The Carrick Loop, Ayrshire
Grade: Moderate road route
Distance: 36 miles/60km
Time: 3-4 hours
NATIONAL Cycle Network route 7 is the main cycle artery between Carlisle and Glasgow and runs along the esplanade in Ayr. I thought I’d ride this loop in a clockwise direction, so I could get the prevailing southerly wind behind me as came back along the coast road by Culzean and Dunure. My finale would be along the esplanade, a nice way to finish the loop.
I left Ayr town centre seeking a direct route to Alloway, avoiding the busy A719. From Burns Statue Square I headed on to Station Road and continued on Carrick Road. Just before St Leonards Church I kept to the right on the B7024. Somewhere along this road it changed name from Carrick Road to Monument Road, eventually passing the entrance to the Rozelle Estate to enter the pretty village of Alloway. No sooner do you enter the village than you are passing Burns’ Cottage. I had visited the Cottage and Museum the week before so elected to stay on my bike for the ride to Maybole.
Passing the delights of the Burns Museum and Alloway Auld Kirk I crossed the River Doon and prepared myself for some hard work. It was a steady climb out of Alloway, creeping over the edge of the Carrick hills towards Culroy and Maybole and despite the dreadful road surface on much of this section the traffic was light and the undulating course kept my interest. I was also cycling into the wind.
Beyond Maybole, the ancient capital of Carrick, I followed the busier A77 past the remains of the 13th century Crossraguel Abbey and on to Kirkoswald and more Robert Burns connections in the shape of Souter Johnnie’s cottage. This was the home of John Davidson, immortalised by Burns as shoemaker, or souter, Johnnie in the supernatural tale Tam o’ Shanter.
An easy few miles alongside the Milton Burn took me to the golfing shangri-la of Turnberry where I was actually more interested in trying to photograph Ailsa Craig. I’m afraid I come from the Mark Twain school of thought when it comes to golf – the game only spoils a good walk!
I didn’t linger in case I was strung up for my views and headed north again along the coast road, past Maidens and inland along the A719 to Culzean Castle. The grounds of Culzean were busy with weekend visitors as I made my way north along the much quieter A719. The road swings inland just beyond the Castle turn-off but I turned left at Pennyglen, climbed up past Castlehill Wood with great sea views towards Ailsa Craig and then swooped down towards Croy Brae – otherwise known as the Electric Brae!
This optical illusion gives the impression that you are going uphill when, in fact, the opposite is true. I suspect I was coming at it from the wrong direction because I simply cycled round the corner, went up a hill (which may have been downhill) and continued down (definitely down this time) towards Dunure with its ancient castle and fantastic views across to the hills of Arran.
What a delightful road this is, with its seaward views, easy cycling and lack of traffic. Soon I was passing Bower Hill, the Heads of Ayr and the busy Farm Park at Kyleston. I can remember coming here on holiday when I was a kid – it was called Butlins then!
The finale of the route was a leisurely ride along the seaside front of Seafield and back into Ayr, and I had the wind behind me, rolling me along towards a deserved bacon buttie in Ayr Town Centre.
Map: OS 1:50,000 Landranger sheets 76 (Girvan) and 70 (Ayr, Kilmarnock & Troon)
Distance: 36 miles/60km
Time: 3-4 hours
Start/Finish: Ayr Active Hub (GR: NS 335213)
Terrain: Mixture of quiet and busy rural roads, undulating
Coffee & Cake: Peggy’s Tearoom, House of Burns, Kirkoswald
Link to digital map: https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/route/4394029/SW28-Carrick © Crown copyright 2020 Ordnance Survey. Media 059/20
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