North Ayrshire Accommodation

Ardrossan Ferries to Arran Brodick, Shipyard History Ardrossan Scotland

Ardrossan is the main port for ferries to Brodick on the Isle of Arran. Caledonian MacBrayne run a regular ferry service between Ardrossan and Brodick (around 9 ferries depart daily and the journey takes around 55 minutes).

Ardrossan's history sits firmly within the context of shipbuilding history along the North Ayrshire coast, stretching down to Irvine. Shipbuilding here in Ardrossan once ranked up there with Glasgow, and during wartime Ardrossan was an important port. Read more on Ardrossan's town trail via the 'Three Towners' weblink right. As well as the end of shipbuilding along the North Ayrshire coast, Ardrossan has been hit hard by companies like Shell pulling out. Regular ferry services used to run to Ireland from here, but suffered badly during the troubles (there was a bomb scare on one of the passenger ships). Plans are currently afoot to develop the harbour area, which will hopefully include visitor centres exploring the rich shipbuilding history of the area, on a par with the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine.

Featured Scotland Accommodation

Sandylands Holiday Park - Saltcoats

Park Resorts two and three bedroom self catering static caravans for rent close to Saltcoats

£127 to £664 Per week (seasonal)

Ardrossan Shipbuilding History & Ardrossan Town Trail

The focus with Ardrossan is often just the main ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick on the Isle of Arran. Dig a little deeper however, and you'll discover that Ardrossan's history as port town and hub for shipbuilding which stretches right down to Irvine ranked up there with the shipyards of Glasgow at one time. Ardrossan was also an important port during wartime, and Ardrossan residents lived in constant fear of wartime bombings.

The social and industrial history of the three North Ayrshire towns - Ardrossan, Stevenston and Saltcoats are all explored in-depth on the 'Three Towners' (as the three towns are often known) website right. Personal accounts on here recount memories of living and working in these three towns, alongside details of historic industries in the area such as the Stevenston Ardeer Dynamite Factory, located on a suitably remote site!

A tour of the Ardrossan town trail (outlined on the Three Towners website) is well worth doing. Of particular interest are historic sites around Ardrossan harbour such as Eglinton Dock, which in Ardrossan's harbour heyday was the main site with deep water for ships coming from America. Above Ardrossan's promanade you can still see the large mansions of shipping magnets which date from the early 1800s (note number 8, one time home to shipping magnate Hugh Hogarth, founder of the Baron Shipping Line, The list of interesting historic buildings goes on in Ardrossan - move to the end of the pier and view Bath Villa which dates from 1807. Built by the 12th Earl of Eglinton it was once a hydropathic bathing facility offering hot and cold saltwater bathing.

The remains of Ardrossan castle can also be viewed and date from 1150. To find out more about this rich history in Ardrossan visit the town Library at 39 Princes Street, Ardrossan. Tel. 01294 469682. The Three Towners website also offers assistance in tracing ancestors in the area, with a number of personal accounts on the website of people who have emigrated from Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston in the 20th century to North America, Canada, New Zealand and Austrailia. It's a gem of a local history site.

Ardrossan Ferries to Brodick, Isle of Arran

Hopping over to Arran and main town Brodick from Ardrossan couldn't be easier via the frequent ferry service by Caledonian MacBrayne (see website right. Caledonian are the main ferry company for Hebridean and Clyde Ferries).

Around 9 ferries per day depart from Ardrossan to Brodick, and likewise from Brodick to Ardrossan in the peak summer season. The ferry trip takes around 55 minutes, making day trips more than feasible. Saver 5 day returns won't break the bank either for a car and family of 4, with motorhomes not that much more expensive than cars.

Book your ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick, Arran on-line via the Caledonian weblink right.