Arran Adventures

Adventures on Arran

Introduction

If you own a hotel-room “Full-Share” (including an en-suite bathroom) for between £39,000 and £69,000, the bricks-and-mortar of the bedroom are 100% yours. You can stay for as long as 26 weeks in every year in your island hotel…

^^ Island Hotel ^^

You have the best ~ the Rolls Royce of what we have to offer: (i) Ownership of a warm, comfortable place to stay; (ii) An awesome island to explore, and: (iii) A very useful rental income from when you are not using your hotel room. This page shows some of the adventures you can have on the island of Arran. Here is your hotel, plus this page we focus on the Arran Adventures to be enjoyed.

^^ Sannox Hotel, Island of Arran ^^

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Arran Adventures

1]. Mogabout

This page summarise just a few of the adventures that the Island of Arran has to offer. Plus we finish the article with a special announcement of something that should add to Arran Adventures in a unique way.

^^ The Mogabout Adventures ^^

First we start with a gentle jalopy to help explore some of the rugged elements of the island. The owner’s of this vehicle are especially thoughtful to those folk of a certain age, or subject to a disability that would ordinarily exclude their participation in accessing some pretty spectacular areas.

The Mogabout all-terrain passenger vehicle is also good for overlapping quality time between younger and older generations. Put down the X-Box, fold away the knitting: here is something that grandparents and grandsprogs can enjoy together. 

Arran Venture Video


More Sedate Venture

Many visitors to the island just love heading up a mountain. But not everyone is in A1 shape to to that. The Mogabout vehicle is ideal for adventures without croaking the auld yins…

^^ Mogabout All Terrain Tours: Main Vehicle ^^

Mountain High & Sandy Beach Deep

Mogabout

Accessible Arran Adventures

For Young and Old

Exceptionally suitable for grandparents and grandchildren! There is plenty more to do, at a gentler pace for those folk who are looking for a quieter style of island life. A main attraction that the island has is it caters for all ages and all stages, whether quiet monastic contemplation at the Holy Isle Buddhist Retreat, or the high energy of this. When the family all gets back from the day’s fun and enjoyment, at least the youngsters will be tired and ready for a good nights sleep.

Mogabout Tours

Click Here

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2]. Accompanied Air Tours

For the more adventurous, here is something you can do which gives you a great view of the island – and incidentally the hotel where you may well own a room one day…

^^ Sannox Bay & Sannox Hotel In The Background ^^

With or Without Accompaniment

With or Without An Engine!

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3] Paragliding Lessons

^^ A Flock of Paraglider ^^

With Ailsa Craig Island in The Background

Flying Fever Paragliding

Click Here

Flying Fever Paragliding

Click Here

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4]. Arran RIB Sea Tours

Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) tours can be booked for coastal cruising or fast boat-a-batics. Also available for small island exploring. There are several interesting small islands a short RIB boat journey from the hotel…

^^ Jet Rib Tours, Isle of Arran ^^

We understand one of the rigid-inflatable-boat (RIB) tour operators may have retired. There should be another on the island of Arran. If not, then maybe call our office (here) as the main job here is to bring businesses back to life. So we may be able to assist suitably qualified personnel restart a RIB class boat tour company for the island of Arran.

Rib Tour Background Information

Click Here

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5] Follow The Signs

^^ Signs: The Film ^^

No. not the movie “Signs”, consider following the actual…

Arran Signs

For Adventures

^^ Arran Signs ^^

Copyright Courtesy of Stephen Finn & Alamy

There are a lot of adventures to be enjoying on Arran. The signs are literally everywhere.

=> The fully renovated Sannox Hotel is set in a beautiful location and being just a few paces from the entrance to the spectacular Glen Sannox means you are close to the gateway of the Arran Mountains.

.^^ The Arran Mountains ^^

A Main Access Point Is At Glen Sannox

Just A Few Paces from Sannox Hotel

A main access and egress point is at Glen Sannox, just a few paces away from the Sannox Hotel.

