Scotland's Big Five

Get close to nature

We are so lucky on Arran that we can see Scotland’s Big Five every day of the week! The Big Five were determined by Scottish Natural History using a consumer survey and comprise the Golden Eagle, Red Deer, Common Seal, Otter and Red Squirrel.

Each of these thrives on and around the island so be sure and tick them off if you spot them!  Here’s some suggested areas:

There are a number of pairs of golden eagles on Arran, but the most common sighting is in Lochranza, where the build of the distillery in the 1990s was stopped whilst a pair bred.  You should also look up to the skies in Glen Rosa and around the Arran hills.

Red deer are prolific on Arran – you will see them on the hills from both The String and the Bouguillie roads.  Check out Lochranza for them wandering around, but please don’t feed them, as this encourages them to beg, and may result in injury.

Otters are often spotted at Kildonan, as are seals, but to be honest otters are all over the island – and the seals enjoy basking on rocks around Blackwaterfoot, up the west coast, and on the Corrie shore.

Arran doesn’t have any foxes, moles, weasels or grey squirrels – but we do have lot of lovely little red squirrels!  These come in all colours, from dark chocolate to almost orange, and can be found in most wooded areas – check out Brodick Castle Gardens, where there’s a squirrel hide!

Please respect all of our wildlife and keep a sensible distance. Feeding them can lead to unnatural behaviours so it’s advised to remain at least 50 yards away, and keep dogs on leads around them.