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Lochranza is a village located on the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. The population, somewhat in decline, is around 200 people.

Lochranza is the most northernly sited of Arran's villages and is located in the north-western corner of the island. The village is set on the shore of Loch Ranza, a small sea loch. Ferries run from here to Claonaig on the mainland.

The village is home to a healthy red deer population and, on the northern shore, grey seals are found year-round. Otters and golden eagles are also spotted in the area.

A new pier was constructed in 2003, allowing larger vessels easier access with the possibility to disembark passengers for a short tour of the village. Regular vessels which use the pier include the paddle steamer Waverley and the "Lord of the Glens", a small cruise ship.

Lochranza is the site of the Arran Distillery, built in 1995 and producing the Arran Single Malt. The distillery is one of the major industries of the island.

Lochranza Castle is across the road from the Lochranza youth hostel. There is also a field study centre, where schools from all over the UK come to study the locality's interesting geology and the nearby Hutton's Unconformity to the north of Newton Point, where the "father of modern geology" James Hutton found his first example of an angular unconformity during a visit in 1787.

Lochranza Castle is an L-plan tower house situated on a promontory in the middle of Lochranza, on the North of the Isle of Arran in Scotland. Most of the present castle today was built in the sixteenth century.

The original building dates to the thirteenth century when it was owned by the MacSweens. In 1262, King Alexander III granted the castle and its lands to Walter Stewart, the Earl of Menteith. It is believed that Robert the Bruce landed at Lochranza in 1306 on his return form Ireland to claim the Scottish throne. By 1371, the castle has become the property of Robert II. It is thought that at this time it was used as a royal hunting lodge.

The castle has seen many varied uses over time. During the 1490s, James IV used the castle in his campaign against the Lord of the Isles and his Clan MacDonald. In 1614 it was occupied by James VI and in the 1650s it was used by Cromwell.

By 1705, Lochranza Castle had become the property of the Hamilton family, when it was purchased by the Duchess of Hamilton. The Hamilton family had owned other estates on the Isle of Arran. During the eighteenth century, the castle fell into disuse and disrepair and was abandoned. The castle is now in the care of Historic Scotland.

Lochranza Castle is claimed by some to be the inspiration for the castle in the Tintin adventure The Black Island, though it is difficult to see this as other than fantasy, as it looks different and is on a promontory, not an offshore island.

Whiting Bay is a village located on the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. The name Whiting Bay is thought to originate from "Viking" Bay. It is approximately 3 miles south of the village of Lamlash. Whiting Bay is the third largest village on the island (after Lamlash and Brodick) and was once the site of the longest pier in Scotland. Like all villages on Arran, tourism is important to the village.

The spectacular Glenashdale Falls with a nearby Iron Age fort and a prehistoric burial site the "Giants' Graves" are an easy walk from the village.

To the north of the village at Kings Cross Point between Lamlash and Whiting Bay is another Iron Age fort known locally as the "Viking Fort". According to local legend, this is the site where Robert the Bruce mistook farmers' fires on the mainland as the signal to launch his campaign. This site was also the location of a Viking ship burial excavated in the earlier 20th century.