Location

Ayr sits on the Firth of Clyde at the mouth of the River Ayr, around 32–37 miles south-west of Glasgow and three miles south of Prestwick. It is the historic county town of Ayrshire and the administrative centre of South Ayrshire. The built-up town itself has a population of around 46,000; South Ayrshire as a whole is about 112,000. Commercially it functions as the principal retail, civic and service hub for a much wider catchment that takes in Prestwick, Troon, Maybole and surrounding villages — commonly put at around 110,000–115,000 people in the primary retail market area — and it also draws visitors from Burns Country, the Ayrshire golf coast and Ayr Racecourse.

Transport is strong for a town of this size. The A77 dual carriageway (Glasgow–Kilmarnock–Ayr–Stranraer) bypasses the town; the A79 links it directly to Prestwick and the airport; the A70 runs east inland. Ayr railway station has frequent ScotRail services to Glasgow Central, plus links to Kilmarnock, Girvan and Stranraer. Glasgow Prestwick Airport is only a few miles north, with a dedicated rail stop about 10 minutes from Ayr station; Glasgow Airport is roughly 35miles away. Express coaches also run to Glasgow, and ferry connections to Northern Ireland are reachable via Cairnryan/Stranraer.

Get directions from Google Maps