2024 Arran Mountain Festival

On the weekend of 17th- 20th May Scotland’s annual hillwalking and mountaineering festival is taking place. The festival is an opportunity to meet like minded people, discover a fascinating island and have unforgettable days in the safe hands of experienced local leaders….

If you haven’t checked out the programme yet, there is still time to do so! There is something for everyone at the festival including walks for various abilities, mountain running and mountaineering sessions. The team like to keep the groups small to provide an inclusive and friendly experience, but there are still some spaces left, so if there’s a walk you would like to try in the company of others, visit the festival website here 

As well as some of the classic routes, the organisers have developed a ‘Goatfell for beginners’ walk aimed at folk who would like to have a go at scaling Arran’s highest mountain for the first time. Or head off the beaten track with the Plane Wrecks Mountain Walk. A variation on the Three Beinns route, this walk will visit the wreckage of two of the aeroplanes that sadly crashed in the Arran mountains during World War Two.

Another new offering is the Whitebeams and Wildlife of the Western Hills walk. Arran is home to three species of tree which do not occur anywhere else in the world, the Arran Whitebeam (Sorbus arranensis), Cut-leaved Whitebeam (Sorbus pseudofennica) and Catacol Whitebeam (Sorbus pseudomeinichii). This walk gives an opportunity to learn about these trees, some of rarest in the world, as well as experiencing a range of mountain wildlife, with some of the most knowledgeable people on this topic. One of the guides will be a staff member from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, whose Scottish Plant Recovery Project is aiming to restore ten threatened native Scottish species in the wild, including Arran’s three endemic trees.

If you have any energy left over after the day’s hiking, the team have also organised a very busy social calendar, including a gathering and mountain-themed quiz taking place at the Ormidale Hotel on the Friday night, and Saturday evening will see the return of the festival ceilidh. Have fun!!!

For more details on all the walks and events, see the website. For bookings follow the link here and to keep up to date with festival happenings see the Facebook page here

If you have any queries regarding your booking, please contact the bookings provider Arran Adventure at the Auchrannie by phoning 01770 303347 or email adventure@auchrannie.co.uk

Featured image photo credit: Corinna (AMF trustee & walk leader)