A hike up Goatfell, Scotland

Fergal on the summit of Goatfell 875m, P875m - photo by the author

Introduction

Goatfell 875m, P875m, on the Isle of Arran, Scotland, has been named as one of the ‘non-Munros’ that most Munroists want to climb, along with The Cobbler 884m, P256m and Suilven 731.4m, P496m, after they completed the Munros list. So, when in Scotland recently, I decided to climb Goatfell, but things did not work out as planned. As all of the excellent folk of the peak-bagging community know all too well it rarely does in the hills .... !

Ferry problems (as usual!)

On the Wednesday before I headed to Scotland, my friend Ian called to say the CalMac ferry had changed the crossing from Ardrossan at 7am (45 minutes crossing time) to Troon at 6.20 (1 hour twenty minutes crossing time) and we would have to get up earlier. The plan was to climb Goatfell, North Goatfell 818m, P58m and Mullach Buidhe 829.9m, P82m before heading back to get the 6.15 pm ferry. I arrived in Scotland from Ireland and we headed to Troon to board the Isle of Arran ferry, which looked a little worse for wear after 40 years of service.

Shortly after boarding, the captain announced that there was a technical issue and the departure would be delayed by one hour, then after one hour it was announced there was a gearbox problem which was been investigated. A moment later it was announced that all foot passengers could change to the MV Alfred but would have to change tickets in the office from where we would be bussed to the alternative ship. We joined the queue, but after a few very, very slow changes of tickets it looked like we may take 24 hours to get to Arran!  They gave up on the ticket exchange and quickly announced everyone can get on the bus, which took us to the other pier two km away. We boarded the ferry and after a while we sailed and arrived in port of Brodick at 10.20 am. This was two and a half hours behind schedule. However, we had arrived and Goatfell was in sight surrounded in mist at a height of around 200 metres.

About Goatfell

Goatfell’s name derives from the Gaelic and Norse languages. ‘Goat’ is anglicised from the Scots Gaelic word ‘Gaoth’ for wind and ’Fell’ is the Norse word for mountain. It is an island and hill that has many visitors, benign and not so benign, visiting it over the years and I was happy to see what the fuss was about.

The hike begins

We got off the ferry and were joined by another climber George and headed along the Fisherman’s Walk which led over part of the golf course and the beach. The Fisherman’s Walk is part of the Arran coastal path which totals 106 km and mostly hugs the coast, except for a spur near Goatfell.  Along the way we spotted some seals swimming just off the beach. Eventually, after around two km, we arrived at the Wineport pub, from where the Goatfell track started in earnest.

Heading up the hill, we climbed up through the trees along a forest track before we came to the first junction. Unfortunately, Ian had an injury and had to abandon the climb at this point. Here the track wound steeply up over a stone and rock-filled track until we reached a small wooden bridge. This was just under 400 metres and was alongside the small peak of Glenshant Hill. The fog (or ‘clag’, as they say in those parts) started to roll in and after winding up a relatively steady slope we arrived at a junction at a height around 600 metres. The track split at this part and the Arran Coastal trail went down-hill from the large cairn.

This, however, was not my goal for today, and my attention switched to the track that rolled into the mist and headed up to the left of Goatfell. This was much steeper and a bit tricky with many boulders to clamber over. 

After around thirty minutes we clambered over a final rock and reached the flattish summit, marked with a trig pillar and a viewfinder. 

On the summit

The summit area had many rocks scattered around and, with a few other lucky souls, I was there to see the cloud inversion. The hills came into and out of the clouds and the view were wonderful. A sunny and not the dreich day (Scots for ‘misty and drizzly’) was needed for the full vista of the other mountains and the sea.

Down into the hill-fog again

After a few inevitable photographs, the long descent started and, sadly, we had to forget the other two nearby peaks. Time was too short and the late arrival led to the inevitable decision. We carefully headed down, especially on the steeper parts, towards the Wineport pub where Ian was waiting. The clouds came and went. It was not a day for sunny views across to the mainland, or even hanging about, as the grey clouds were gathering.  We arrived just before 16.30 and had a beer or two outside at one of the tables under a large umbrella. Suddenly the skies opened and the rain poured down, “Never cast a cloot till May is oot “, Ian said, which, of course, made sense as we avoided the raindrops under the umbrella.

However, how would we get dry to the ferry terminal, which was around two km away? Fortunately, the good staff of the Wineport offered us a lift, and the three of us clambered into a mini coupe car which got us to the ferry terminal fifteen minutes before the boat sailed. I mentioned to the driver as I got out to check and see if I had left any toes behind and let me know. It had been a tight squeeze in the tiny car for three of us and our rucksacks! We gave a few pounds to the driver because, as I reminded the others, it was Chris de Burgh who once famously sang” Don’t pay the ferryman, pay the one who gives you a lift to the other side.” Shortly after we got on the ferry, Ian spotted on the internet that the ferry terminal in Ardrossan was closed due to a small fire., Finally I was happy to be heading to Troon.

An eventful day full of surprises, and a fine island with a good climb. However, the ‘ghost of Uncle Albert’ haunts the ferry boats. As they say in those parts “Whits fur ye’ll no go by ye”.

The climb of Goatfell is around 11.5 km there and back from the Wineport bar/restaurant. The walk along Fisherman’s Walk to Wineport from the port terminal at Brodick is around 2 km. There are occasional buses which could be caught from the pub to Brodick. As for the ferry timetables, until the new boats come on-stream - subject to change!