Thursday
We are moving on from Glasgow today heading down into Ayrshire.
Glasgow was fantastic though, with such a great vibe (as many university towns have) so we will be back.
As forecast, sadly winter returned to Glasgow this morning, and unbelievably (Nikki was incredulous) Steve abandoned his shorts this morning. However, his jeans were short lived, or is it short worn, and as we crossed into Ayrshire, blue sky and warm sun returned. The benefit of slowly heading further south we assumed.
G
Girvan
We stopped for lunch in Girvan.
Nestled on the scenic South Ayrshire coast at the mouth of the River Girvan, Girvan is a welcoming harbour town.
It is very pretty, with a small harbour and promenade, and there has obviously been a lot of investment here.
Off the coast of Girvan is Ailsa Craig. Formed some 60 million years ago of volcanic rock, it is often called “Paddy’s Milestone” for its halfway position between Glasgow and Belfast. It is uninhabited, and today, it’s a protected bird sanctuary, home to thousands of seabirds including puffins, gannets, and razorbills—making it a dream spot for wildlife lovers and photographers.
As we took a stroll around the village, we stocked up on bread, sausage rolls (essential as far as Nikki is concerned) and other bits and bobs.
After a quick drink at the Swee pub, we had lunch overlooking the harbour and beach, before switching drivers, with Steve driving the final hour or so onto Garlieston.
Garlieston
Nikki picked this site because it was literally on the harbour at Garlieston which was described as a beautiful quaint village with a pub. We were greeted on arrival by a lovely lady, and there was one harbour side pitch still available so we nabbed it, driving forwards into it so we had the view. The tide was fully out when we arrived, with high tide due just after midnight.
We also arrived in the sun (yay) and were able to get the chairs and tables out and sit outside for an hour or so and bask in its warmth.
We had pre-booked a table in the pub for dinner, The Harbour Inn, and if you ever do anything similar to us it is worth pre-booking where you can as even in June, Scotland is very busy.
It was indeed a lovely village, with 2 bowls greens right next to the beach, and a quaint welcoming pub. We had a smashing meal, and afterwards went for a walk. Well we say ‘walk’ it was more like a route march as Nikki hadn’t completed her exercise activity ring that day, and she was on a 27 day streak and didn’t want to blow it !
With that accomplished we returned to the van where Nikki waited up for high tide, which was just stunning with the lights of the village in the background. The only tide Steve was interested in was one that gently rocks you to sleep, and he was very successful at finding it!
Nikki once again woke up at ridiculous-o’clock, to be greeted by snoozing swans in front of the van, and we had a bit of a lazy morning before setting off to our final hotel for this trip, the Kenbridge, Steve once again looking forward to a bit of space and luxury. The mix & match of sites and hotels, and the cottage on Skye has been a perfect balance for our 4 week trip.
