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The railway covers a relatively undiscovered part of Scotland running nearly 60 miles between Ayr and Stranraer. However,
visitors will find a host of activities and places of interest to visit along the route as well as fantastic views from the
carriage window.
The line crosses, the Doon and the Water of Girvan, both good fishing rivers with
mullet, trout, salmon and eels. Otters can be found living by these rivers along with roe deer, kingfishers, dippers and ducks.
Around Girvan, sea birds dominate. The magnificent Ailsa Craig which dominates sea views here, is home to some
70,000 sea birds including gannet, guillemots and a small colony of puffins. Loch Ryan at the other end of the line is where
widgeon and sand martins predominate. In the waters around Girvan and Loch Ryan can be found seals and ocassionally porpoises
whilst in the middle of the moorlands traversed by the line, you are likely to see birds of prey such as kestrels and sparrowhawks.
The railway leaves the gentle undulating hills of Carrick, passing over the Moors before entering the mild climate
of Wigtownshire in West Galloway. Galloway is home to some intertesting and exotic plants species which flourish in the mild
Gulf Stream air. Many of these can be seen in the numerous gardens which are open to the public in the area including Ardwell,
Castle Kennedy, Dunskey, Glenwhan and the Royal Logan Botanic Gardens. In Stranraer’s Agnew Park at the foot of the
Loch Ryan basin, palm trees are a common sight.
Alloway near Ayr is the birthplace of Scotland’s National bard, Robert Burns.
Burns Cottage and Museum and the Burns Heritage Park are under 10 minutes away by bus from Ayr Station which is dominated
by the Station Hotel.
The magnificent Robert Adam Castle at Culzean is also well
worth a visit. The nearest station is Maybole and Culzean is a six minute bus journey away.
Two miles south of Maybole is Crossraguel, the remains of a Clunaic Abbey,
one of the best preserved in Scotland, dating back to 1215.
At Girvan with its
category B listed Art Deco style station, the only one to be found in Scotland, the key attraction is the picturesque
harbour with its panoramic views of Ailsa Craig, Arran and Holy Island. The paddle steamer, Waverley,
makes occaional visits in the summer months. Girvan has an interesting mix of architecture the highlight of which is the red
stone McKechnie Institute dating back to 1888.
The next stop on the line is the pretty and remote
village of Barrhill, home of the Martyrs Tomb connected to the Covenanters, an important movement in the
social history of Scotland in the 17th Century.
The final stop on the line is the terminus at Stranraer,
Britain’s oldest working harbour station. The town was home to Sir John Ross, the famous Arctic explorer who lived in
the North West Castle, now a hotel.
Stranraer’s origins date back nearly 500 years to the
construction of the Castle of St John in 1511 and the town also has a museum charting the history of Wigtownshire
and the magnificent Agnew Park with its boating lake, miniature railway and views across Loch Ryan.
Closeby are a number of attractions including the picturesque village of Portpatrick. The village
has a number of good restaurants, pubs and tea rooms and interesting shops and is the starting point for the coast to coast
Southern Upland Way. Nearby stand the ruins of Dunskey Castle and within the village is an RNLI museum which includes a model
of the railway at Portpatrick. Buses leave from Stranraer Port Rodie and the journey time is 25 minutes.
There
are five gardens open to the public within easy reach of Stranraer. The nearest is Castle Kennedy built around
a 17th century Castle. At nearby Dunragit, a few miles further east is Glenwhan. On the Rhins to the south
of Stranraer are located Dunskey Gardens near Portpatrick, The Royal Logan Botanic Garden
at Port Logan, unrivalled as the country’s most exotic walled garden and Ardwell Gardens.
A further 12 miles to the tip of the Rhins peninsula lies Scotland's Land's End, the spectacular
Mull of Galloway. On a clear day, it is possible to see Ireland, England and the Isle of Man from here. The
Mull, which is on the same latitude as Sunderland in North East England, has a lighthouse which is sometimes open to
the public, an RSPB visitor centre and a restaurant.
Line Guide
Our line guide is available from Visitor Information Centres
in Ayr, Glasgow and Stranraer, some First ScotRail stations or by post to:
SAYLSA, Girvan Station, Vicarton
Street, GIRVAN Scotland KA26 9JF.
Please send a stamped addressed envelope.
Alternatively you can download
a pdf copy by clicking on the link below.
click here to download a pdf copy of our first line guide
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