A journey into the deep past on beautiful Arran

Scotland's Arran designated a Unesco Global Geopark in recognition of its importance

A man stands on a rock looking down into a valley on the Isle of Arran
The planet's history is recorded on Arran's surface
(Image credit: Sam Spicer / Getty Images)

Isolated in the vast Firth of Clyde, Arran is situated just south of the Hebrides and is Scotland's seventh biggest island. Two hours by car and ferry from Glasgow, it has long been popular with holidaymakers from the city.

But it also has another group of fans – geologists, said Stuart Kenny in The Guardian. In few other places than this is the planet's history so clearly recorded on its surface, with rock types "from basically every geological period of the last half-billion years". Observations on Arran played a key role in the birth of modern geological science, and in April this year it was designated a Unesco Global Geopark in recognition of its importance. Owing to its newfound status, "informative Geopark signage" has appeared at many of its geological sites.

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