2003: The Inauguration of a Hiking Trail in Scotland

March 28, 2003

A long-distance hiking trail was inaugurated on the Isle of Arran, an island off the western coast of Scotland. This 66-mile (107-kilometer)-long trail is called the Arran Coastal Way. It was formally opened by Cameron McNeish, an avid hiker who is considered to be one of Scotland’s leading authorities on outdoor pursuits and policies.

The circular route of this trail goes around the entire coastline of the island. Those individuals walking on the Arran Coastal Way are free to choose where along the route they want to begin and end their hikes. Since many prospective hikers customarily arrive at and depart from the Isle of Arran via the Caledonian MacBraune ferries, however, there is an official start/finish monument for the trail near the ferry service terminal at the island’s village of Brodick.

This trail is maintained by the Arran Access Trust. In 2017, the Arran Coastal Way was designated as one of Scotland’s Great Trails by the government-funded organization Scottish Natural Heritage (now known as NatureScot).

Photo Credit: Gerald England (licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 2.0 Generic license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en)

For more information on the Arran Coastal Way, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arran_Coastal_Way