In fact a short walk north brings you to the Corrie and Sannox Golf Club, or a short walk north and left turn takes you up Glen Sannox, whilst a short walk north and turn right brings you to the stepping stones…

^^ Crossing Sannox Burn ^^

This short walk from Sannox Hotel takes you to the beautiful beach…

^^ Sannox Beach ^^

^^ Looking Back Towards Sannox Hotel ^^

Alternatively you could exit the hotel and head south back towards Brodick. This is where the writer of these words grew up. There are four ports and harbours in the two villages of Corrie & Sannox. Here is the favourite, of many folk…


^^ Corrie Port ^^

The writer used to work at hiring rowing boats from here in the 1970s. Nowadays Health & Safety regulations tend to favour more substantive craft such as fishing boats or yachts with a fully certificated skipper to arrange tours and boat trips.

Although, you do not always need a boat…

Sometimes a paddleboard or a canoe will suffice and be very nice…

With the advent of high quality camera phones, many folk exchange their fishing rods for photography enjoyment. The island has many opportunities to take a beautiful pictures…

^^ Flat Calm Arran Sea ^^

This leads us neatly into the next area that visitors enjoy whilst on the island…

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6]. Photo Tours

Inspiring Photography

^^ The Machrie Moor Stone Circles, Isle of Arran ^^

Photography Tours…

Click Here

The Whether you enjoy taking your own photos on a solo walk, or with friends, there is a third option and that is with a professional photographer. It is great to hone your photography skills and be guided with new knowledge, particularly as cameras become more complex, digital devices. Some of which require a Ph.D., doctorate in computer technology to operate.

But we reckon the photography experience is enhanced when you are surrounded by beautiful vistas.

^^ Cir Mhor from Glen Rosa ^^

Photo By Fraser Aitchison

One of our favourite photographers is Fraser Aitcheson. We believe he is one of the best on the island. It might be an idea to DM Fraser on social media and nudge him into guiding you on a photography tour for a modest honourarium. This is not what Fraser generally does, but if you can persuade him, then he will help you capture some magnificent photographs: Click Here.

^^ Brodick, Isle ofArran ^^

Photo By Fraser Aitchison

^^ Mossend, Brodick, Isle of Arran ^^

Photo By Fraser Aitchison

A wonderful  way to improve your snappy skills.

Or if you would like ta treat of your visit to Arran then you can acquire a print…

^^ The Machrie Moor Stone Circles ^^

^^ Isle of Arran ^^

Peter Ribbeck has an amazing portfolio of professional work and you are warmly invited to have a look at the online gallery. If a print catches your eye, then in our modest view, these are very good value and will provide a nce reminder of your time n the island…

Peter Ribbeck Prints

Click Here

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7]. Writing Novels

Arran has often captured the imagination of the fountain~pen artist. The tapping of typewriter keyboard. You might notice a segue from the photo of Machrie Standing Stones above, to the artistic cover of professor Archie Roy’s front cover of his novel Deadlight…

^^ The Novel Deadlight ^^

Confession time. Professor Roy was a very good family friend. So much so, that several of his novels were published by our family form: Kilbrannan Publishing at Ivy Cottage, Brodick in the 1980s by the director of Sannox bay Hotel’s parents. Print media runs in the family DNA. Although the keyboard being tapped for this page has mangled English coming out of the business end. A lot to o with getting the hang of HTML website coding, rather than the old Guttenberg printing press. Experiments and learning on the job helps. For example, Wikipedia is a good place to learn. 

=> Three guesses which mischief-maker created Professor Roy’s Wikipedia page: click here.

=> The actual front-end of the well known internet website shows part of the process bringing useull information to many folk: here.

As for the novel “Deadlight.” It is a little bit dated now, but still a blistering, fast-paced read. As a youngster, being given the equivalent of an HG Wells or Alistair MacLean novel that takes place on the island of Arran, brings a tangible element that you know where the chases are happening and actually enjoy them all the more.

^^ DCI Dailey Novels: Click Here ^^

=> From Sannox Hotel, to the fictional home of DCI Dailey.

=> Currently being transposed from million selling books to a new television series.

