Ayrshire Beaches

The Ayrshire coast is about 65 miles long from Ballantrae in the south to Largs in the north. The Ayrshire coast has a large number of beaches that are known as some of the finest in Scotland.

When the weather hits the 70s and 80s, the beaches can get very busy, especially at weekends or school holidays.

The beaches below are listed with the busiest beach at Ayr first then from the south to north.

Road Map .

Ayr Beach, as seen below, is probably the best all round beach in Scotland. This view shows the vast Low Green grassland with the large white building in the distance being Pirate Pete's kids indoor and outdoor play area.

Ayr Promenade that runs for about 1 mile is always busy throughout the year. When it is hitting the 80s, as when these images where taken, the promenade is packed.

Ayr Beach on a Sunday in May 2012 when it was hitting the 80s. This beach used to be as busy as this regular throughout the summer before inexpensive flights to Spain began escalating in the 1970s. The weather was warmer here than in the Canary Islands this week.

Large Image . Ayr Info Page.

The beaches are now listed from furthest south to north.

Sawney Beans Beach is situated in South Ayrshire about 2 miles north of Ballantrae. There is a car park high above the beach next to a new wide section of road over Bennane Head.

The best way down is to follow the winding path down from the north side of the car park, as seen in the image below. The beach is mainly shingle and the cannibals cave can be seen in the rocks in the image below. If exploring the cave, best take a good strong torch.

Sawney Bean Page.

Lendalfoot Beach, as seen below, is situated next to the small village of Lendalfoot, mid way between Girvan and Ballantrae. This village is mainly holiday homes so there are no shops of bars. The view below is from Lendalfoot Hill known as Balsalloch Hill, a good scenic climb.

Lendalfoot Beach is long, sandy and normally quiet. There is a large monument and car park at the south side of Lendalfoot in honor of a Russian Cruiser warship that sunk just off the coast here in the early 1900s. The Varyag Monument area is a popular picnic spot. There are a number of small beaches between Lendalfoot and Girvan with car parks by them that are popular with families wanting a beach to themselves.

Girvan Beach, as seen below, is one of the main beaches in Ayrshire with the town having many cafe's, bar/diners, amusements, vast grasslands by the beaches and kids play areas. The image below is from the Byne Hill, a popular walk from Girvan.

The main section of Girvan Beach is from the pier to about half of a mile south. The beach continues south for about another mile with a popular section on the south side of Girvan that has a snack bar, large grassland park and toilets. The main section as seen below has two large grassland parks and a large kids play area.

Girvan Pier is used by some locals for diving in warm spells. Diving off the pier can only be done when it is a really high tide and there are many people there to oversee. You can fish from the pier, take sea fishing trips from the harbour or take a boat trip to the Island of Ailsa Craig. Girvan Info Page.

Turnberry Beach, as seen below, is situated next to the scenic village of Turnberry and world famous golf course and hotel, about 3 miles north of Girvan. This beach rarely gets busy as it is mainly only used by hotel guests. The lighthouse at the north end of the beach is situated on the ruin of the castle where Robert the Bruce was born, Scotland's legendary king.

The view below is from Turnberry Beach towards Turnberry Hotel left and Spa right. There is a car park a few hundred yards south of the hotel at a small shop. There is a road to the beach down the side of a large white B&B across the road from the car park. Turnberry Info Page.

Maidens Beach, as seen below, is situated about 2 miles north of Turnberry Beach. Maidens is a popular holiday village with about 5 holiday parks around it. There are a couple of small shops, Wildings Hotel with a good restaurant and a harbour for leisure vessels.

Maidens Beach runs all the way north to Culzean Castle and Country Park, in the trees in the image below. There is the Shanter Riding School close by that often uses the beach for trekking.

Croy Beach, as seen below, is situated between Maidens and Dunure, about 9 miles south of Ayr. This beach can get busy in hot spells. There is a steep road down to the beach where there is parking for hundreds of cars.

Croy Beach runs for over 1 mile south towards Culzean Castle where you get good views of the castle. The closer you are to the north side, where the car park is, the busier the beach gets. There are toilets here but no shops so most people take portable barbecues.

Dunure Beach, as seen below, is situated about 7 miles south of Ayr. Dunure has car parking at the Kennedy Park just above the beach and Dunure Castle. This area has a popular play park and kids play area.

Dunure Beach is mainly dark sand and shingle with many rocks that kids like to explore. There is a cafe and the popular Dunure Inn for drinks and meals overlooking Dunure Harbour, as can be seen in the image below.

The beach on the south side of Dunure Harbour gives good views of Dunure Castle.

Prestwick Beach, as seen below, is situated on the north side of Ayr, or about one mile south of Prestwick Airport. The promenade runs from the large indoor KidzPlay on the north side as seen in the image below on the left, to well past St Nicholas Golf Club as seen right on the image below, over one mile long. There is a large grass area that runs alongside the north side of the beach with a childrens outdoor play area.

The Parkstone Hotel is the only hotel in Prestwick with views over the beach. Prestwick Railway and Main Street are a short walk from the beach with the Main Street having a good selection of Restaurants and Bar/Diners.This long sandy beach even extends all the way to Troon centre about 4 miles north, past Old Prestwick and Royal Troon golf courses.

Prestwick Info Page.

Troon Beach, as seen below, runs for over 1 mile from Royal Troon Golf Club to past the town centre. The busiest part of Troon Beach is west of Troon Cross, the town centre, where there is a kids play area and snack bar. There are many bar/diners and cafe's around Troon Cross. Troon Info Page.

Barassie Beach, as seen below, is situated on the north side of Troon, round from Troon Harbour. Barassie Beach does not get as busy as Troon Beach, but the grassland here can get fairly busy on warm weekends. Barassie Beach is sometimes used for windsurfing and jet skies. Troon Info Page.

Irvine Beach, as seen below, runs for miles south of the pier. The grassland alongside the beach and car parking areas are huge. The beach itself may be the finest sand of any Ayrshire beaches and the beach is always immaculate. Irvine Beach is situated about half of a mile from Irvine train station so is popular with day trippers from Glasgow. There is a skateboarding park here and the large Magnum Leisure Centre for indoor activities and a large indoor pool. The oldest Inn at Irvine, The Ship Inn, for meals is a short walk from the beach. Irvine Info Page.

Large Image .

Saltcoats Beach, as seen below, is situated a few miles north of Irvine. Saltcoats Beach is long and wide with fine sand that is always in good condition. The promenade runs for miles to the harbour at the south side with the harbour area having good leisure areas as well. Website: www.visitsaltcoats.com

Seamill/West Kilbride Beach, as seen below, starts from just north of Ardrossan and runs all the way past the Seamill Hydro Hotel to the West Kilbride golf course. There are a number of roadside car parks for the beach between Ardrossan and Seamill. Website: www.westkilbride.co.uk

There are more beaches to be added soon such as Largs.