East Ayrshire is a council area in south-west Scotland, inland from the Firth of Clyde. It had a population of 120,324 at the 2022 census and covers 1,262 square kilometres (487 sq mi). Kilmarnock, with about 47,000 residents, is the largest town and the seat of the council.
The area runs from the commuter villages of Stewarton and Fenwick in the north to the moorland of the Doon valley and Muirkirk in the south. It was created in 1996 from the former Kilmarnock and Loudoun and Cumnock and Doon Valley districts.
| Country | Scotland, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Status | Council area |
| Area | 1,262 km2 (487 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | 120,324 |
| Population (2011) | 122,767 |
| Density | 95 people per km2 |
| Largest town | Kilmarnock |
| Council | East Ayrshire Council, London Road, Kilmarnock |
| Historic county | Ayrshire |
| Postcode area | KA |
Towns and Villages in East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire has 64 named towns and villages. After Kilmarnock come Cumnock, Stewarton, Galston, Mauchline, Darvel, Auchinleck, Newmilns and Drongan, all between 3,000 and 9,000 people. The list runs alphabetically, from Auchinleck to Waterside.
- Auchinleck
- Bankglen
- Bellsbank
- Birnieknowe
- Burnside
- Burnton
- Catrine
- Craigengillan
- Craigens
- Craigmalloch
- Cronberry
- Crookedholm
- Crosshill
- Crosshouse
- Crossroads
- Cumnock
- Dalblair
- Dalleagles
- Dalmellington
- Dalrymple
- Darvel
- Drongan
- Dunlop
- Earlston
- Fenwick
- Fullwood
- Galston
- Gaswater
- Gatehead
- Glenbuck
- Halket
- Hayhill
- Hollybush
- Hurlford
- Kames
- Kilmarnock
- Kilmaurs
- Knockentiber
- Littlemill
- Logan
- Lugar
- Lugton
- Mansfield
- Mauchline
- Moscow
- Muirkirk
- New Cumnock
- Newmilns
- Ochiltree
- Pathhead
- Patna
- Pennyvenie
- Polnessan
- Priestland
- Rankinston
- Sinclairston
- Skares
- Sorn
- Sornhill
- Stair
- Stewarton
- Torranyard
- Trabboch
- Waterside
Geography
East Ayrshire borders North Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire to the north, South Lanarkshire to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south and South Ayrshire to the west. It has no coastline.
Three river valleys organise the area. The Irvine runs west through Galston, Newmilns and Darvel in the Irvine Valley, past Kilmarnock. The Ayr crosses the middle through Catrine, Sorn and Mauchline. The Doon drains the southern moors from Loch Doon past Dalmellington and Patna.
The land rises steadily south and east into the Southern Uplands, reaching over 600 metres on the boundary with Dumfriesshire. Loudoun Hill, a volcanic plug above Darvel, stands out sharply from the valley floor.
Demographics
The 2022 census counted 120,324 residents, down 2,443 on 2011. Population loss has been concentrated in the former coalfield settlements of the Cumnock and Doon Valley, while Stewarton and the northern villages within commuting distance of Glasgow have grown.
Density is about 95 people per square kilometre. Roughly 40% of the population lives in Kilmarnock and its immediate villages of Hurlford, Crookedholm, Crosshouse, Kilmaurs and Knockentiber.
The southern half of East Ayrshire carries some of the highest deprivation scores in Scotland, a legacy of pit closures. Health outcomes and working-age employment rates in those communities sit well below the Scottish average.
Economy and Local Life
Kilmarnock is the commercial centre, with a large retail and public-sector base and a manufacturing tradition. Johnnie Walker whisky was blended in the town from 1820 until the bottling plant closed in 2012; the brand still carries the name of the Kilmarnock grocer who created it. Diageo has since committed investment back to the town, and BorgWarner and other engineering firms remain significant employers.
Coal shaped the south for 150 years. Deep mining ended in the 1980s and large opencast sites in the Doon Valley and around New Cumnock closed after the operators collapsed in 2013, leaving restoration liabilities the council is still working through. Onshore wind now covers much of the same moorland.
Farming is dairy and beef in the lowlands and sheep on the hills. Dumfries House near Cumnock, saved for the nation in 2007, runs training and hospitality operations and draws visitors to a part of the area that had little tourism before.
History
Loudoun Hill was the site of two battles: William Wallace fought there in 1296, and Robert the Bruce defeated the Earl of Pembroke on the same ground in 1307, his first significant victory.
The Covenanting wars of the seventeenth century hit East Ayrshire hard, and martyrs’ graves and memorials stand at Muirkirk, Cumnock, Sorn and Fenwick. Kilmarnock’s own claim in that period is the Laigh Kirk.
Robert Burns farmed at Mossgiel outside Mauchline from 1784, married Jean Armour in the village, and had his first collection printed in Kilmarnock in 1786. The Kilmarnock Edition is the founding text of his reputation. Weaving followed at Newmilns and Darvel, which specialised in lace and madras curtain cloth, and coal and ironstone opened up the Cumnock district from the 1840s.
Getting There
The M77 and A77 link Kilmarnock to Glasgow in about 35 minutes and continue south-west to Ayr and Stranraer. The A71 crosses east from Irvine through Galston and Darvel to the M74 at Larkhall. The A76 runs south-east from Kilmarnock through Mauchline, Cumnock and New Cumnock to Dumfries, and the A70 heads over the moor from Cumnock to Douglas.
Kilmarnock station is on the Glasgow South Western Line, with trains to Glasgow Central, Dumfries and Carlisle; Stewarton, Dunlop, Auchinleck and New Cumnock also have stations. Glasgow Prestwick Airport is 15 miles west of Kilmarnock, and Glasgow Airport about 25 miles north.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of East Ayrshire?
120,324 at the 2022 census, down 2,443 since 2011.
What is the largest town in East Ayrshire?
Kilmarnock, with about 47,000 residents. Cumnock is second with roughly 9,000.
How many villages are in East Ayrshire?
There are 64 named settlements, including the nine main towns.
Which towns are in the Irvine Valley?
Galston, Newmilns and Darvel, strung along the A71 east of Kilmarnock, with Priestland and Sornhill nearby.
Is Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire or North Ayrshire?
East Ayrshire. Kilmarnock is the council’s administrative centre; North Ayrshire is run from Irvine.
What postcode does East Ayrshire use?
KA. Kilmarnock is KA1 to KA3, Stewarton KA3, Galston KA4, Mauchline KA5 and Cumnock KA18.