxes, rather than to just benefit islanders.

Do you ever wild camp on the island Dave.
I have noticed some Motorhomes parked on driveways on Arran.

 

[davef]

We have wild camped on the island - trying to ensure we were first in the unbooked queue at the ferry! There are quite a lot of campervans and motorhomes owned by residents here. Apart from the pleasures of wildcamping, its actually very sensible as if you venture off the island you can never be sure if you will get back when you plan with the possibility of the ferry being stormbound or having broken down, or if you haven't booked the ferry there is a good chance you wont be able to get on. With your own mini home on wheels its not a great problem if you have to stay overnight. There are no facilities for storm bound car drivers or passengers to stay inside overnight at the ferry terminal, and if a ferry load of people suddenly start having to look for overnight accommodation at the last minute, it can become very difficult and stressful. I am amazed that CalMac doesn't have a statutory duty to accommodate stormbound passengers.

 

[Fisherman]

We have wild camped on the island - trying to ensure we were first in the unbooked queue at the ferry! There are quite a lot of campervans and motorhomes owned by residents here. Apart from the pleasures of wildcamping, its actually very sensible as if you venture off the island you can never be sure if you will get back when you plan with the possibility of the ferry being stormbound or having broken down, or if you haven't booked the ferry there is a good chance you wont be able to get on. With your own mini home on wheels its not a great problem if you have to stay overnight. There are no facilities for storm bound car drivers or passengers to stay inside overnight at the ferry terminal, and if a ferry load of people suddenly start having to look for overnight accommodation at the last minute, it can become very difficult and stressful. I am amazed that CalMac doesn't have a statutory duty to accommodate stormbound passengers.

Well Dave you certainly have opened my eyes to problems I never even thought of regarding the islanders. I knew that bad weather could lead to cancellation of ferries, but I never gave any thought to the other things you raised.

 

[jagmanx]

Well, What an interesting thread this is

Yes a few "handbags" .
But very interesting and useful for us with a planned visit as detailed in post #2.

Thanks to all.

 

[caledonia]

Yes a few "handbags" .
But very interesting and useful for us with a planned visit as detailed in post #2.

Thanks to all.

Glad you managed to get some useful info despite the handbags and insults.

 

[barryd]

I live on Arran, and yes some islanders do resent motorhomes, especially the very large ones. As always its all to do with consideration for others on how and where you park up and how you drive. If a wide van is pootling along at 25 or 30 mph admiring the amazing scenery, but not pulling into laybys to let drivers pass who are maybe in a rush to catch a ferry or make an appointment on time its obviously going to cause anger and resentment. ( This is even worse with the large groups of cyclists who have been coming over and driving in continuous convoys up to 200 yds or more long making it suicidal to overtake... there are always a few who spoil it for the many.)
The other problem is the difficulty of getting on the ferry without booking way in advance since RET was introduced. Not everyone here works in the tourist industry and for them not being able to get off the island when they want to is frustrating. Some of this is blamed on motorhomes - the very conspicuous large ones especially.
Most islanders are welcoming and friendly....but try not to give a reason for the small minority who are easily offended to take offence.

I was last there in 2016 where we spent seven weeks on the Island but Ive been a regular visitor for most of my life. Before we had the motorhome we would stay there at least four or five times a year and often over Christmas and New Year. It was like a second home, in fact we almost bought a place there near Corrie golf course (big house on the bend before the bridge) in the mid 2000s.

I remember reading some of the anti motorhome rants around that time in the "Banner" and after talking to a lot of the locals it backs up what you say that I think the biggest objection was to motorhomes holding up traffic or parking together in daft places. I did notice that since the RET there was indeed a lot more motorhomes driving the stretch from Brodick to Lochranza but it became clear to me they were simply using the RET and Arran as a quick hopscotch to Kintyre! Barmy but there you go. So the moral of the story if you go is get out of the bloody way of traffic if you drive like a fanny, dont park in groups or take over Brodick car park and only dump your waste in the approved places.

We did have a bit of a miserable old bat at Lochranza have a go at us when we were parked at the bottom of the Loch tucked away but she was the only one. Everyone else was welcoming. I spent £1500 on the island on that trip (a small amount to what I have put into that economy in the past thirty years though).

Glad to hear from Fisherman that there have been road improvements. Well overdue but they need to sort out the west coast. Arran is brutal on your suspension for sure.

As for Islay for the OP I found plenty of places to wild there also but its a while since I have been.