=> That is one of the reasons for the mischief with propellers on the stern of what we are looking to buy back at the foot of this page!

Our friend Denzil Meyrick is doing that right now with his DCI Daley series of books (more Wikipedia HTML coding practice: click here).

It is exciting to be able to advise that after a lot of hard work from Denzil Meyrik’s literary skills, the books are being made into a television detective series. Much of which will be filmed in Campbeltown and Argyll, just across the Kilbrannan Sound. Here is the fictional town in Denzil’s books and where we aim to transport our Sannox Hotel guests as part of the spectrum of Aran Adventures…

^^ Campbeltown, Kintyre, Argyll ^^

Davaar Island In The Distance…

Birthplace of Our Argyll Group plc

The last segment on this page is intended to be a way to add a new form of adventure, based ostensibly out of Sannox Hotel, but going all around the coast of Arran and across to Ailsa Craig Island + Davaar Island and of course to the Mull of Kintyre.

Many places where the DCI Dailey author is helping to bring alive ~ out  of his highly acclaimed fleet of books.

=> Given all of this segment, we intend to hold writing workshops at Sannox Hotel and invite distinguished authors to give insightful and helpful Q&A sessions.

With respect to the deadlight Novel, mentioned at the top of this segment, that book is out of print. But yo can still get copies from Ebay and Amazon. For example: Click Here

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8]. Golf

Arran has many golf courses. Overlooking Holy Island above. Sannox Golf Course embraced by magnificent mountains pictured below…

Sannox Golf Course: A 5 minute walk from our latest Hotel Room Ownership venture at Sannox Hotel. From £39,000 to £69,000 to buy an en-suite bedroom. Feuhold (Scottish equivalent of Freehold). NOT Time-Share ~ this is far better, it is FULL-SHARE.

=> You own the room for 52 weeks a year!

You can stay in the room for up to 26 weeks a year (the hotel is being retained as a hotel, so for at least 26 weeks a year, the bedrooms must be available for paying guests).

It is a win-in as you have a great place to stay and a very useful income when you aren’t in residence!

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9]. Hill Walking

& Mountain Climbing

Into climbing? Our latest hotel purchase/renovation and hotel-room-ownership is one of the places where many mountaineers end up staying once they walk back down Glen Sannox. Hence Argyll Group spending a great deal of time and effort on high-spec., insulation. To keep the property warm and dry whilst not costing a fortune in heating bills.

Atop the highest peak: Goat Fell. Brodick Bay to the left with Holy Isle peaking above it.

Mountain climbing is such a major attraction that the biggest retail shop in Brodick is dedicated to this venture.

Tuition Available For Mountain Novices

Here is some video of what it is like to go climbing up one of the main access/egress routes into the magnificent Arran mountains. At Sannox Hotel we’ve certainly seen and fed + watered and helped tired climbers after they return from a day climbing. This is one of the major reasons that we have spent so much time and effort making sure that the renovated hotel has been over-engineered in respect of insulation. Plus a new central heating and hot water plumbing system throughout. It can get cold, even on the relatively gentle hill walk up Goatfell…

^^ Goatfell – Top Peak ^^

So it is nice to return to your hotel for the evening and find nice, war rooms with a hot bath and clean sheets. It may seem an unusual thing to add to this paragraph, but by installing two articulated lorry loads of insulation into the Sannox Hotel restoration, we can ensure the hotel is kept warm and in a way that still helps hotel costs (and in turn guest bills) affodable.

If you are spending any time in the hills and mountains ofArran, please make sure you have your fully charged mobile phone. This is to help should an emergency arise. But also to capture some pretty awesome photographs. Here are just a few of what Arran has to offer… 

^^ These Guys Are Very Important ^^

We will introduce you to this team in a couple of paragraphs.

^^ Arran Mountain Rescue ^^

^^ & Emergency Service Kit ^^

As long as you follow safety measures for hill-walking and mountain-climbing you will have an enjoyable time up in the hills. But please do not underestimate what the interior of the island contains.

Some of these mountains can be ferocious when mixed with the wrong ingredients.

