GEOLOGY

On Arran and at Drumadoon, you can literally become a time traveller, passing through the multiple environments and climates Scotland has experienced over millions of years. In the 1780s, James Hutton, the father of Modern Geology, visited Arran, and here he developed his theory of ‘uniformitarianism’.

Drumadoons spectacular Triassic shoreline dates back 250 million years and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The first dinosaurs, including a crocodile-like reptile, Chirotherium, left their prints in the sandstone layers.

60 Million years ago, Massive volcanoes formed the mountains of Northern Arran, producing a ten-kilometre-wide granite reservoir of Igneous rock. Dissected by dykes and then eroded by glaciers, this formed the majestic and very jagged skyline of today.

The ‘Doon’ cliff at Drumadoon was formed during this volcanic period and is a dramatic example of an intrusive ‘Sill’ that has resulted in a very imposing headland of 30-metre-high Basalt columns.

Arran’s Geology also has influenced people since they first arrived on its shores by taking advantage of the raw materials and structures.

After the last Ice age, as the Highland Ice sheet retreated, the land began to rise, forming Arrans’ Raised Beaches’. Newly exposed Sea caves such as the ‘Kings Caves’ at Drumadoon were used as seasonal dwellings by groups of Mesolithic hunter-gatherer-fishers.

Neolithic people used sandstone for standing stones. The volcanic Arran pitchstone was shaped into axe heads and cutting blades traded throughout Europe. The imposing ‘Doon’ headland and cliffs were used as an impregnable Iron Age Hill Fort.

These overlapping stories mean Arran and Drumadoon are places anyone interested in geology, spectacular landscapes, and human history should visit.