Glenashdale Falls and the Giants' Graves

Tuesday 23rd April 2013 

A woodland walk in southern Arran to visit an impressive waterfall and some Clyde cairns

Distance: 5km; Ascent: 170m; Mainly sunny, but quite windy; with Lynsey & Isabel

See tracked route in new window (although it looks like my phone GPS got a bit confused in the woods as we didn't cross the river that many times!)

As the wind was still blowing strongly from the west we decided to spend the majority of the day on the east side of the island today. Therefore shortly after 11am we set off walking, with Isabel in her rucksack carrier on my back, and headed into Glenashdale Wood.

Glenashdale woods

The good path led us westwards along the Glenashdale Burn for around a kilometre or so, before we began to ascend on a rougher path up to the impressively sited viewing platform for the Glenashdale Falls. The falls themselves were very impressive and consisted of upper and lower waterfalls separated by a more gentle section of river for a few metres.

Glenashdale Falls

Viewpoint above Glenashdale Falls

Glenashdale Falls

We had our picnic lunch on a handily situated bench near the viewing platform and, after taking another look at the impressive falls, we decided to return to Whiting Bay by way of the Giants' Graves.  A short path led to a broad forest road with excellent views out over the bay towards Holy Island.

Goatfell, Holy Isle and Whiting Bay

After around a kilometre and a half of forest road walking the Giants' Graves appeared on the left of the track.  A footpath took us right past the impressive remains of these two chambered burial cairns, of the Clyde type, which according to the information sign date from the early Neolithic period (between 5000 and 5700 years ago).

The Giants' Graves

The Giants' Graves

The Giants' Graves

Due to this part of the forest clearly having been felled in the last few years there were excellent views from the Giants' Graves, especially north to Goatfell and Holy Island.  We descended by way of a good zig-zagging path back down to the valley floor.  A short walk then brought us back to the car shortly after 2pm.

N.B. 11/06/13 - Post date updated to actual date of walk, i.e. 23/04/13 (from 30/04/13).