Sipping in the garden on the bay watching the beers Drifting away

Just across from Holy Isle, there is a little piece of heaven.

The Drift Inn sits a crab’s scuttle from the gentle, lapping shores of Arran’s Lamlash Bay and has one of the finest beer garden views in Scotland.

The white-walled pub has been a mainstay in the island village for decades. There was more panic than in a shoal of haddock which have just spotted Captain Birdseye with a fishing rod when it closed at the end of 2016.

But new managers, cod bless them, moved in last year and the pub is back to its bistro best.

When we sailed in early in the evening, there was a scattering of families sitting down to dinner and some drinkers enjoying golf on the TV – but be warned, it can get busy quickly. The pub itself is the kind of plaice we like – light and airy with a promise of something deep fried and salty.

There’s a giant map on one wall, presumably for lost sailors, a bar with 60 types of gin – we only tried three... I think – and an open fireplace at one end.

The menu looks good but it’s the specials board that leaps out at you like a salmon on a waterfall – lots of Arran seafood and meat. I ordered the Lamlash Bay scallops, picked so close to home they could probably find their own way to the kitchen.

But it’s the beer garden which reels in the crowds. The previous evening, a super- f r iendly barman had even moved tables so we could catch the last rays of the sun.

There’s a pedal car, a sandpit and various toys to keep your little angels busy. But you’ll be too busy admiring the view of Holy Isle – a Buddhist centre and retreat – that you’ll forgot you brought them anyway.

Good food, gin and a fantastic view. It’s like our prayers had been answered.