Ayr Gorge – An Old Oak Wood Above a Red Sandstone River
About 3.7 miles on foot.
At Failford, between Ayr and Mauchline, the River Ayr runs through a deep gorge of red sandstone, and the woods that hang on its sides are ancient, mostly oak and ash.
It's a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve, with kingfishers and otters on the river and fungi under the oaks in autumn. A circuit of about 6 km follows the river to Peden's Cove, where steps are cut in the rock, and comes back along the top of the bank.
- Time
- About two hours: a circuit of about 6 km (3.7 miles) with 220 metres of climb, much of it on steps.
- The path
- Firm earth paths with a lot of steps up and down the bank. Not for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
- Where to start
- A lay-by and a car park in the middle of Failford, on the B743; the reserve's main entrance is at the west end of the village, on the south side of the road.
- When to go
- All year in daylight, with fungi in autumn. From November to January set off by 12.30pm.
- Dogs
- Kept close: the Trust asks that dogs never chase wildlife, least of all in spring.
- Children
- A gorge edge, a river and many steps.
- Before you set out
- The Scottish Wildlife Trust asks visitors not to climb the sandstone steps at Peden's Cove, and to stop dogs chasing wildlife at any time of year.
The walk
Park in Failford, a small village on the B743, where there's a lay-by and a car park in the middle of the village. The reserve's main entrance is at the west end, on the south side of the road, by a timber sign. The Scottish Wildlife Trust looks after these woods and prints no length for a walk. A walker's guide gives a circuit of about 6 km, or 3.7 miles, with 220 metres of climb, and allows two hours. The paths are good, firm earth, with a lot of steps up and down the bank.
The gorge is a steep ravine with sandstone cliffs, wooded mostly with oak and ash and some very old beeches. The Trust counts it among the most important ancient woodlands in Ayrshire for insects, plants, fungi and bats. Watch the river for kingfishers, dippers and herons, and for an otter if you're lucky. Peden's Cove is about a kilometre south of the village on the riverbank. It takes its name from Alexander Peden, a Covenanter preacher who is said to have preached here.
Its sandstone steps are a fragile old monument, and the Trust asks people not to climb them. Keep dogs close, as the Trust asks that they never chase wildlife. Keep hold of small children near the gorge edge and the water. From November to January, set off by 12.30pm.
If it rains
The trees keep off a shower, but the earth paths and the many steps turn slippery in the wet. In heavy rain, leave it for a drier day.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
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For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by darren carrick via Google