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Girvan Fishing Trips Ayrshire, Ailsa Craig, Gannets Bird Sanctuary
Whit's Yer Hurry?', says the sign entering Girvan. Girvan is a relaxing seaside resort base in South Ayrshire, with easy access to boat trips across to bird sancturay off-shore island Ailsa Craig. Most of the hustle and bustle in Girvan goes on down in its pretty harbour where you can hop on a boat trip to the stunning volcanic mini island of Ailsa Craig, home to breeding Gannets among others. Ailsa Craig is a protected bird sanctuary.
Girvan makes a good base for walkers, with the South Carrick Walking Festival taking place annually towards the end of September. The Girvan South Ayrshire region also offers a choice of more Scottish golf courses at Girvan, Maybole, Dalmilling and Seafield. See the South Ayrshire Golf website right for details. Pushing further south along the Ayrshire coast towards Stranraer, the A77 coast road gets pretty stunning down here. On stretches it runs parallel to the sea, offering sublime coastal views. You'll arrive eventually at peaceful Ballantrae and Ballantrae Bay - a good tranquil base from which to explore both Dumfries & Galloway (The Mull of Galloway South) and north for boat trips across to Ailsa Craig Island).
Girvan Fishing Trips, Girvan Harbour & Tourist Guide
Girvan is a particular hotspot for fishing trips, either on the Rivers Girvan and Stinchar or out to sea on fishing trips from Girvan Harbour. For chartered sea fishing trips in Girvan book through Fossil Fishing on Bridge Street, Girvan (Tel. 01465 710107). Fossil Fishing are also a fishing shop.
Fishing trips around off-shore island Ailsa Craig are available through Mark McCrindle, 7 Harbour Street, Girvan KA26 9AJ. Tel. 01465 713219. (see the Ailsa Craig boat trips weblink right for more details). For tickets to fish on rivers and reservoirs in the Girvan area call in at Wright's Hardware Shop, Dalrymple Street, Girvan.
Girvan's white sandy beach stretches for over a mile and is one of the best spots for views out to Ailsa Craig and Kintyre Peninsula. Back in the town on Knockushan Street you'll note Grade B listed building, Stumpy Tower. Shaped like the giant end of a pen, Stumpy Tower dates from around 1822 and was purpose built as the town's jail.
Well worth a visit is the McKechnie Institute on Dalrymple Street (tel. 01465 713643). There's a permanent exhibition in here on Ailsa Craig, plus a programme of arts and changing exhibits drawing on the Institutes Girvan and Carrick area archive and memorabilia.
Ailsa Craig Boat Trips and Tours
There are plans afoot in Girvan to establish a comprehensive visitor centre on Ailsa Craig, the volcanic plug situated just off-shore. The new centre will include live CCTV footgage of birds on this bird sanctuary island, plus studio spaces, adventure play and more. Keep checking the Girvan Community weblink right for details on this.
The bird sanctuary island of Ailsa Craig (Fairy Rock) attracts many visitors to the Girvan area. This unusually shaped volcanic plug stands at 1,114 feet high and around 2.5 miles around the base. A granite island, the material is still being sensitively used in small amounts for curling stones. A Lighthouse was errected on the island in 1882 after a number of shipwrecks through the 1800s. Today Ailsa Craig's Lighthouse works entirely on solar power.
The island is a seabird colony, and particular breeding spot for Gannets (the third largest Gannet breeding ground in the UK). Other seabirds prevalent on Ailsa Craig include Shag, Herring Gull, Kittiwake, Puffin and Black Guillemot. Watch out for Seals and Porpoise in th surrounding waters too.
There's a choice of boat trip companies offering trips around Ailsa Craig from Girvan Harbour. The best known, and the only boat trip and fishing trip operator with a license to land on Ailsa Craig is Mark McCrindle. (see Ailsa Craig weblink right for more details). Daily sailing depart from Girvan Harbour all year round, and the MFV Glorious vessel carries upto 12 passengers per trip. Ailsa Craig Trips, Mark McCrindle, 7 Harbour Street, Girvan, KA26 9AJ. Tel. 01465 713219.
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