After a disastrous first year as king in 1306, Robert the Bruce settled in for a winter on the Isle of Arrans at a sight called Fionn’s cave. The English had been pursuing him across the country, and now he found himself sheltering in a cold coastal cave, bracing for the long winter ahead. After a crushing defeat at Methven, and the loss of Kildrummy castle, the king was begin to feel he’d never defeat his old enemies. In fact, Robert was considering giving up the crown all together. His family had been split up and was now all across the country, and all his allies and friends had been imprisoned and executed. And here he was now, the king of Scotland, hiding like a creature in a wind-battered hole on a barren island.
Whilst these thoughts flooded his brain, Robert noticed a spider crawling across the roof of the cave. He considered shooing it away, but he was tired, so instead sat and watched as it began to spin a web. It tried to cross a web from the roof to the far wall of the cave, but was unable to and fell. But, instead of giving up and crawling off, the spider went back up the wall and tried again. However, it soon met the same fate as before, falling onto the cold hard floor. Yet the spider seemed undaunted, and still kept trying and trying, and kept falling and falling. At first Bruce took pity on the insect, believing it to be hopeless. However after a while, Bruce began to see it in a different light. He admired the creature’s resolve and persistence, even though the cause was futile, the spider kept trying.
Bruce was inspired, and saw himself and the spider as one and the same: two battered animals saddled with a hopeless cause, but kept fighting. He left the cave with a fire within him, swearing to fight the English until his last breath. By 1314, Bruce had recaptured almost all of Scotland, and at the decisive battle of Bannockburn, crushed the forces led by Edward II, freeing Scotland at last from the English invaders.
The cave he hid in is now known as Kings cave, and is open to visitors on the island.