The famous Arran Challenge is adventurous and thrilling with activities like biking and running to the summit of the Isle of Arran, the Goatfell which is the highest mountain there.

Everything to know about the challenge

A ferry takes 55 minutes to traverse through mainland Scotland to the Goatfell Mountain. The time taken by the ferry for every return journey from the island’s port of Brodick to the town of Ardrossan is about 3 hours and 15 minutes. This time window allows you to engage in an amusing activity of biking or running to the peak and be back just in time for the next ferry. The path is about 2.5 miles from Brodick to the southern path of the Goatfell mountain. The summit is at a height of 2867 ft. from sea level.

 

However, I had my reservations regarding the time as many websites over the internet say that walking on feet took about 4. 5 hours in summer. So, I presumed that running would cut the time short at least by half.

Attempting the Challenge

The day I chose to do this challenge the weather shifted from being cool and clear to warm and wet. This change of weather delayed the ferry by 15 minutes. I started pedalling towards the Cladach Visitor Centre and planned on running from there. The route, in the beginning, is gentle and offers a great running space.

I was lucky to witness the beautiful view of the Glen Rosa and was thankful for the tree cover that provided some solace in the hot weather. But as I ascended towards the summit, the air got wetter and it started to drizzle.

As I kept going forward in the dense cloud without any navigation tools, I kept my mind alert to the ground ahead to not lose track. The terrain gets rockier upward and with the dipping temperature, one has to stop for a quick layering of clothes. You will also come across muddy terrain, which adds to the difficulty level.

The main route heads directly towards the west surrounded by large boulders and numerous miniature summits. I grew anxious as I could see no sign of the main summit, but I kept going.  The situation had changed more than I had planned and I knew I had to be quick because the journey back was going to be hard as well due to the prevailing weather conditions. I somehow reached the summit after 1 hour and 17 mins and without delay started on my return.

Bad Luck with a wrong turn

My haste led me to a very silly error that flipped the tables for me.  On my way up, I had seen the way to the coastal village of Corrie but on my descent, I did not come across it. As I was coming back with great speed and zeal, feeling accomplished with my progress in this bad weather, I started to listen to my instincts which said that something wasn’t right.

The moment I stopped, I realised that instead of going south I was going towards the east reaching a gravel track that ended at A814 at Corrie. I took some time and did some mental math. The signs wrote that Brodick was 6 miles away which was a few miles from the place where I had left my bike and I only had 25 minutes left in hand to catch the ferry to return to the mainland.

I figured out an alternative path to the road, on a section of the Arran Coastal Way. The coastal path crossed with the southern section of the Goatfell. I figured the run would be quicker that way. I hopped onto the track and reached the point where I had left my bike.

I unlocked it and started paddling as fast as I could. Finally, after all that I had gone through, hope surged through my heart at the sight of the ferry that was also late because of the weather and I hopped into it happily, completing the Goatfell Challenge.