Glen Rosa - A Walk on the Wild Side

Run in collaboration with the National Trust for Scotland’s Arran Ranger Service, this walk takes in a stunning Arran mountains viewpoint above Glen Rosa and provides good chances of seeing mountain wildlife such as golden eagles, adders and red deer.

Overview

Distance 7.5km

Highest Point Gained 300m – Coire a’Bhradain exclosure

Total Ascent 350m

Walk Duration 5hrs

Terrain Steep ascents and descents on rough hill paths and tracks; rough and boggy pathless moorland for circa 50% of the walk.

Technical Rating Moderate

Endurance Rating 2

Cost £25

Date Monday 19th May 202

Meeting Time 10:00

Meeting Place Glen Rosa (exact location will be confirmed upon booking)

Walk description

Climbing steeply up a forest track onto the pathless moorland above Glen Rosa, incredible views of the glaciated valley and Arran’s northern mountains soon open up. The walk continues off the beaten track across boggy
and heathery moorland, increasing chances encountering mountain wildlife.

Having reached the foot of Coire a’Bhradain, the walk then follows the rushing waters of the Garbh Allt across the moor to steeply descend back into the main glen by means of a rocky path. Here, results of the National Trust for Scotland’s conservation efforts to reinstate upland woodlands, including some of the rarest trees in the world, the Arran whitebeams, can be seen. Nature has shaped and people have used and changed the glen for millennia. The knowledgeable ranger guide will reveal the stories of the glen’s rich natural and cultural history, the traces of which can easily be overlooked.

Finally, an easy track leads back to the start of the route, providing more opportunity to spot wildlife and geological features along the way.  

This walk is organised by the Arran Mountain Festival, a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation SC 052229, supported by Auchrannie Leisure Ltd.