^^ A Taste of Arran Mountains ^^

Many decades of hill-walking, climbing and mountaineering have ensured the Island of Arran is a popular destination for those seeking the vertical style of vacation.

Reassuringly, Arran has a brilliant team who devote their time in training and volunteering for the Arran Mountain Rescue. It is a good idea to take advice from this highly experienced mountaineering team whether you are a novice or a seasoned climber. Better to have advice from the experts before rather than after you might have a hiccup on the hills (click here).

Please remember that the Arran Mountain Rescue is a registered charity and run by well trained and dedicated volunteers. The charity does need to buy kit, especially regular supplies of new specialised rope and climbing/safety kit. So if you have a spare fiver or tenner, please consider popping a few quid across. Thanks.

The mountain rescue charity’s fundraising really makes a difference to folk visiting the hills. One day that might be needed by you. Please click here.

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10] Diving

Whether you are an experienced diver or a novice requiring tutor and guidance, the coastal waters around the island are a wondrous place to explore…

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11]. Pony Trekking

& Horse Riding

Very close to the hotel, in fact your hotel-room-ownership property may well be seen in the background…

^^ Lucky To Have Horses At Sannox ^^

Sannox Hotel is pictured in the background behind the horses.

A Short Trot From Hotel To Hoof

^^ Sannox Trek ^^

Give Me Some Space.

^^ Sannox Trek ^^

Live Long And Canter.

At a trot or a gallop.

You choose your pace of life…

On the beaches, or up towards the mountains.

North Sannox Pony Trekking

Click Here

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 12]. oly Isle

Meditation Centre

There is a world renowned Buddhist Retreat on the Holy Isle (here)…

Holy Isle, Off of The Island of Arran. Photo: Jason Hawkes

Access is via a passenger ferry from Lamlash to the island…

^^ The Ferry To Arran’s Holy Isle ^^

The Buddhist Retreat Centre runs various events…

Click Here 

Holy Isle: Former Lighthouse Keepers’ Houses. Now A Renowned Buddhist Retreat Centre

The founder and vision holder of the Holy Isle Project is Lama Yeshe Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist meditation master in the Kagyu tradition (click here)

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13]. Aerial Drone

Photography Courses

Drone Photography On Arran

This is new to Aran, but due to the scenery and subject matter is becoming very popular.


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14]. Honourable Mentions

We have yet to include a definitive list of adventures on Arran. For example: Archery…

Other activities include “Gorge Walking”. This sounds both interesting and terrifying…

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Maybe something altogether more relaxing…

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15]. Uisge Beath

The Water of Life

^^ A Lot of Adventures For You on Arran ^^


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The Extra Bit…

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Something Extra We Are Proposing:

16]. Sea Tours

Islands of

Arran + Bute + Cumbrae

+ Ailsa Craig + Davaar Island

The island of Arran is very popular. The busiest island on the west coast as serviced by CalMac Ferries. Almost a million tourists each year, many of whom are hill-walkers and emerge from Glen Sannox which is a just a few paces north of Sannox Hotel. In that respect the hotel has always had a decent and regular number of guests. But the managing director of this company was lucky enough to grow up at a nearby hotel and recalls that he and his brothers watched little to no television! The brothers were either climbing up a mountain or going out to sea.

When many folk look at an island, they sea a virtual fortress surrounded by a defensive moat…

^^ Aisla Craig Island ^^

But what folk who live on islands see is a LOT of blue coloured roads – made out of water.

You just need a selection of destinations and harbours to visit.

Let the Arran Adventures begin…

^^ One of The Proposed Days Out ^^

With Sannox Sea Tours

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The Ship?

Our former ferry, now converted

into a bespoke sea-tour passenger vessel…



^^ Our Favourite Ferry Friend ^^

^^ MV Lochmor ^^

Plenty of Sannox Sea Tour buisiness available.

Reasons why Arran is the busiest island on the west-coast? 

Almost 1,000,0000 visitors to Arran in 2018 (here). The recovery after Covid is going well too with 631,904 in 2021 whilst lockdowns were going on and off. Then a boost to 768,869 in 2022 right after lockdowns were lifted for good. Source CalMac Ferries: Click Here.

