Isle of Arran Goatfell
Goatfell is the highest mountain on the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, a granite peak of 874 metres above the town of Brodick whose combination of the accessibility by ferry from the mainland, the extraordinary views from the summit and the dramatic granite ridge scenery of the northern Arran mountains creates one of the most rewarding mountain ascents available from any Scottish island. The National Trust for Scotland owns the Goatfell range and the combination of the mountain walking and the remarkable landscape variety of Arran, sometimes described as Scotland in miniature, makes the island one of the finest walking destinations in the Firth of Clyde.
The ascent from Brodick through the Cladach woodland and across the moorland below the summit ridge provides a comprehensive tour of the Arran landscape from the lowland woodland through the open hill to the rocky summit ridge. The views from the summit encompass an extraordinary range of Scottish and Irish landscape, from the Mull of Kintyre and the Irish coast to the south to the hills of the mainland Highlands to the north, the Firth of Clyde and its islands spread below in a panorama of considerable extent.
The granite ridge that connects Goatfell with the surrounding peaks of Cir Mhòr, Caisteal Abhail and Am Binnein provides a traverse of considerable quality for experienced walkers, the technical scrambling available on the Rosa Pinnacle providing an additional challenge in a setting of dramatic granite scenery.