Home Report Girvan

Girvan, South Ayrshire, is a coastal harbour town of about 6,500 residents on the east coast of the Firth of Clyde. It’s about 21 miles south of Ayr, and 29 miles north of Stranraer, Scotland’s main ferry port to Northern Ireland. In 2020 it pipped Ayr to the top spot in a table for Scotland’s best places for a day at the beach by The Solar Centre based on a variety of scores including water temperature, parking, beaches, cleanliness, fish and chips, and more.

Indeed, Girvan’s beaches are a popular draw for locals, visitors from other towns, and tourists alike. This has meant a portion of the towns local economy has developed around day tourism, alongside the traditional industries of fishing, which is still important in the town, but to a lesser degree than it once was. Many locals also commute to the larger town of Ayr to the north for work.

Girvan has lovely coastal scenery which includes the volcanic island of Ailsa Craig, lying just offshore, which offers wildlife spotting among other things to see. The coastline south of Girvan is famous for its geology, and also for the Sawney Bean Caves at Bennane Head or Balcreuchan Port, where the murderer and cannibal Sawney Bean supposedly lived until his arrest and execution in Edinburgh. Inland, are lush green hills, with many walkers’ trails in Carrick Forest. Another attraction of Girvan’s is the uniquely named Stumpy Tower, originally built as a prison that today displays fascinating historical exhibits. Additionally, there are about 20 different castles in the local area. Some only exist in a ruined state but others like Culzean – about 8 miles north – still stands in a full and glorious looking state.

Perhaps also noteworthy for a town of its size, Girven hosts numerous events over the calendar year. The Girvan RNLI harbour gala takes place each summer with live music, stalls, funfair, rescue and emergency service displays. The Girvan Folk Music Festival takes place on the first weekend of May each year. There’s also the Lowland Gathering which takes place on the first Sunday of June each year in the Victory Park in the centre of the town and incorporates various competitions from dancing, Highland Games, piping, and more. There’s even an annual Festival of Light which takes place in October involving a six-week lantern building project – by local community groups and schools – resulting in the river of light lantern procession and shorefront performance. The autumn lantern project is a celebration of the lantern makers and the town as a burgh.

With so much going around the town and being a popular day trip destination you would expect transport links to be good, and fortunately, they are. The town has its own railway station which connects to Ayr station, which then allows for travel further on to Glasgow Central Station. Road links are good, with the A77 allowing for easy travel to the wider Ayrshire area. The A77 eventually becomes the M77 to the north which allows for travel to the wider Glasgow area and further afield. Girvan has numerous local bus services for travel around the Ayrshire area, especially for connections to Ayr, from which there are more numerous services for travel to Glasgow and other areas of the country.

In terms of local schooling, Girvan has two primary schools, Girvan Primary School (non-denominational) and Sacred Heart Primary School (denominational) and there is one non-denominational specialist school, Invergarven School. The town has its own secondary school, Girvan Academy, which most local children attend. The nearest catholic school is Queen Margaret Academy in Ayr.