Coire Fhionn Lochan – A Hill Loch Above the Kilbrannan Sound
About 3.1 miles on foot.
High above the quiet west coast of Arran, a little loch sits in a bowl of the hills with beaches of pale granite gravel round its edge.
Coire Fhionn Lochan is reached by a well-built path from the roadside at Thundergay, north of Pirnmill. It's a steady climb of 330 metres, and the sea and the long coast of Kintyre are behind you all the way up.
- Time
- An hour and a half to two hours: 5 km, or three miles, there and back, with 330 m of climb, on a walker's guide's figures.
- The path
- A track, then a well-built hill path that climbs steadily for 330 m. Boots.
- Where to start
- The verge of the coast road just south of Mid Thundergay, a mile and a half north of Pirnmill. No car park: the verge fills up, with a little more room to the north.
- When to go
- All year in daylight, in clear weather. Under snow or ice it is for people with winter hill kit only. From November to January set off by 12.30pm. No ferry to Arran on 25 December or 1 January. Wind can stop the boat: look at CalMac's service status page on the morning you travel.
- Dogs
- Under close control: sheep and red deer are on the hill.
- Children
- A steady climb of 330 m on a good path, for children of eight or nine and up who are used to walking.
- Toilets
- None at the start or on the hill.
- Before you set out
- A hill loch in an open corrie. Under snow or ice it is for people with winter hill kit only. Red deer are stalked on Arran's hills until 15 February: heed any notice. No ferry to Arran on 25 December or 1 January. Wind can stop the boat: look at CalMac's service status page on the morning you travel.
The walk
Park on the verge of the coast road just south of Mid Thundergay, a mile and a half north of Pirnmill on the west side of Arran. There's no car park and the verge fills up, with a little more room to the north. Parking is free, and there are no toilets. A walker's guide gives the walk as 5 km, or three miles, there and back, with 330 metres of climb, and allows an hour and a half to two hours. It begins on a track and carries on up a well-built hill path that climbs steadily beside a burn, or hill stream. At the top the ground opens into a corrie, and the lochan fills the floor of it, clear and cold, with small beaches of pale granite gravel and steep slopes all round.
Look back on the way up and you see right over the Kilbrannan Sound to the long line of Kintyre. It's a hill walk, short as it is. The path is good, but the corrie is high, open and a long way from help, so take boots, waterproofs and warm clothes, and a map. Under snow or ice the path is hidden and slippery, and it's a day for people with winter hill kit and nobody else. Sheep and red deer are on this ground, so keep dogs under close control. Deer are stalked on Arran's hills until 15 February, so heed any notice at the start of the path.
From November to January, set off by 12.30pm. Arran is reached on CalMac's car ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick, a crossing of 55 minutes. Book the car on before you travel, and be at the pier 30 minutes before the boat sails. On the winter timetable, from 19 October 2026 to 6 March 2027, a boat leaves Ardrossan at 9.45am every day, and the last one back leaves Brodick at 7.20pm, or at 4.40pm on a Saturday. Until 18 October the summer timetable applies, so read the times on CalMac's Ardrossan to Brodick page. Wind can stop the boat: look at CalMac's service status page on the morning you travel.
If it rains
There's no shelter anywhere on this hill and the corrie fills with cloud in bad weather, so keep it for a clear day. If it's wet, stay down on the coast road, which is a fine drive in any weather.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is The Hollies, 17 miles away. Sleeps 18.
Then Glenstriven House, 23 miles away. next free Sun 25 Oct to Tue 27 Oct.
Book the car onto CalMac's Ardrossan to Brodick ferry before you travel, out and back, and be at the pier 30 minutes before the boat.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Garry Arthur via Google