Beaches

The sweep of coastline from Ardrossan Harbour to Irvine is a wonderful place to enjoy the outdoors. The beaches in the area include well maintained town beaches and miles of sandy coastline that is open and easy to access.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats are both well known for their town beaches which are popular in the summer as places for families to relax and enjoy the sunshine as well as excellent places for walking, riding and other beach-based activities during the rest of the year.

The beach at Stevenston is the last fully forming sand dune system in North Ayrshire and is designated as a Local Nature Reserve by Scottish Natural Heritage.

The long sandy beach at Irvine can be accessed via the beach park which includes the Magnum Leisure Centre, a lake for remote control boats and a skateboard area.

The 14 miles of Irvine Bay’s coastline is incredibly attractive, with stunning views over to Arran and the Ailsa Craig. The hills of Arran, which dominate the views from the beaches, create an attractive backdrop and are easy to reach by ferry from Ardrossan. The coast provides one of the area's most important assets, which is recognised in the Irvine Bay i-sea theme.