Arran almighty - how we beat our 2020 summertime blues

Hard to believe it’s only two years since we spent four nights on the Isle of Arran off the west coast of Scotland.

It feels like a lifetime ago and reading the posts I wrote at the time I am struck by all the hoops we had to jump through with face masks and other Covid-related precautions.

I’m not saying they were unnecessary or wrong, especially in those pre-vaccine days, but what a palaver.

We accepted them because we wanted a holiday (going abroad wasn’t an option) and we were happy to support the UK hospitality industry as it struggled to recover from the impact of the first lockdown.

It was a strange time because in August 2020 even a staycation (horrible word) felt rather adventurous.

The chances of getting Covid seemed quite small at the time - the first wave having receded although a second wave was imminent - but knowing there was an element of risk did add a frisson of jeopardy to the trip.

The Arran leg of our holiday followed visits to York, Harrogate and Glasgow, and on the return journey we also spent a couple of nights in Hexham in Northumberland.

We stayed in hotels and ate in multiple restaurants where pandemic restrictions were politely but firmly enforced.

It was all part of the theatre of Covid and looking back it already seems like an alien world but one we adapted to without fuss or complaint (although I always hated wearing a face mask because my glasses steamed up!).

Anyway these are the posts I wrote at the time - Staycation news: escape from Arran and a follow up post, Road trip review - dining out and other observations.

Above: on board the ferry from Ardrossan to Arran; below: another, smaller, ferry on the other side of the island