Ayrshire

Ayrshire is shaped like a great crescent moon, curving around the vast bay centred on the county town of Ayr. The coastline - more industrial to the north, rural and increasingly remote to the south - has mile upon mile of fine sandy beaches, all enjoying a fine outlook across the sea to the mountains of Arran or the great rock of Ailsa Craig.

One of the most fertile regions of Scotland, the farmland is used for production of potatoes and other vegetables as well as summer berries and the keeping of livestock. South and east the region becomes hillier, with rolling moorlands and hills merging eventually into the rugged uplands of Galloway.