walkhighlands

The River Ayr Way

There is a real satisfaction in tracing the length of a river, and this 65km route traces the length of the River Ayr from its source - Glenbuck Loch - to the sea at Ayr. It offers a variety of landscapes, starting in wild moorland rich in natural and industrial history, and following the growing Ayr as it becomes a powerful waterway, driving mills and carving a route through rocky gorges. The final section follows the river through open farmland and estates before reaching the historic county town of Ayr, finishing at the harbour.

Stage descriptions Length Time Done
River Ayr Way 1: Glenbuck to Sorn 27.25km 7½-8 hours
River Ayr Way 2: Sorn to Stair 18.25km 6½-7 hours
River Ayr Way 3: Stair to Ayr 19.5km 6½-7 hours

The route makes an excellent weekend or long weekend trip, with accommodation along the route including some fine country inns. It can also be walked in sections although public transport does not serve all parts of the route.

THE CHALLENGE

The River Ayr Way is well waymarked and offers easy walking throughout.

ACCOMMODATION AND SERVICES ALONG THE WAY

For those undertaking the River Ayr Way as a continuous walk, there is overnight accommodation available along the route.

Glenbuck at the start has no facilities. Muirkirk - 1km off route from Kames - it has an inn as well as bed and breakfast accommodation.

Sorn has a fine old inn, whilst Catrine has shops.

Failford has a pub serving meals. There is a further pub in Annbank.

Ayr is a large town with all services and types of accommodation available. Ayr also has a SYHA hostel.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

There is no public transport to the start of the River Ayr Way at Glenbuck - the nearest bus service is at Muirkirk, 7.5 along the trail.

Sorn no longer has a bus service. Catrine - just off route - is served by bus as is Failford (to and from Ayr) but there are no services to Stair. Annbank - 4km further along the route - does have a bus link to Ayr.

Ayr is a large town and is well served by both buses and trains.

Timetables for all the routes can be found on Traveline Scotland.

Users' walk reports for the River Ayr Way

There are 155 Walkhighlanders who have completed the River Ayr Way. To record if you have completed the route, you must register and be logged in. Our users have contributed 4 public walk reports for the route. These are ordered below with the most popular ones first.

Title AuthorDate walked Likes
River Ayr Way Over 2 Days...  tookiebunten 29/04/2011  14
River Ayr Way in a day for charity  BigBillwp39 24/08/2013  6
River Ayr Way in Three Days  hikebikescot 30/11/2022  2
Ayr to Stair  ggilbert2001 12/01/2013  0

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Walking can be dangerous and all walkers must take personal responsibility for their own safety. You should always carry a backup means of navigation and not rely on a single phone, app or map. Walkhighlands strives to provide accurate information but cannot accept responsibility for changes, errors or omissions.