Over the past year, our Active Travel Project has continued to grow, evolve, and make a real difference in how people get around the island. Thanks to dedicated staff, volunteers, and community partners and the support of our funders, we’ve delivered new initiatives, expanded existing services, and built a stronger culture of walking, wheeling, and cycling on Arran.

This past year has been about inclusivity, innovation, and connection. Creating opportunities for everyone, no matter their age or ability, to take part in active, low-carbon travel.

Health Walks That Connect People with Nature

Our health walks proved a huge success, attracting regular groups of walkers. Sometimes more than 15 at a time, and helping residents enjoy Arran’s great outdoors. We invited local experts to share their knowledge of plants, wildlife, history, and geology. Creating walks that were as informative as they were social.

While our buggy walks didn’t gain much traction, we adapted quickly, partnering with the island’s largest local nursery to run walks for parents, staff, and 3–5 year olds. The result? Higher attendance, more engagement, and a real buzz among families!

Over the past year, 370 people took part in our new health walks, with many asking for them to continue. Although our walk programme has now come to an end, Nordic walking and Stroll With It walks are still happening around the island. You can check out what’s on here.

Building a Bike-Friendly Island

The launch of our new Bike Library was a major highlight. With improved storage, shelters, and a new partnership with North Ayrshire Council, we began diverting bikes from the recycling centre to our hub for refurbishment.

• 60+ bicycles were refurbished and either given away or added to the library.
• 32 “Wee Library” bikes were loaned to children.
• We hosted a Bike Library grand opening in October, attracting families, generating great media coverage, and giving a real boost to our team.

We also introduced an adapted bike (funded through a grant and a sponsored cycle) making cycling accessible to more people. It’s already in weekly demand, particularly from the Arran Outdoor Education Centre, where it’s enabling children with barriers to cycling to join group rides.

E-Bike Loans & Skills

Our e-bike loan scheme, one of the best-known parts of our project, continued to thrive with 76 loans this year. Thanks to Cycling UK funding, we added 8 new e-bikes to the fleet. Which included models suited to different heights, a cargo bike with a child/pannier carrier, and bikes designed for longer-term, low-cost community loans.

We also ran Cycling with Confidence sessions, built new partnerships, and trained five new cycling leaders.

Car Lift Share

Our Car Lift Share Scheme saw renewed interest this year, with 423 members joining the Facebook group. Transport disruptions, particularly during the ferry timetable changes, encouraged more people to coordinate travel. Highlighting the importance of shared journeys while we continue advocating for better public transport and cycling infrastructure.

Engaging the Community

From the Arran Show to our own festive events, we delivered 8 well-attended engagement events plus regular drop-ins and pop-ups. Engaging 900 people in total across the year!

Our Wee Green Map was refreshed and reprinted, continuing to guide residents and visitors to cycling routes, charge points, and maintenance stations. Regular newsletters, social media posts, and blogs kept our community informed and inspired.

What We’ve Learned

This year reinforced the importance of:

• Being inclusive: from adapted bikes to nursery walks, tailoring our services makes them more accessible.
• Partnership working: collaborations with schools, nurseries, local organisations, and the council have amplified our impact.
• Planning ahead: giving ourselves more lead-in time for events improved publicity and workload management.

Looking Ahead

We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved, from launching the Bike Library and securing new e-bikes, to training leaders and delivering nature walks that connect people to the island’s beauty.

While funding changes mean a smaller team in the short term, the foundations we’ve built are strong. The Active Travel Project is not just about bikes and walks, it’s about empowering the community, reducing carbon emissions, and making active travel a natural choice for everyone on Arran.

Here’s to keeping the wheels turning and the walking boots moving in 2025 and beyond!

Our 2024-2025 Active Travel project was delivered through the help of our funders Paths for All (now Walking Scotland) and Cycling UK.