With good paths throughout, this is an accessible walk on the island of Great Cumbrae, offering pleasing views across Millport Bay and the wider Firth of Clyde.
Bog Factor
Pavements and good footpaths. By missing out the detour to the Cathedral (which involves steps) this would be a great walk for those with pushchairs.
Old Pier, Millport.
Ferry to Cumbrae Slip and connecting bus to Millport Old Pier.
NS160547
Great Cumbrae Island is easily accessible from Largs thanks to a regular shuttle ferry service which runs at 15 minute intervals in the summer months dropping to 30 minutes in winter. A bus meets the ferry at Cumbrae Slip and conveys passengers the 7km to Millport. Get off at the last stop - the Old Pier by the Royal George Hotel.
Start to retrace the bus route by following the promenade past the old harbour and the varied shops overlooking the bay - including The Wedge which is Britain's narrowest house and barely wide enough to accommodate the front door. Pass Garrison House, built in 1745 to house the captain and officers of the Revenue Cutter Royal George stationed in Millport. Following a fire in 2001 and subsequent dereliction the building has just reopened as a community hub, including a GP surgery, council offices and library. Turn left along College Street immediately after Garrison House to head towards The Cathedral of The Isles. There are numerous steps after this point, so this short detour can easily be omitted.
Head uphill along College Street passing Our Lady of Perpetual Succour before reaching the walled, wooden grounds of The Cathedral of The Isles on the right. Follow the tree-lined avenue and ascend the steps to enter the Cathedral if desired - this is the smallest Cathedral in Britain and dates from 1851 when it was built as a theological college for the Scottish Episcopal Church. Pass the main Cathedral building and the former college buildings (now a retreat centre) to the rear and leave the Cathedral grounds via the eastern entrance. Descend back to the seafront and continue east (left) along the promenade.
Round Kames Bay - containing a sandy beach - and follow the pavement below the cliffs of Farland Hill. On the right after 500m a wooden kissing gate sits alongside a larger gate accessible with a Radar Lock key and leads to a pleasant and well-made footpath through scrubland.
Follow the path around to rocky Farland Point which offers views back across Millport Bay as well as south down the Firth of Clyde. The cliffs of Little Cumbrae Island (or 'Wee Cumbrae') are clearly visible across The Tan with the rocky ridgeline forming Arran's Sleeping Warrior beyond on the horizon. Across to the Ayrshire mainland the section of coastline that makes up the Portencross to Largs Marina leg of the Ayrshire Coastal Path is visible, notably the buildings of Hunterston Nuclear Power Station and the cranes and coal conveyors of the Deep Water Terminal. Wind turbines are also present on the skyline completing a triumvirate of Scottish energy sources.
The footpath eventually re-emerges at the coast road - turn right to reach the University Marine Biological Station at Keppel Pier, which houses an aquarium and museum alongside the research facilities and hostel for visiting students. Turn around and retrace your steps past the boulder which forms a memorial to The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition of 1902-1904 which on returning made its first Scottish landing in Millport. Continue along the coast road to return to Millport, making sure to look out for painted Crocodile Rock in the bay. There have been no reported sightings of Elton John in Millport.
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