Cool Place of the Day: Lochranza Youth Hostel, Arran, Scotland

Every day, a new place to discover or explore from coolplaces.co.uk

The hostel is located close to the Arran whisky distillery

The British Open reached its spectacular climax in Troon last weekend, and this got us thinking about one of our favourite places on the west coast of Scotland: Lochranza Youth Hostel, across the water from Troon on the lovely Isle of Arran. You can bet there weren't any top golfers staying here, but we like it for all sorts of other reasons. First of all, it's exceedingly scenically located, in tiny Lochranza village on the banks of the beautiful loch of the same name.

It’s opposite a medieval castle, on the Cock of Arran trail and also close to the Arran whisky distillery in case you fancy a wee dram. The rooms are simple but comfortable, split between shared multi-bedded dormitories and private rooms with en-suite facilities; and it's a few minutes' walk from a bus stop so you can leave the car at home.

It's also a fabulous spot from which to spot wildlife, with deer and red squirrels in the woods, otters in the streams and falcons and even eagles in the skies around. Above all it’s a great place from which to soak up the best of Arran, the southernmost of the Scottish islands – often called "Scotland in Miniature" for the variety of its highland and lowland landscapes.

Cool Places is a website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk).