Eglinton Country Park
Eglinton Country Park is a large country park situated at the edge of Irvine. It is a large landscape with a variety of beautiful habitats, from flowing rivers to luscious green woodland and a rich heritage history within the old castle ruins. There is also a plethora of wildlife right on your doorstep.
Whatever the season, there are a range of activities to enjoy the beauty of the tranquil area; walking, horse riding, cycling fishing on the Lochside or simply watching the world go by. A programme of events, such as guided walks, are organized for throughout the year by North Ayrshire Council Countryside Rangers.
There is also a café area for you to relax in after explore the park.
Please utilise this resource from The Trinity Active Travel Hub to see walking and cycling routes along Eglinton Country Park.
Scottish Wildlife Trust Greenspaces
There are nine Scottish Wildlife Trust Greenspace reserves across Irvine & Kilwinning. These are within easy walking/cycling distance of where people live, giving them access to high quality green space close to home. These reserves have unique habitats to explore and different wildlife to spot across the various seasons. Why not have a look at the reserves on the Scottish Wildlife Trust Ayrshire page
The reserves closer to Irvine are:
Ayrshire Central Hospital Woodlands
This is a fantastic short woodland walk that is beside Ayrshire Central Hospital Irvine. It has plenty of benches and spots to take in the surroundings. It is particularly wonderful in Spring as all the Bluebells emerge and carpet the entire woodland floor in a beautiful blue. Situated to the east of the entrance to Ayrshire Central Hospital it encompasses the site with multiple entrance and exit points to it.
Irvine Beach Park
Irvine Beach Park, also known as the Gailes sits to the south-east of the mouth of Irvine Harbour. The sandy beach offers outstanding views over Irvine Bay and the Firth of Clyde towards the mountainous Isle of Arran. The water is suitable for bathing and the long sandy coastline, extending many miles to the south, is an excellent place to come to stretch your legs and blow away the cobwebs. The beach and car park are backed by the beach park which has many desirable spots for a family picnic and includes a boating lake, play areas and a number of walking and cycling paths among other facilities.
For more information please visit Ayrshire and Arran.
Ramblers Scotland Medal Routes, Eglinton Country Park
There are 3 short circular routes start and finish at the Visitor Centre courtyard. The routes take approximately 15, 30 and 60 minutes. You can find them here.
The Trinity Active Travel Hub – Walking and Cycling Maps
The Trinity Active Travel Hub has produced multiple walking and cycling maps for Irvine that can be access on their webpages. These maps allow you to access a number of routes for free in and around various parts of Irvine.
The Trinity Active Travel Hub
The Trinity Active Travel Hub is your active travel hub for Irvine and North Ayrshire. Situated in the Trinity Church, Bridgegate, Irvine it is an open venue that you can drop in and visit on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 1pm to 4pm.
At the Trinity, they're committed to encouraging and supporting you to be more active.Whether that is by walking, cycling or taking public transport. All activities will help boost your confidence, mental and physical health as well as reducing your carbon footprint to help the environment. This can be for work or everyday life.
The team at the Trinity deliver various sessions from beginner cycling, dr bike, nordic walking, health walks, workplace engagement and more. As well as information on these topics and how you can get involved.
For more information on the Trinity Active Travel hub click here to access their webpages.
You can contact the Trinity Active Travel Hub on email: thetrinity@north-ayrshire.gov.uk or phone: 01294 204800.
EQUAL opportunities
The Equal Team supports those with disabilities or long-term health conditions in North Ayrshire into employment, and remain a continuous support during their employment. They can also help employers create an environment where a person with disabilities can work effectively.
They have a 6-month programme at Eglinton Community Garden whereby trainees can learn horticulture skills and develop their confidence. Working with EQUAL to gain qualifications and accreditation before moving on to positive destinations.
You can reach EQUAL opportunities by email: supportedemployment@north-ayrshire.gov.uk or phone: 01294 322976.
Equal Supported Employment is a North Ayrshire Council service.
Tide Times in Irvine
There is a great resource for people across Scotland, particularly useful for those in North Ayrshire beside coastline habitats e.g. Irvine called Tides Chart.
This is a website that provides FREE information for people on their local beaches or coastline. If you want to plan a visit to beaches in Irvine you can find out about low tide & high tide times, weather, temperature, wind and humidity.
If you go to this link for Irvine Beach you will find specific information on all of the above.
You can also download a free App that will allow you to access all of this information. You can also contact them for more information here.
Go Orienteering at Eglinton Country Park
North Ayrshire has a Permanent Orienteering Course at Eglinton Country Park. It is a perfect way to get outdoors and get active, enjoying the scenery and green spaces with your family, or as a chance to get outdoors for a competitive time trial.
The challenge is to discover checkpoints (or controls) in the form of posts or plaques, positioned at Eglinton Country Park. The combination of physical and mental exercise, often in stunning locations, is like no other.
You can find, navigate and complete courses at any time, and at your own pace. You just need a map to get you started!
To download maps and find out more for Eglinton Country Park go here.
Courses can be completed using your smartphone or GPS watch.
A Orienteering Course is a set of checkpoints (or controls) spread around a park or town, created for you to complete, and capture with your smartphone or GPS watch. Together with a map showing where they all are, with the right App your smartphone/watch can magically become a brilliant orienteering device and be a map, a compass and a timer all in one.
To find Permanent courses near you, download maps and find out more visit Go Orienteering.
If you go to here you will find more information on Orienteering.
Cycle Loop – Quarry Road
There is a cycle loop at the Circuit, Quarry Road in Irvine. The 1.25km long track is made up of a 750m loop with 2 additional 250m loops. It forms part of a large investment to provide both business and sports infrastructure, right in the heart of the town.
