Girvan is a small Ayrshire port town with dramatic views out to the great granite plug of Ailsa Craig — the Paddy’s Milestone of the Firth of Clyde — and a stretch of excellent coastal path running north and south. The Carleton Hills rise behind the town, and the beautiful Stinchar Valley heads inland to Barr and the southern Ayrshire countryside.

A quiet, unpretentious Ayrshire town with good views, Girvan makes a pleasant and affordable base for the south Ayrshire coast path and the gentle Carrick hills inland — a landscape that sees very few visitors from outside the region.