The numbers visiting an island that is still the busiest on the west coast is important for hotel guest visitor occupancy rates. So these latest statistics auger well for the Sannox Hotel.

=> Comparable room rates range between £162 and £279 per night (2023: Source: here and here).

Another way that our hotels are helped to reman viable and financially safer than others, is the fact we ban any and all mortgages. All our hotels are 100% owned by each group of hotel-room-owning shareholders.

^^ One of Many Bedrooms ^^

Completely Renovated By Scotslion Ltd

Averages from £39,000 to £69,000.

Full-Share, NOT Time-Share

All hotel-room-owners have the gold-standard quality of title. Their share is recorded at HM Land Registry via Companies House. Typically 6 to 12 folk own each hotel with our secure “Full-Share” ownership protocol. All hotels are fully insured. This way we ensure our members own a high quality asset-backed building as opposed to the dubious and very risky “Time-Share” type of room “one week in October” form of questionable possession.

=> Our hotel-room-owners can stay for up to 26 weeks a year in their hotel room. The other 26 weeks are required for paying guests so that the hotel still functions as a hotel. Especially given the very nice offer our Tower Hotel shareholders received and voted to accept!

=> Most owners stay for just 2 to 3 weeks holiday each year and enjoy the net rental income that guests pay for their room as mentioned above. We are quite excited to see what the actual monthly income works out at, when the going rate ranges between £162 to £279 a night.

=> Curiously we have one member who is buying a hotel-room in the north and is on our list for first-refusal to buy a hotel-room in southern France for her winters. Sannox at location “2” and France at “7”. Map: Click Here. She works via the internet and will own two bricks-and-mortar places to live and work for less than £80,000 in total. Whilst she will also enjoy warmer winters (6 months in the north and 6 months in the south). This new phenomenon is catching on and even has a name: Digital Nomads: click here and here.

^^ Sannox Hotel, Isle of Arran^^

A New Kind of Adventure

For starters, add one of these for a new

Sannox Sea Tours…

^^ We Were Very Lucky To ^^

^^ Buy This Ship 22 Years Ago ^^

Regrettably, we sold it 22 years ago as we were bidding to buy MV Pioneer (here). But that is a whole other story.

^^ The MV Lochmor Has ^^

A Passenger Certificate for 180 Folk

The good news is that the current owners have been in discussions with us and we are endeavouring to buy back our beloved MV Lochmor. Plus some very comfortable dining and sight-seeing facilities. In other words…

Sannox Hotel Sea Tours

So the intention is to create a menu of several different voyages, such as…

The Lochmor’s Island Tours

^^ The Proposed Sannox Sea Tours ^^

Would you like to join an Arran Adventure to islands nearby?

We intend deploying our old ship…

^^ The Proposed Sannox Sea Tours ^^

A Familiar Island In The Background.

It is ironic as we started these adventures at renting the Old Lookout on Davaar Island: “before” renovation: click here and “after” renovation: click here for the ridiculously low £5 a year ~

Now, 35 years later an obscure magazine has an unimaginable number of readers (here). It has the capacity to buy this next castle…

^^ Broomhall Castle Hotel ^^

Sale Details: Click Here

Broomhall Castle is odds-on favourite to be our next hotel and located at site 3 on our “two-summers-no-winters” map…

^^ Broomhall Castle Hotel ^^

Sale Detail For Number 3: Click Here

Whatever You Do, Don’t Torment Yourself

By Looking At…

Number 5: Click Here

=> We have known the owners of Spitbank Fort for at least 7 years and have been in significant negotiations. But for now we will stick with Sannox Hotel and soon to be announced the Broomhall Castle adventure.

Broomhall Castle Hotel is close to Stirling Castle + Edinburgh Castle and just about line-of-sight to the Wallace Monument on a clear day. So we’ll likely be collating another one of these pages, but the next one will be for “Stirling Adventures”!


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Please Check Back Regularly

For Updates & New Adventures.

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