Glen Rosa – Up the Glen to the Blue Pool

The walk

Park at Cladach, on the A841 just north of Brodick, in the car park by the Wineport. There are public toilets here. Glen Rosa itself begins at the Glen Rosa campsite, off the B880, the String road, about two kilometres away by road. From the campsite it's about 1.8 miles up the glen to the Blue Pool, on a rough track that turns into a path. The glen is long and straight with a flat floor, and the Glenrosa Water runs down it over pale granite boulders and rock ledges. Cìr Mhòr, the sharp peak at the head of the glen, is in front of you the whole way, with the slopes of Goatfell high on the right. The Blue Pool lies on the Glenrosa Water just beyond the timber footbridge over the Garbh Allt, a side stream that comes in from the west.

It's a deep, clear pool with a small waterfall at its head. People swim here in summer. From October on the water is far too cold for that, and it's deep, so keep children back from the edge. Ayrshire and Arran, the tourist board, describes a round of 8.5 km, or five and a quarter miles, from Cladach, with under 200 metres of climb, and allows two and a half to three hours. Walking up the glen to the Blue Pool and back from Cladach is nearer six miles, so give that three hours. The path is boggy in places and wants boots. This is open hill ground with sheep and red deer, so keep dogs under close control.

From November to January, set off by 11.30am. 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.