A nice, long beach…read more We've been staying in Irvine for one night before taking the ferry to Ireland. There wasn't much to do in town (very very dog-unfriendly; even in beer gardens), so we headed to Irvine Beach. It's only a short drive from town and there is plenty of free parking lots just at the beach. It is a lovely, clean and long stretch of sands behind some nice dunes. Visitors here are mostly locals and you can even spot some people riding their horses here. So of course it's dog-friendly too. Our doggy had a blast running along the shore. Since it's such a long beach, you won't be bothered much by other people, there is just so much space here. It was summer, but still it was pretty chilly with some strong winds. At dusk you might wanna bring a light jacket. There are toilets right at the parking lot, but besides that we didn't spot any other facilities. If you want a nice picnic I guess it's best to stock up some food at the close-by Rivergate Shopping Mall.

This is a small, fairly shallow bay around 300 metres in length and found at the south end of Largs…read morenot far from the Pencil Monument, hence the name. There's plenty of gorgeous soft sand and it's a lovely place to spend some time relaxing on a warm summer's afternoon (as I did today!) It has been considered a safe bathing area since 2006 and, in 2009, the beach won the Keep Scotland Beautiful Seaside Award. This means that there are excellent litter management policies in place, very good bathing water quality, and information boards beside the beach. There's no lifeguard and parking might be a bit tricky. The best thing is probably to walk from the town centre, which isn't far away. Otherwise the parking facilities at the Marina nearby might be the best bet (there's a cafe there too).

A lovely wide and soft, sandy, beach which is over a mile long and safe for swimming or walking…read more There are picnic areas and many benches along the promenade and marvellous views across the River Clyde to Arran, Aisa Craig and Kintyre. Plenty of parking spaces in the huge car park. It's not far to walk into the town from here and the nearby harbour is also a pleasant place to visit for a stroll (or a sail if you have a boat)!

A beautiful south-facing bay with lovely views over the River Clyde, the island of Little Cumbrae,…read morethe mountains of Arran and the Ayrshire hills. There is a long promenade and a sandy beach at Kames Bay in the east and a shingle beach at Newtown Bay in the west. The beach becomes rockier toward the pier where you can take a ferry across to Largs on the mainland. The water was at last given an 'excellent' status for swimming in 2007. It is a popular beach for families and there are attractive gardens, grassy areas and shops close at hand. A very pleasant place to take a walk or start to cycle around the island (you can hire one from Mapes in the row of shops which border the middle of the bay)

The Kelburn Castle has been a home to the Boyle family since it's construction in the 13th Century…read more It is the oldest castle in Scotland that has been continuously inhabited. Allowing the castle to be painted came about when the Boyle family were told that they would have to remove the tower because of damage to the stonework. Since it was going to be removed the family decided to ask four Brazilian street artists to paint the castle. Their graffiti art created so much excitement that the family appealed to the Historic Scotland to allow it to stay. They are a government agency responsible for preserving the country's historic monuments. The agency granted temporary permission and attached an end date. The end date has passed and the family is working towards extending it again. While I visited the castle it was under major renovations so perhaps the construction will stabilize the castle and allow it to continue to be known to tourists as the Graffiti Castle. It cost £9.00 to spend the day hiking on the property. It was an absolutely amazing day and I highly recommend visiting this property. There is a visitor office with hiking maps, bathroom facilities and an area to purchase food. Included in our entrance fee was a tour of the spooky forest. They had a children's section by day and adult section at night. I passed on the Halloween fun because of time restraints.

This is a DO NOT MISS venue. The graffiti castle is fabulous and the grounds, pathways, waterfalls,…read morehikes and secret forest just add to the experience. Entrance fee was £7 and well worth it.

A pleasant and tranquil little beach where I hadn't been for years until recently when I had a walk…read morethere. It's very easy to miss (when driving past on the main road) but found by turning off the A78 at the War Memorial in Fairlie village a few miles south of Largs. There's a mixture of sand, shingle and rocks on the beach itself. There's a free car park at the end of Pier Road quite close to the water and public toilets nearby. There's no lifeguard. I've no idea of the quality of the water for swimming but it's a nice place to take a stroll and appreciate the views of the Clyde.

A lovely, long, shingle and sand beach which is within a short stroll from the town. Accessible for…read moreeveryone, the bordering promenade is wide and flat with benches facing the River Clyde. The views are beautiful across the water, especially towards Gourock and the Cloch Lighthouse, and it's nice to watch the ferries coming in and out. It's very peaceful around here as well as it's away from the road - it a lovely place to walk. I've met some very pleasant friendly people to chat to as well!

Lovely place to stroll along with the dogs, very peaceful and quiet with beautiful scenery…read more People that you do happen across are polite and friendly and happy to chat!

I've been coming here for years as it's literally a few minutes from my house. It's a wonderful…read morearea for dogs to run around in and normally very quiet unless it's a very sunny day or is the weekend. Nature lovers can come here and Bird Watch as it's a Nature Reserve. Cyclists, Runners and Walkers use the park as a trail as it goes all the way past Mar Hall. Just watch out for dog poop, it's not generally picked up.

Not that it feels it but this is a small woodland, in Erskine beside the Erskine Bride on the edge…read moreof the River Clyde. There's a number of woodland walks, a few trails take you down to Erskine beach, where the old Erskine Ferry used to cross. There's lots of picnic areas and seats to rest at. The walk has circular paths or you can walk around the edge. There's a network of about 2 miles (3km) trails, all ideal for easy walking and cycling. The paths are wide and smooth, so great for buggies too but be prepared for a few short moderate slopes.

I can just imagine this place being busy in the summer months, I've only ever been here a few times…read moreusually winter, all year round you can see large tankers passing by. There is an area nearby for mini golf and a kiosk selling buckets & spades with plenty of cafe's nearby for something more substantial. The beach may look clean but that is due to the local council working overtime with sifting equipment on the back of tractors to collect al the rubbish left behind by the day trippers. The beach has a lot of shredded aluminium from canned drinks, and the water may look clean but you will see many feminine towels floating on the surface of the water, this may be due to the sewage pipe nearby.

A large sandy bay bordered by a long curving promenade, grass and a children's play area. Great…read moreviews across the Clyde and to the Isle of Arran. The water is safe for swimming and paddling. A pleasant enough place to walk if you're in the area. Busy in summer but fairly quiet out of season, as it was when we were last there in October.

A gorgeous, remote beach - perhaps the most beautiful on the Isle of Bute, about 3 miles west of…read moreRothesay on the opposite coastline. The beach is a mixture of sand and shingle and stretches for over a mile. There are marvellous views on a clear day towards Arran and Kintyre. The seasonal tour bus will drop you off here beside a wonderful cafe - the Ettrick Bay Tearoom (definitely not to be missed!) and you can have a meal, walk along the beach and pick up a later bus to take you back to Rothesay. If you have the car with you there is a large car park beside the cafe. Nearby is the ancient Colmac stone circle.