Round Arran Relay

My first trip to the Isle of Arran - known for its oatcakes, aromatics, and for being a geographical microcosm of greater Scotland - was to run a relay race around the island's 56-mile perimeter. My Garscube mates and I boarded the behemoth Calmac ferry on a hazy, humid Saturday morning and arrived at Arran with sadly limited views of the beaches, vales, and prominences.
Later in the afternoon, it cleared somewhat, but the Brodick harbor, nestled in the hills and vales, remained obscured:

You can sort of see Brodick castle on the hillside coming into the harbor:
Goatfell, the highest peak on the island at 2,867 feet, is somewhere behind the veil of gray, I promise:
A Brodick backdrop to our island adventure race:

Although there were few great photo opportunities, the race and day trip were a great success. The Garscube Harriers fielded a team of 6 men and a team of 6 women for the relay. I completed an 11.5 mile leg up the west shore of Arran from Blackwaterfoot to Pirnmill, taking 1st place for that section in a time of 1:03:35 (5:32 pace). I was thrilled to obtain a prize of beer from the Isle of Arran brewery for my achievement. The men's team as a whole was right in the mix all the way around and finished 4th out of 26 teams (behind Irvine, Bellahouston, and Central). The women's team finished a respectable 2nd place behind a tough Bellahouston squad.