Failte du Eilan Arran

that's "welcome to Arran Island"... in Gaelic. so fun and wild. today we took the ferry across to Arran, it's called Scotland in minature, and it delivers on the promise.

the ferry drops you off in a podunk lil' burg, so we hit the road right on out of there. first stop, Lochranza distillery. And yes, we saw the Uisge (pronounced Whis-ky, that's the Gaelic word for water) in the makes...

the distillery tour was short and sweet, but very well done and this particular brew uses only barley and water, no smoke or peat. all of the left over mash and wort goes to local cows to eat, the leftover liquid from distillation is then used as fertilizer. the only end product, aside from spirits, is hot water, which feeds a duck pond on the premises. when they were building the distillery, they stopped construction for 3 months to allow a breeding pair of Golden Eagles to nest and hatch their chicks, so as not to disturb them. the Eagles flew overhead at the dedication, so this place is really in harmony with their surrounds and environs. all of the water comes from Loch na Davie, right on Arran, so it's a closed circle. and the process produces a whiskey that even I would drink - and buy!! after more than a few tastes, we hit the ruins of Lochranza Castle.

then, on to our ultimate destination; prehistoric sites on the west side of the island. the road turns off into a farm entrance, you park wherever you can, walk through a herd of sheep, jump a few fences, cross a bog, and lo and behold, there are about 6 or 7 prehistoric sites, including some 18feet high standing stones and stone circles. completely worth the 3+ mile round trip.

it was a long day, so i'll post pictures and let it be said that way...