Hidden Scotland
Sign in
A row of stone cottages with pantiled roofs and pale blue window frames lines a quiet street, chimney pots rising along the roofline.
Ayrshire

Straiton

A pretty eighteenth-century village on the Water of Girvan in the South Ayrshire hills, with a waterfall walk, a tearoom and an old inn.

Welcome

Straiton sits in the green hills of South Ayrshire on the Water of Girvan, and it is one of the prettiest villages in the county.

It was first laid out in the eighteenth century by Thomas, Earl of Cassilis, and rebuilt at the end of the nineteenth by Sir Edward Hunter Blair.

Its main street is a long, low row of stone and whitewashed cottages, many with pale blue doors and roses round them. The Black Bull Inn dates from 1766, and St Cuthbert's Church from 1758. There is a village shop and the family-run Buck Tearoom.

The village is a starting point for walks into the hills. A short walk leads to Tairlaw Linn, where the Water of Girvan tumbles down in a series of falls into a deep pool, and Blairquhan Castle, once home of the Hunter Blairs, lies close by.

Before you go

A village, open at all times.

The Buck Tearoom and the Black Bull keep their own hours.

Where
In the hills south-east of Maybole.
Built
Laid out in the 1700s, rebuilt in the late 1800s.
Walk
Tairlaw Linn waterfall.

Did you know

A whitewashed cottage with a pale blue door is framed by climbing roses and a wooden trellis, a TV aerial standing on the chimney above.
Did you know

A church of 1758.

St Cuthbert's Church in Straiton was built in 1758 and restored in 1901.

A whitewashed cottage with a pink door and climbing plants stands beside a row of matching cottages, chimney pots lining the roofline.
Did you know

An inn of 1766.

The Black Bull Inn in Straiton dates from 1766.

Hidden Scotland

From our guide to Ayrshire

Straiton sits in the green hills of Carrick, on the Water of Girvan. Its main street is a long, low row of stone and whitewashed cottages, many with roses round the door. The Earl of Cassillis laid it out in the 1700s, and the old inn carries a datestone of 1766. Walk up Craigengower to the obelisk raised in 1856 for Colonel James Hunter Blair, who fell at Inkerman, and the hills of Carrick spread out around you. A shorter walk leads to Tairlaw Linn, where the river tumbles in falls into a deep pool. Pack a picnic and take your time.

Read more
What is on

What is new across Ayrshire, day by day.

New places, news and stories, as we find them.

What is on in Ayrshire
01 / 04
Where it is

In the hills between Maybole and Dalmellington, on the Water of Girvan.

Close byCarrick.
  1. Electric BraeElectric BraeA stretch of the coast road south of Dunure where a car seems to roll uphill, one of Scotland's best-known optical illusions.12 miles 18 min by road
  2. The Coo ShedThe Coo ShedA cafe on a family dairy farm just outside Ayr, with farm-fresh food, milk and milkshakes from the farm, and a plant nursery.12 miles 19 min by road
  3. Robert Burns Birthplace MuseumRobert Burns Birthplace MuseumThe National Trust for Scotland's museum of Robert Burns in Alloway, with more than 5,000 artefacts including his manuscripts, and a café.12 miles 18 min by road
  4. Culzean CastleCulzean CastleRobert Adam's clifftop castle.12 miles 24 min by road
  5. Brig o’ DoonBrig o’ DoonThe steep medieval stone bridge over the River Doon in Alloway, where Tam o' Shanter escaped the witches and his mare lost her tail.12 miles 19 min by road
  6. Loch Doon CastleLoch Doon CastleA Bruce castle on Loch Doon.15 miles 39 min by road
Directions
Ruined stone church with bellcote surrounded by weathered gravestones among treesAttractionsAlloway Auld Kirk12 miles
Burns Cottage's thatched roof and whitewashed walls beneath a plaque marking the poet's birthplaceAttractionsBurns Cottage12 miles
Circular stone monument with columns rising above trees and blossom in AllowayAttractionsBurns Monument12 miles
a large bronze sculpture of a mouse standing upright in a clipped garden, hedges and trees behindWalksPoet’s Path12 miles
Ruined stone tower on a grassy cliff above a sandy shoreAttractionsGreenan Castle14 miles
The Daily for 18 October, from Scotland with love. Golden-hour light catches a shadowed mountain above a loch, rust-coloured moorland in the foreground

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Find out more

For further reading, before you go.