Day 1 Arran to Orkney Dumbarton to Corrie, Arran

This is the first day of a 19 day, 1350 km trip Island hopping from Arran to Orkney. Distance covered most days was 80-110 km with a couple of rest/sightseeing days. Day 1 distance on bike computer including 10 km on Arran was 83 km

We chose to start at Dumbarton railway station following the well signposted cycle route 7, through Dumbarton and Bowling to the Erskine bridge. After passing under the bridge at Kilpatrick there is a path up to the Eastern side of the bridge joining with the cycle path across the bridge. After crossing the bridge we followed a shared cycle/walking track along the Clyde. From this the route follows mostly quiet streets and cycle lanes, however the route is not well signposted and requires careful navigation from printed map with street names. Once cycle route 7 is reached the route is well signed and we made much more rapid progress.

HIghlights: Forth Clyde canal, rail trail past Loch Winnoch, views over Ayrshire coming into Kilwinning, Arran coast.

Accommodation: Corrie bunk house