By bus
To Ardrossan;
The number 11 bus from Kilmarnock runs frequently Monday to Saturday and every 20 minutes on Sunday.
The 'Clyde Coast' 585 service runs from Ayr and Glasgow Prestwick International Airport in the south and Greenock, Weymss Bay for the Isle of Bute and Largs for Cumbrae in the north every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 2 hours on Sunday.
The X36 express bus runs from Glasgow every hour Monday to Saturday and every 2 to 4 hours on Sunday. Other express buses are available Monday to Friday during peak times, see their website (http://www.stagecoachbus....) for more details.
All buses are operated by Stagecoach Western.
To Claonaig;
Tarbert and Tarbet
On the 926 bus service from Glasgow to Campbeltown, there are two stops called Tarbert and Tarbet, which is next to Loch Lomond. If you don't make it clear to the driver of the bus, you could be 50 miles away from your destination before you know it!
West Coast Motors (http://www.westcoastmotor...) operate the 448 bus from Lochgilphead to Tarbert, Kennacraig for Islay, Claonaig for the Arran ferry and Skipness infrequently Monday to Saturday, check the website for further details. Most buses connect with ferries to Arran. Bikes are also conveyed on the bus for free!
Scottish Citylink/West Coast Motors operate the 926 service from Glasgow to Campbeltown up to five times a day, but only 1 2 if you fancy walking the 5 miles from Kennacraig to Claonaig or if you want to look around Tarbert for a few hours service connects with a bus heading for Claonaig, see the West Coast Motors website for more information. Get off the bus at Tarbert and get on the 448 bus as mentioned above to Claonaig. Note that buses are in West Coast Motors livery.
West Coast Motors operate the 423 buses from Oban to Lochgilphead, which offer sufficiant connection time to get to the 448 bus in Lochgilphead. They run Monday to Saturday. Check the WCM website for more details.
By plane
The nearest airports to Arran are Glasgow Prestwick (http://www.gpia.co.uk/) and Glasgow International (http://www.glasgowairport.com/) on the mainland. Prestwick is situated 32 miles to the south of Glasgow, International is 15 miles west of the city. From Prestwick you can travel by train to Kilwinning en route to Glasgow Central and change for Ardrossan Harbour and ferries to Brodick. Alternatively bus 585 operated by Stagecoach Western travels directly from the airport to Ardrossan Princes Street, a short walk from the ferry terminal. Taxis from Prestwick Airport to Ardrossan Harbour are also available for about £15. From Glasgow International a bus operates to Paisley Gilmour Street railway station, for rail connections to Ardrossan Harbour.
By ship
The only practical way to reach Arran is by using one of the two ferry services operated by Caledonian MacBrayne (http://www.calmac.co.uk). The ferries run between:
By train
From Glasgow
Trains (http://www.scotrail.co.uk/) run direct from Glasgow Central to Ardrossan Harbour several times a day. Departures to and from Glasgow are timed to connect with CalMac (http://www.calmac.co.uk/) ferries to Brodick. Some trains to Ardrossan Harbour connect with ferries, and both the train and ferry can be delayed if the other is late running. Combined train/ferry tickets to Glasgow can also be bought at the ferry terminal in Brodick, and combined tickets to Brodick can be bought from any railway station, sometimes saving on the equivalent combined cost of train and ferry tickets. Note that the 1650 train from Glasgow splits at Ardrossan South Beach, so you will have to be in the front 3 cars of the train: pay close attention to departure screens before boarding the train.
From Ayr and Prestwick Airport
Trains run frequently from Ayr and Prestwick Airport to Kilwinning, where you can get on another train to Ardrossan. A few trains per day also come from Stranraer for Northern Ireland.
By car
There is no bridge link to Arran and you must take the ferry, however both CalMac ferries carry cars as well as vans, trucks, buses, bikes..., and the paddle steamer Waverley can also carry bicycles. Note there is an extensive long term car park at Ardrossan Harbour, and there is also a small car park in Claonaig. Also note that there is no LPG on the island either.