Brodick Castle

Brodick Castle is a castle situated outside the port of Brodick on the Isle of Arran, an island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. It was previously a seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, but is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.

History

Early and High Medieval

A fortress has been on the site since at least the fifth century, when Gaelic invaders from Antrim expanded their kingdom of Dál Riata. By the tenth century Norse influence had grown, and Arran formed part of Sudreys or Súðreyjar, administered either from Dublin or the Orkney islands (Nordreys or Norðreyjar) and nominally under the control of the King of Norway. This can be deduced by the number of Scandinavian place-names on the island including Brodick, or Breiðvík (Broad Bay). The site is thought to have been a centre of relative importance, on account of its strategic position on the Firth of Clyde.

By the mid-thirteenth century Arran was part of the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles ruled by two Gall Gaidheal kings, Magnus of Mann and Dougal of the Isles, sub-rulers of Hákon Hákonarson, King of Norway. Alexander III of Scotland had inherited his father's desire to control the islands in order to stabilise his kingdom, and made numerous unsuccessful advances to that effect. In 1262 the Earl of Ross sacked and pillaged Skye with the king's blessing. King Hákon determined to avenge this slight and set out in July 1263, with a large fighting fleet (leiðangr) for Scotland. After linking up with the fleets of Magnus and Dougal, and showing his might throughout the Hebrides, Hákon's force anchored in Lamlash Bay on Arran, where they were approached by envoys from the Scots King. The Scots envoys were unsuccessful, and battle was engaged at Largs, a short distance across the firth. Although no rout, the Scots were victorious, and Hákon's forces retreated to Arran, and thence to Orkney to over-winter, where Hákon died. The ensuing Treaty of Perth in 1266 ceded the Sudreys to the Kingdom of Scotland.

Brodick

Coordinates: 55°34′34″N 5°09′04″W / 55.576°N 5.151°W / 55.576; -5.151

Brodick (Scottish Gaelic: Breadhaig or Tràigh a' Chaisteil ("Castle Beach")) is the main settlement on the Isle of Arran, in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. It is halfway along the east coast of the island, in Brodick Bay below Goat Fell, the tallest mountain on Arran. The name is derived from Norse roots meaning "Broad Bay".

The harbour receives the main ferry between Arran and the mainland via Ardrossan. Brodick Castle is a former residence of the Dukes of Hamilton.

Transport

Brodick has the Isle of Arran's main ferry terminus which connects Brodick to Ardrossan on the mainland and thence the national rail network. The ferries are operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. MV Caledonian Isles plies this route. The crossing generally takes less than 1 hour. The route is one of the busiest crossings on the CalMac network, and dolphins and basking sharks can often be spotted en route. A second, smaller ferry sails from Lochranza to Claonaig on the Kintyre peninsula.