Aerial
view of
Troon Harbour
The
Harbour at Troon
is a fishing port,
yachting marina,
seasonal passenger ferry
port
and Ro-Ro
ferry
terminal
for timber and containers.
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Aerial
view of Troon
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Houses
at Barassie
from beach
on
the Ayrshire Coastal Path
from Troon to Irvine
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Sand
Dunes above beach
on the
Ayrshire Coastal Path
from Troon to Irvine
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IRVINE
TO TROON WALK - ROUTE DESCRIPTION
Location:
Ayrshire
Map: OS Landranger Sheet 70
Distance: 6 miles ( 10km )
Time: 3 hours
Grade: Easy coastal walk
Thr only predictable aspect of coastal walking
is its unpredictability. There are days when this normally easy walk is
impossible, when the scene is
one of elemental fury, with huge waves, driven by gale-force winds,
smashing into the shore.
However in fine conditions much of the walk is on firm sand which is a
delight to have under your feet. Out to the west across
the water iss the unmistakeable outline of Arran. To your left as you
walk along are high dunes which separate the walkers, joggers and horse
riders
on the beach from the golfers taking their own form of recreation just
inland. The walk passes two courses - Western Gailes and Barassie -
part of the chain of links courses on this coast.
Troon itself is worth exploring. It has a busy harbour and marina and a
wide choice of places to refuel. And if you're in the mood and the day
is good you can, of course, carry on walking, following the Ayrshire
Coastal Path on to Prestwick, Ayr and beyond.
Back in Irvine, the Scottish Maritime Museum
has curious exhibits including old boats. Don't miss David Annand‘s
statue of The Carter and His Horse. A notice explains that Irvine was once a busy port and much of the
cargo handled there, especially coal mined locally, was brought
by carters using horses. The horses today are on the beach for leisure
rather than at the quayside working, but the weather is as important to
us taking our recreation today as it was to the ships plying out
of ports like Irvine in the past.
Route:
Start and finish at Irvine Railway Station.
Walk down Montgomery Street and Harbour Street.
At the Ship Inn go left across the grass to the Magnum Leisure Centre.
Pass the centre and follow the path round the pond.
At its far left corner take the path leading to the stone dragon.
Walk down and through the dunes on to the beach.
Follow the beach S for 4km to Barassie.
Follow a grass path ( signed Ayrshire Coastal Path ) and later join a
tarmac cycleway into Troon.
Go left at Morrisons, right at the T-junction and left into Church
Street.
Take the second left ( St Meddan’s Road ) up to the station for the
train back to Irvine.
Map of
Walking Route
from Troon to Irvine
along the Ayrshire
Coast
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Map of
Walking Route
from Troon to Ayr
along the Ayrshire
Coast
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Map of
Ayrshire Coast
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Walking Route from
Troon to Ayr
Location: Ayrshire Map: OS Landranger 70
Distance: 8 miles (13km)
Time: 3-4 hours
Terrain: Coastal paths; flat
While
this is inarguably a walk that
requires a measure of benevolence
on the part of the weather before you
pull your boots on and stride out, it’s
guaranteed to blow away any cobwebs
which might be the result of a late
one tonight.
It’s a fine walk that starts by
weaving out of Ayr, a historic town full
of resonances of Robert Burns among
others. Indeed the walk starts in the
square that holds the Bard’s statue,
continuing past the pub named for
perhaps his most famous poem, Tam
0' Shanter. The focus then switches to
William Wallace, after whom an old
tower is named [ though there is no
direct connection ) before the River
Ayr is crossed and a route through the
busy dock area leads out of the town
to its neighbour, Newton -on-Ayr. Here,
with possibly some relief, you reach a
beachside promenade which leads to one of the many golf courses on the
Ayrshire coast, Prestwick St Nicholas.
At the end of this a little jink
takes
you straight on to the long promenade
of Prestwick. The town itself is set
a little way back from the sea front,
and in between are more golf courses,
including “old” Prestwick, which
holds the distinction of hosting the first staging of the Open 150 years
ago. lt was a very different sport then
to the one we see on our TV screens
today but the players’ skills were just
as acute.
After Prestwick comes a truly
delightful meander on a little path
at the top of the dunes. You need
‘ to cut inland to cross a substantial
burn and then jink through a caravan
5 park before reaching the edge of
Royal Troon, which hosted the
Open in 2016.
The path veers away from the
course and lands you on the beach
which provides a fine finale to the
walk, allowing for good progress and
grand seaward views across to the
unmistakeable profile of Arran.
Route:
From Burns Statue Square
TR into Alloway St and then into High
St, past the Tam o‘ Shanter inn.
At the
Wallace Tower TFl to the river and TL
on the riverside path.
Cross the Auld
Brig and TL.
Cross the main road and
take the first right ( Back Peebles St ).
Follow it through across Waggon Ftd
into Glene Ftd.
TL over railway bridge
and sharp L down to the Promenade.
At its end continue on a track beside
St Nicholas Golf Course.
Go R and L
past clubhouse then L on a road to the
promenade at Prestwick.
At its end at
a round building climb the dunes and
follow the path beside the fence.
At a
break in the dunes in about 800m go R
on a path then track to e bridge over the
river.
Follow track into the holiday park
then a path beside the wall and then lelt as signed to reach the beach.
Follow
the beach to Troon.
Ayrshire
Coast
Gallery 
