Girvan tourist information

The fine harbour of Girvan has been a popular visitor attraction for generations, with sandy beaches and beautiful views over to Arran and Ailsa Craig.

The town has a quaint and traditional seaside atmosphere, and also boasts a working fishing harbour and boatyard. It has some interesting buildings, such as the Victorian McKechnie Institute museum, and the rather squashed century clock tower, aptly named 'Auld Stumpy'. The town also has many attractive open spaces such as Orchard Gardens and Knockcushan Gardens which are well-known for their beautiful floral displays.

From Girvan harbour there are regular trips to the unique dome-shaped island of Ailsa Craig, a stunning rocky crag which is all that remains of an extinct volcano. Today it is a seabird sanctuary home to large numbers of gannets and puffins, and its granite was also quarried to make curling stones for this popular winter sport.

To the south of Girvan is the coastal village of Ballantrae, where the legendary (and possibly fictitious) character of 'Sawney' Bean was said to have lived in Bennane Cave for 25 years during the 16th century, surviving on robbery and cannibalism with his extensive family until eventually brought to justice.

There is a tourist information centre in the town.