Farland Point – Along Millport's Seafront on Cumbrae
About 3.4 miles on foot.
Millport is the only town on Great Cumbrae, a curve of seafront houses round a bay ten minutes by ferry from Largs.
An easy walk of 5.4 km follows the front past Garrison House and the painted Crocodile Rock, then round the sands of Kames Bay to Farland Point. It's flat and mostly on pavement, with Little Cumbrae, the Ayrshire coast and, on a clear day, Ailsa Craig to look at.
- Time
- One to two hours: a circuit of 5.4 km (3.4 miles) from Millport's old pier, nearly all of it flat.
- The path
- Promenade, pavement and built paths nearly all the way.
- Where to start
- On Millport's seafront, where the signs show how long you can stay.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. From November to January set off by 1.30pm. No ferry to Cumbrae on 25 December or 1 January. Wind can stop the boat: look at CalMac's service status page on the morning you travel.
- Children
- Flat and easy; the way back is on a road.
- Toilets
- Public toilets on Glasgow Street in Millport.
- Before you set out
- On Tuesday 20 October, 10 November, 15 December, 12 January, 9 February and 9 March the ferry takes fewer cars while a boat is away for maintenance. No ferry to Cumbrae on 25 December or 1 January. Wind can stop the boat: look at CalMac's service status page on the morning you travel.
The walk
Millport is on the south coast of the island, round the shore road from the ferry slip. Leave the car on the seafront, where the signs show how long you can stay, and start at the old pier. The Farland Point walk is 5.4 km, or 3.4 miles, and takes one to two hours. It follows the promenade past Garrison House, which was built in 1745 for the captain and officers of the Royal George, a customs ship that chased smugglers in the Clyde. Next comes Crocodile Rock, a rock on the shore painted with a grin full of teeth. Then the walk goes round Kames Bay to Farland Point, at the island's south-east corner.
From there you look over to the ruin of Portencross Castle on the Ayrshire shore and to Little Cumbrae, and on a clear day to Ailsa Craig, the island whose granite goes into curling stones. The way back is by the road past the marine station at Keppel Pier and along the front again. It's promenade, pavement and built paths nearly all the way. There are public toilets on Glasgow Street. Afterwards, drive up the island's inner road to the Glaid Stone, a boulder with a trig point and a viewpoint marker on Cumbrae's highest point, 417 feet up, which the road passes within a few metres. From November to January, set off by 1.30pm.
Great Cumbrae is a ten-minute crossing from Largs on CalMac's car ferry, which sails every 35 to 40 minutes for most of the day. No sailing can be booked: buy a ticket online before you travel, and be ready to board 10 minutes before the boat. On the winter timetable, from 19 October 2026 to 25 March 2027, the last boat back leaves Cumbrae Slip at 8.30pm every day. Until 18 October the summer timetable applies, so read the times on CalMac's Largs to Cumbrae page. Wind can stop the boat: look at CalMac's service status page on the morning you travel.
If it rains
The front and the point are open to the weather, but it's pavement nearly all the way and never far from the town. In heavy rain keep to the promenade as far as Crocodile Rock and back.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Glenstriven House, 15 miles away. next free Sun 25 Oct to Tue 27 Oct.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Sonal Gimonkar via Google