West Kilbride

West Kilbride combines Scottish crafts with landscape, history and striking views. The town lies on the Firth of Clyde and is Scotland’s first accredited Craft Town. This creates an unusual mix for planning your trip: you can explore studios and exhibitions, discover traces of history or plan various routes through glens and coastal landscapes.

Crafts and history in the town

The Craft Town Scotland Studios are spread along Main Street and Ritchie Street. Each studio is home to a different craftsperson who creates their own unique products. The studios are open from Thursday to Saturday, 11 am to 4 pm; outside these times, visits are possible by appointment. This makes the opening hours an important point to consider when planning your day if crafts are to be the focus of your stay.

Another cultural attraction is the Barony Centre. It is housed in the redevelopment of a listed 19th-century church, which belongs to Scotland’s Category C listing classification. In the Gallery Shop, you can view examples of the craftspeople’s work. The West Kilbride Museum on the first floor of the Village Hall also presents art and history exhibitions.

Historic buildings and memorial sites also shape the character of West Kilbride. Barony Parish Church was rebuilt in 1873 and features an Early English style. Its churchyard contains gravestones from the 17th and 18th centuries. Kirktonhall has a crenellated parapet bearing the date 1807 and is also the birthplace of Professor Robert Simpson, who was born there in 1687. A monument erected in 1877 by John Fullerton of Overton commemorates Dr Robert Simpson in the cemetery. A group of cottages a few minutes’ walk from the railway station was restored according to National Trust for Scotland guidelines and is considered an example of Scottish vernacular architecture.

Trails, glens and views

Several routes with different characteristics are available for active days. NC39 is the West Kilbride Loop, including Kirktonhall Glen, a 3.8-kilometre route with gravel and road sections. NC60 runs for 6.0 kilometres from West Kilbride to Portencross Pier and includes gravel and beach sections. The 6.0-kilometre West Kilbride Cycle Route TT10, by contrast, has tarmac and road sections. Anyone looking for a holiday apartment or holiday house can take these different types of routes into account when planning their day, without treating all routes in the same way.

Kirktonhall Glen stretches for approximately 1.5 kilometres. It contains carved wooden sculptures of animals, including a huge dragon by artist Sandy Campbell. The design of the Hunterston Brooch Garden recalls the local discovery of a 1,200-year-old Celtic brooch. These features give a stay in the glen a cultural and narrative dimension. West Kilbride Golf Course adds a links golf course that is more than 120 years old.

The Firth of Clyde offers views of the surrounding islands, the distant mainland around Mull of Kintyre, the Arrochar Alps and the Paps on the Isle of Jura. Depending on whether you focus on art, historic sites, trails or landscape, West Kilbride may be an interesting base for your trip.

Getting there and choosing accommodation

West Kilbride can be reached by regular local bus and train services from Glasgow, Largs and Ayr. This is relevant when planning your trip if you do not want to make every excursion using the same mode of transport. When searching for accommodation, you can therefore first decide which aspect of your trip matters most to you: crafts and the museum, historic sites, trails in Kirktonhall Glen or the landscape around the Firth of Clyde. For families travelling together, the combination of short cultural activities, routes of different lengths and far-reaching views offers opportunities to vary the days of their holiday.

Hope Jacare’s new Studio 117 is intended to offer small textile courses and educational activities. As this is a planned project, it should be considered separately from the studios already described. This keeps trip planning focused on the cultural attractions, trails and landscape impressions currently described.

More destinations for your search

If you would like to compare other places besides West Kilbride, here are the direct destinations: Prestwick, Dalry, Hurlford, Millport, Girvan, Stewarton, Ardrossan and Stevenston.

For the higher-level travel overview: Ayrshire.