Camping in Girvan

Ayrshire's coast around Girvan is well suited to camping, with sandy beaches, low cliffs and rolling farmland giving a good choice of settings. Scotland's approach to wild camping is more permissive than south of the border: under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, wild camping is generally allowed on most unenclosed land, provided you camp responsibly, keep to small numbers, leave no trace and avoid enclosed fields, gardens or land close to buildings. In practice this means the coastline and hills inland towards Carrick and the Galloway Forest offer legitimate wild camping opportunities for those prepared to be self-sufficient, though the areas immediately around Girvan's beach and harbour are more built up and better suited to a proper campsite than a wild pitch.

For a more straightforward stay, established caravan and camping parks are dotted along the coast between Girvan, Turnberry and Ballantrae, many taking advantage of sea views towards Ailsa Craig and Arran, with a growing number of glamping pods and static options for those who want the setting without full-on tent camping. Late spring to early autumn is by far the best season, when the weather is at its most settled and the seabird colonies on Ailsa Craig are active, though this is still an exposed Atlantic-facing coast and campers should always come prepared for wind and rain even in midsummer. Pitching with a view across to the island as the sun goes down, with the sound of the harbour in the distance, is one of the simple pleasures of camping this stretch of the Ayrshire coast.