West Kilbride

By plane: Glasgow Airport (GLA) has the best choice of flights. Take the airport bus to Glasgow city centre then train or bus as below. Prestwick (PIK) is closer but only has Ryanair flights to the Med.
By train: Trains run hourly from Glasgow Central, taking 50 min via Paisley, Kilwinning and Ardrossan, and continuing north to Largs. Change at Kilwinning for trains from Ayr, Prestwick, Troon and Irvine.
By bus: buses pass through West Kilbride every 30 mins or so on their way north to Largs (10 min) and Greenock (60 mins), and south to Ardrossan (20 mins), Irvine (40 mins) and Ayr (60 mins). From central Glasgow (Buchanan station) travel either via Ardrossan or Greenock: there's not much in it so ask at the ticket office for your best connection.
By car follow A78 the coastal main highway.

• Stagecoach Bus 585 runs along the main coast road every 30 mins from Ardrossan via Seamill, West Kilbride, Fairlie, Largs, Skelmorlie and Greenock.

• Eddie's Taxis

  phone: +44 1294 822812
  Eddie provides taxis around town and locality, airport transfers etc.

• West Kilbride Museum

  address: Village Hall, 1 Arthur Street
  Small volunteer-run museum upstairs in village hall.

• Portencross Castle

  address: Portencross Rd KA23 9QA
  First built in the 13th C, and replaced by the present bastion in the 14th. It hasn't suffered from assault and was only abandoned in 1739 when a storm ripped the roof off.

• Law CastleBuilt in 1467 as a wedding gift for Princess Mary, sister of King James III. But the groom was attainted of treason while he was away on the Continent, where he wisely chose to remain, so the marriage was annulled. The castle fell into disrepair in the 19th C but was smartly restored in the 21st and is now luxury accommodation with six bedrooms. Admire the facade, no interior tours.

• at 50 Main Street have rotating exhibitions, art studios and events.

• The beach stretches from Seamill by the Hydro to an outcrop of rocks by the golf course. It resumes along Ardneill Bay to Portencross. Good views southwest towards Arran.

• Hunterston B nuclear power station

  address: Hunterston KA23 9QX
  This AGR (Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor) power station, run by EDF, has been generating since 1976, and is scheduled to continue until 2023. The older Magnox Hunterston A next door ran from 1957 to 1990. 90-min tours available, min age 7, you need to book 3 weeks in advance (4+ weeks for non-UK visitors) and bring your passport. EDF has seven other nuclear plants in the UK which can be visited: at Torness East Lothian, Dungeness B in Kent, West Burton B near Retford Notts, Heysham Lancs, Hinckley Point Somerset, Hartlepool, and Sizewell B in Suffolk.

• Walk down Kirktonhall Glen. The woodland footpath starts in town centre and follows the Kilbride Burn for a couple of miles down to the shore at Seamill.

• West Kilbride Golf Club

  address: Fullarton Drive, Seamill KA23 9HT
  18-hole links course between shore and farmland, fairly flat but with a stiff sea breeze. Par 71, the "Arran" course is 6523 yards.

• A Gift Tae Gie

  phone: +44 1294 829509
  address: 45 Main Street
  Has various gifts, toys, cards and interior accessories.
• There's a Co-op food store (open daily 07:00-22:00) on Ritchie Street, but for a big shop head to the supermarkets in Ardrossan.

• Various Indian and Chinese takeaways in the centre of town.

• The Wee Deli

  phone: +44 1294 822015
  address: 2 Ritchie Street KA23 9AL
  A tardis of food delights. Best known for the wee deli pate & soups.

• Cherry Orchard

  phone: +44 1294 824880
  address: 2C Orchard St KA23 9AD
  Friendly cafe at the foot of the glen.
• Seamill Hydro Hotel has an excellent restaurant, see "Sleep".

• The Catch At Fins Restaurant

  phone: +44 1475 568 989
  address: Fencefoot Farm, Fairlie KA29 0EG
  Acclaimed seafood restaurant, small and booking essential. Not licensed, byob or buy from shop next door.
• See Ardrossan for Braidwoods, near Dalry ten miles east of West Kilbride.

• The Twa Dugs and the King's Arms are typical Scottish pubs on Main Street.

• Carlton Seamill B&B

  phone: +44 1294 822075
  address: 53 Ardrossan Road, Seamill KA23 9NE
  B&B in Victorian house with period furnishings, has become run-down and tatty.

• Seamill Hydro Hotel

  phone: +44 1294 8242217
  address: 39 Ardrossan Rd, Seamill KA23 9ND
  Upscale hotel with leisure & gym facilities and pool. With Orangery restaurant plus Aura bar meals.
• Seamill House Hotel is a separate mid-range establishment almost next door to the Hydro.

• The Waterside

  phone: +44 1294 824414
  address: Ardrossan Rd KA23 9NG
  Clean modern hotel, great setting but you need the sunshine.

• Ardrossan has ferries to the charming Isle of Arran.
• Largs has ferries to Great Cumbrae. Little Cumbrae is a private yoga resort with no public ferry.
• Wemyss Bay has ferries to the Isle of Bute.
• Ayr has Robert Burns' birthplace and other Burns sites, mostly at Alloway; further south is Culzean Castle.
• Famous golf courses hereabouts are Royal Troon, Prestwick Old Course, and Trump Turnberry towards Girvan.