Hamilton Cottages Isle of Arran

29/10/2026

🌦️Arran weather can be best described as... changeable.

We live here, so we know this is all part of it. Wet boots, muddy bikes, soaked waterproofs and the occasional child who looks like they’ve been rolled through a bog.

Which is why we’ve made sure Hamilton Cottages has somewhere proper to deal with all of it.

There’s an outdoor hose for the worst of the mud, laundry facilities, a hot-air drying cabinet for waterproofs and wetsuits, heated boot dryers, and a stash of old towels because muddy bikes and our good towels are not a good combination.

🌀For particularly muddy children, there’s always the plunge pool. Industrial rinse cycle optional.

It’s not the glamorous side of a walking or cycling holiday on Arran, but being able to get everything clean and dry before the next day makes a huge difference.

And anyway... the weather might be better tomorrow😁

22/10/2026

🌲One question we get quite a lot is 'Which cottage would be best for us?'

The nice thing is, whichever one you choose, you still get the same access to

🟢 The sauna
🟢 games room
🟢 drying facilities
🟢 woodland
🟢 And from 2027, the BBQ hut will be part of the setup too.

So really it comes down to how many of you there are, how much space you want and whether things like an ensuite matter to you.

🏡Rosa is brilliant for couples and smaller families
🏡Shurig is a really good all-rounder for families or groups of six.
🏡Ashdale is our most spacious cottage and works really well if you want that bit more room to spread out.

Same place, same setup. It really just comes down to which cottage suits you best😁

Fiona and Matt x

15/10/2026

🚵Anyone who knows us will know Matt is completely bike obsessed and as a result we're quite a bikey (definitely a word 🤣) family ... wether the kids like it or not 😁

Luckily, Arran is a pretty good place for it.

Dyemill Bike Park in Lamlash is brilliant for a few laps of the trails and pump track, but there are also miles and miles of forestry roads around the island to explore.

There is just one small issue. Hills.⛰️

Our top family biking cheat to keep everyone happy is to use e-bikes. We tow our 6 and 7 year old up the bigger climbs, which means we can get much further into the forest than their wee legs would normally manage, then they get to enjoy the good bit coming back down.

It’s honestly made such a difference to where we can take them and how much biking we can actually do together 🚴‍♀️

08/10/2026

05/10/2026

I was lucky enough to go out on the Arran Coast boat recently when they were surveying the seabed and what a brilliant experience it was so if you've any budding biologists in the family this would be a great trip!!

Fun fact: I actually have a degree in marine biology! 🐠

We're running one last Sea Science Boat Trip before we pause our trips for the winter! Be sure to book your spot by visiting our website or using the link below 🛥️ 🌊

Join COAST scientists aboard the RV COAST Explorer as we investigate the ocean's wonders and witness the positive impact of marine protected areas.

Activities may include:
Plankton Sampling
Habitat Mapping & Marine Life Observation using a drop-down camera
Seabird recording

Engage in real-world science and contribute to vital marine conservation efforts around Arran!

Follow the link for more information and to book your space: https://widget.eola.co/f657k/activities/sea-science-trip

01/10/2026

🥄Have you ever stayed in a self-catering place and found yourself swearing at a blunt knife, or washing cutlery halfway through making dinner because there aren’t even enough spoons to cook with and eat with?

Because I have, and it drives me MAD!!!

🍳Cooking on holiday should NOT be MORE stressful than cooking at home! This is a BIGGIE for me.

So when guests say things like:
“It literally came equipped with everything.”
I’m very happy.

We try really hard to make sure the cottages have the things you actually need, not just the bare minimum.
Enough glasses. Enough mugs. Enough cutlery. Decent knives. Proper kitchen bits. Games and books. Laundry and drying facilities. All the useful stuff you don’t really notice until it’s missing.

And if someone ever asks if we’ve got something and we haven’t, I’ll usually try to get it and add it to the inventory for next time.

Within reason, obviously.
There have been a few requests over the years that have made me question where the line is. I’m still not convinced a holiday cottage needs a melon baller or a blowtorch but feel free to disagree with me below 👇🤣

24/09/2026

We get asked about the sauna A LOT, so here’s the short version.

🪵It’s wood fired, down in the woodland beside the stream, and there’s a cold plunge right there as well if you’re feeling enthusiastic.

Some weeks it’s in constant use. Other weeks hardly anyone books it. And that’s kind of the point really. It’s there if it’s your thing, it’s included in the price of your stay, and if it’s not for you, no worries.

🇸🇪We bought the sauna kit from a Swedish company and has it shipped from Oslo. At this point I really wish we’d bought shares in them as well, because I reckon we’ve sold a fair few saunas on their behalf 🤣

People come down, use ours, then start asking where it’s from, which is also pretty much how we ended up with ours. I tried another wild sauna, loved it and thought, right, we need one of these.
I’m very easily influenced🙈

Sometimes I even sit in it even when it’s not lit!!
There’s something about sitting in a wooden box looking out at the stream tumbling down from the woods that just feels like a wee escape.

It’s also one of the few places you can properly switch off. You take your phone in because it’ll overheat so all you hear is the fire and the stream. Even better when it’s raining and you can hear it hitting the roof.

17/09/2026

The Three Beinns is an absolute classic Isle of Arran route and one of those days out that feels properly worth the effort.

It’s about 15km, with brilliant views, a wee bit of scrambling near the top of Beinn Tarsuinn, but nothing technical. You’ll also pass the Old Man of Tarsuinn along the way.

We also spotted a fly agaric mushroom right on the summit of Beinn Nuis, which was a bit unexpected considering they're normally found in the woodland!

Apart from the odd posse of Arran mountain runners it's a lovely quiet route and slightly off the usual tourist tracks too, so you’re unlikely to come across loads of other folk.

My top tip is to do it anti-clockwise, starting with Beinn a’ Chliabhain. That way you save the boggiest section, usually coming off Beinn Nuis, until the end.
And if you’re lucky like we were this time, you’ll make it back with dry feet.👟😁

What’s your favourite mountain route on Arran?

10/09/2026

We’ve tried to make Hamilton Cottages the kind of place we’d actually want to stay ourselves on Arran.

We love being outside, walking, biking, swimming and generally making the most of the island, so when we come back at the end of the day we want somewhere that still feels like part of the holiday.

That’s really where things like the drying room, boot dryers, sauna and games room come in. They’re not there just because they sound good on a facilities list, they’re there because they genuinely make a self-catering stay work better, especially if you’ve spent the day outside.

That’s pretty much the thinking behind the whole place.

What’s the one thing that makes a holiday cottage really work for you?

Fiona and Matt x