The Irvine New Town Trail is a recreational cycleway and footpath around

Irvine Irvine may refer to: Places On Earth Antarctica *Irvine Glacier *Mount Irvine (Antarctica) Australia *Irvine Island *Mount Irvine, New South Wales Canada *Irvine, Alberta * Irvine Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom *Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotla ...

North Ayrshire North Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Àir a Tuath, ) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and so ...

, Scotland. The route is long. The trail is used by many dog walkers and cyclists in the area. The route forms a ring with no specific start and end points. Taken in a clockwise direction from the town's main Rivergate Centre, the trail runs beside the

River Irvine The River Irvine ( gd, Irbhinn) is a river that flows through southwest Scotland. Its watershed is on the Lanarkshire border of Ayrshire at an altitude of above sea-level, near Loudoun Hill, Drumclog Moss, Drumclog, and SW by W of Strathaven. I ...

through Irvine's Low Green, continues north beside the railway line past the Towns Moor and the Garnock Floods wildlife reserve, then goes along beside the

River Garnock The River Garnock ( gd, Gairneag / Abhainn Ghairneig), the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of t ...

towards

Kilwinning Kilwinning (, sco, Kilwinnin; gd, Cill D’Fhinnein) is a town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is on the River Garnock, north of Irvine, about southwest of Glasgow. It is known as "The Crossroads of Ayrshire". Kilwinning was also a Civil Pa ...

's Woodwynd and Blacklands area. At this point, it diverges from the Ayrshire Coastal Path, crossing the river along the route of the former Doura colliery branch line of the

Ardrossan Railway The Ardrossan Railway was a railway company in Scotland, whose line was built in the mid-19th century. It primarily ran services between Kilwinning and Ardrossan, as well as freight services to and from collieries between Kilwinning and Perceton. ...

before following the

Lugton Water The Lugton Water, the largest tributary of the River Garnock, runs from Loch Libo (395 feet above sea-level) in Uplawmoor, through Lugton and the parishes of Neilston, Beith, Dunlop, Stewarton and Kilwinning. The Lugton joins the Garnock belo ...

eastwards through

Eglinton Country Park Eglinton Country Park is located on the grounds of the old Eglinton Castle estate in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland (map reference NS 3227 4220). Eglinton Park is situated in the parish of Kilwinning, part of the former district of Cunni ...

: a very popular area for recreational activities, with historical interest at

Eglinton Castle Eglinton Castle was a large Gothic castellated mansion in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland. History The castle The ancient seat of the Earls of Eglinton, it is located just south of the town of Kilwinning. The original Eglinton Castle w ...

. The trail rejoins the disused Ardrossan Railway line at Sourlie Wood nature reserve, and follows the old track south through

Girdle Toll Girdle Toll is an area of Irvine, North Ayrshire. Geography Girdle Toll is located east of the Stanecastle Roundabout located next to the Stanecastle Keep. This area of Irvine is from Prestwick Airport and from Glasgow. Nearby is Eglinton Cou ...

in a cutting which formerly led to the

Perceton Perceton is a medieval settlement and old country estate in North Ayrshire, Scotland, near the town of Irvine. The ruined church in Perceton is one of the oldest buildings in the Irvine district. The earliest legible gravestone dates from 1698, t ...

colliery. The trail then runs beside the

Annick Water The Annick Water (previously also spelled as Annack, Annoch (1791) or Annock) is the largest tributary of the River Irvine. The river runs from Long Loch, just inside East Renfrewshire, in a generally south-western direction through North Ayrsh ...

, initially southwards through parkland and countryside to the east of

Bourtreehill Bourtreehill is a large housing estate built by the Irvine Development Corporation (IDC) in the late 1970s which forms part of the Irvine New Town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The estate has two main parts, known as Bourtreehill North and Bour ...

. It follows the river west in parkland between

Broomlands Broomlands is district of Irvine in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Situated on a series of bends in the River Annick, Broomlands and its original features are now almost lost within the south- Bourtreehill and Broomlands housing scheme. Histor ...

and

Dreghorn Dreghorn is a village in North Ayrshire, Scotland, east of Irvine town centre, on the old main road from Irvine to Kilmarnock. It is sited on a ridge between two rivers. As archaeological excavations near the village centre have found a signifi ...

, using the disused

Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway (GPK&AR) was a railway in Scotland that provided train services between Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. It opened its first line, between Glasgow and Ayr, in stages from 1839 to 1840. The section b ...

trackbed past the site of the former Dreghorn railway station, then rejoins the River Irvine riverbank heading north back to the Rivergate shopping mall. The route forms part of the national cycle network with routes 7 and 73 forming part of the route.

External links

Irvine and Kilwinning New Town Trail
(pdf) Geography of North Ayrshire Cycling in Scotland Transport in North Ayrshire Tourist attractions in North Ayrshire {{NorthAyrshire-geo-stub