The Ayrshire Coastal Path

Stretching the entire length of the historic county, the Ayrshire Coastal Path sticks close to the coastline and for much of its length runs along sandy beaches. The two halves of the route have a contrasting character, with remoter, more rural countryside - and rougher walking - on the first half to Ayr, followed by the more urban coastal landscapes of the northern half.

The route was originally developed by the Rotary Club of Ayr to celebrate its centenary. Almost the entire route is blessed with superb vistas out to sea, with the great rock of Ailsa Craig and the dramatic outline of the great ridges of Arran seen across the Firth of Clyde.

Stage descriptions	Length	Time
Glenapp to Ballantrae	14.6km	3½-4 hours
Ballantrae to Lendalfoot	10km	3½-4 hours
Lendalfoot to Girvan	11km	3½-4 hours
Girvan to Maidens	13.25km	3½-4 hours
Maidens to Dunure	10.25km	4-4½ hours
Dunure to Ayr	11.75km	4½-5 hours
Ayr to Troon	15.25km	4½-5 hours
Troon to Irvine	10km	3-3½ hours
Irvine to Ardrossan	15.5km	4-4½ hours
Ardrossan to Portencross	10.5km	3-3½ hours
Portencross to Largs	13.6km	4 - 4½ hours
Largs to Skelmorlie	11.5km	3½ - 4 hours

THE CHALLENGE

The route is waymarked and for much of the distance runs along sandy beaches or rocky shores, whilst other parts follow cyclepaths. The walking is generally mostly relatively straightforward, with just a few stages offering some harder going with muddy or pebbly shorline sections and ascents / clifftop paths. Some sections can be impassable at high tide, so timetables should be checked as mentioned in the stage descriptions.

ACCOMMODATION AND SERVICES ALONG THE WAY

For walkers attempting the Ayrshire Coastal Path as a continuous walk, there are plenty of options for overnight accommodation along the route.

Glenapp at the start has no facilities, but can be reached by bus along the A77. Ballantrae has a small hotel/inn and some bed and breakfast accommodation, as well as a tearoom and shop.

Lendalfoot has no facilities except for a phone box and bus stop with a service to Girvan or back to Ballantrae, so you could stay 2 nights at either of those places or double up the stage.

Girvan is a small town with a choice of hotels, shops and eating places.

Maidens is a fishing village and has a hotel and bed and breakfast, with further hotels in nearby Turnberry. Dunure is similary a village with an inn and guest houses.

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

There are also all services available in the towns of Troon, Irvine, Saltcoats and Ardrossan.

Portencross is an attractive spot but has no services; there is accommodation available in nearby West Kilbride. Largs has a choice of hotels and guest houses.

Finally, Skelmorlie and neighbouring Wemyss Bay both offer hotel and guest house accommodation.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

The Ayrshire Coastal Path is mostly very well served by public transport and can be walked a stage at a time.

There are buses to the start and end of each stage, apart from Portencross (nearest bus is at West Kilbride).

Additionally, trains serve Girvan, Ayr, Troon, Irvine, Ardrossan, West Kilbride, Largs and Wemyss Bay by the end of the trail.

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

Users' walk reports for the Ayrshire Coastal Path

There are 170 Walkhighlanders who have completed the Ayrshire Coastal Path. To record if you have completed the route, you must register and be logged in. Our users have contributed 5 public walk reports for the route. These are ordered below with the most popular ones first.

Title	Author	Date walked	Likes
A Winter's Tale: Ballantrae to Lendalfoot.	tookiebunten	14/02/2011	6
The Masters of Ballantrae: Glenapp to Ballantrae	tookiebunten	29/01/2011	6
Seeking adventure on the Ayrshire Coastal Path	ActiveLouise	28/05/2023	3
Maidens to Ayr	dunrig	17/09/2013	3
Ayrshire Coastal Path - Maidens to Dunure	scott_wanstall	08/04/2022	0

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