Storm Isha batters Arran with winds in excess of 86mph

“Across North Ayrshire, a number of fallen trees were dealt with by the council roads teams and tree surgeons. On Arran, at least 11 trees were down on roads, but all were passable with care and were assessed and prioritised for removal.”

The high winds and heavy rain continued into Tuesday and early on Wednesday morning as another weather system named Storm Jocelyn brought wind, rain, and localised flooding to Arran. Storm Jocelyn, while severe, was less intense than Storm Isha, however it still resulted in further road flooding and travel disruption.

Elsewhere in Britain, the storms left a trail of destruction, with flights cancelled or rerouted, trains cancelled, properties damaged and tragically the loss of life when falling trees struck people. The winds, reaching 107mph in places, were some of the highest recorded in 10 or 20 years in some instances and left tens of thousands without power in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.

As experienced across the country, travellers to and from Arran also experienced significant disruption to travel arrangements with services drastically reduced over the weekend and all sailings on Monday cancelled altogether.

The travel chaos continued well into Tuesday when all sailings on the Ardrossan to Brodick route were also cancelled owing to the weather and a technical problem which was discovered while the vessel was berthed in Brodick.

Over the affected weekend and on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Lochranza ferry – while on amber alerts and liable to potential disruption – still managed additional sailings to provide a service for travellers which urgently needed to reach the mainland or return to Arran via the diversionary route.