Getting to Ayrshire and around.
The trains, the roads and the ferries
Most visitors arrive by road or rail from Glasgow, with easy connections south through towns like Ayr, Troon and Irvine. The rail network provides regular services from Glasgow Central to Ayr (around an hour), with stops at Prestwick (including its airport) and Troon.
Buses connect smaller towns and inland villages, though routes can be infrequent in rural areas. A car makes things easier, particularly if exploring the coastal paths or visiting less accessible spots inland. Ferries from Ardrossan run to the Isle of Arran, with seasonal sailings to Campbeltown on Kintyre.
Cycling is a growing option, with long-distance routes like the National Cycle Network 7 running through the region. Coastal paths and disused railways offer traffic-free stretches, especially between Ayr and Irvine.
By train and air
Trains run from Glasgow Central down the coast to Troon, Prestwick and Ayr in about an hour, with branches to Largs and Ardrossan and a line to Kilmarnock.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport has its own station on the Ayr line.
The ferries
CalMac's boats sail from Ardrossan to Brodick on Arran, and a short crossing from Largs takes you over to Cumbrae.
Book a space for the car on the Arran boat well ahead in summer, and check CalMac's service page before you travel.
Getting around
The A77 runs from Glasgow to Ayr and on down the coast to Girvan, and the A78 follows the Clyde coast through Largs.
A car is easiest for the villages and hills inland, where buses are fewer, and National Cycle Route 7 runs through the county.
Ayr and Troon sit in the middle of the coast, with stations, beaches and golf, and Largs is the base for Cumbrae and the Clyde coast. For Culzean and the quieter south, look at Maybole, Kirkoswald or the villages round Girvan.
A weekend covers Alloway, the Burns sites and Culzean. Give it four or five days to add the Clyde coast, a day on Arran or Cumbrae and the hills inland.
Ayrshire has the mild weather of the west coast, with more rain than the east but few hard frosts on the shore. Summer evenings are long, and the sun sets over Arran, so bring a layer for the beach after dark.
Start in Alloway, where Burns Cottage, the museum, Alloway Auld Kirk and the Brig o' Doon are all a short walk apart. Mauchline, Tarbolton and Kilmarnock, where his first book was printed, carry on the story.
Very. Royal Troon and Prestwick, where the first Open was played in 1860, are among the most famous links in the world, and there are good town courses all along the coast, from Largs down to Girvan.
Yes. Culzean Country Park has woods, beaches and an adventure playground, and the sands at Ayr and Troon are long and wide. Largs has Nardini's ice cream and the short crossing to Cumbrae, where you can hire bikes to ride round the island.
