Hutton's Unconformity – A Shore That Changed Geology
About 3.1 miles on foot.
On the shore north of Lochranza, at the top of Arran, red sandstone lies across the upturned edges of much older grey rock.
The geologist James Hutton saw it in 1787 and took it as proof that the Earth was far older than anyone then believed. A circuit of about 5 km goes out to it over the hill above Loch Ranza, down through the wooded Fairy Dell and back round Newton Point, and red deer often graze the slopes beside it.
- Time
- An hour and a half to two hours: a circuit of about 5 km (3 miles) with some 90 metres of climb.
- The path
- A track, then paths, with one rougher, steeper descent and a rocky shore. Not for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
- Where to start
- The roadside spaces on the A841 at the head of Loch Ranza, close to the turning for Newton. No charge.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. 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
- On a lead: red deer graze the Newton fields.
- Children
- The shore is rocky and the path down the dell is steep.
- Toilets
- None on the walk; Lochranza's public toilets are in the village, about three-quarters of a mile west along the loch.
- Before you set out
- A rocky shore, slippery when wet. Red deer rut from late September into October: keep 50 yards away. 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 in the free roadside spaces on the A841 at the head of Loch Ranza, close to the turning for Newton. The walk begins a few minutes away, where the Newton road meets the shore on the north-east side of the loch. From there it's a circuit of about 5 km, or three miles, with some 90 metres of climb, and a walker's guide to it allows an hour and a half to two hours. The first half is a track over the high ground past South and North Newton, with Lochranza Castle across the water. Then a rougher, steeper path drops through the trees of the Fairy Dell to the sea, and the way back is along the shore and round Newton Point. Hutton's Unconformity is on that shore, marked by a carved sandstone block.
Look for red sandstone lying on steeply tilted grey schist: James Hutton found it in 1787. Red deer graze the Newton fields and the stags rut from late September into October, so keep at least 50 yards away and keep dogs on a lead. The shore is rocky and slippery when wet. Lochranza's public toilets are in the village, about three-quarters of a mile west along the loch. 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. Lochranza also has its own small ferry, from Claonaig in Kintyre, a 30-minute crossing that can't be booked. In winter its last boat back leaves Lochranza at 3.45pm, and it doesn't sail on Thursday 5 November, 3 December, 7 January, 4 February or 4 March.
If it rains
The track over the hill and the shore are both open to the weather, and the rocks at the unconformity are slippery when wet. On a wet day, walk out along the Newton shore to the carved stone and back, and leave the dell for a dry one.
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, 14 miles away. Sleeps 18.
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.