North Ayrshire is a council area on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. It covers 885 km2 (342 sq mi) and had a population of 133,413 at the 2022 census. The council is based in Irvine, the largest town.
The area has three parts: the coastal strip from Skelmorlie south through Largs to Irvine, the Garnock valley inland around Kilbirnie and Beith, and the islands of Arran and Great Cumbrae. It covers most of the historic district of Cunninghame.
| Country | Scotland, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Status | Council area; historic district of Cunninghame |
| Area | 342 sq mi (885 km2) |
| Population (2022) | 133,413 |
| Population (2011) | 138,146 |
| Change 2011–2022 | −3.4% |
| Density | 151 people per km2 |
| Largest town | Irvine (34,130) |
| Administrative centre | Irvine |
| Islands | Arran, Great Cumbrae, Holy Isle, Little Cumbrae |
| Council | North Ayrshire Council |
| Postcode areas | KA1, KA11–KA15, KA20–KA30 |
Towns and Villages in North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire has 77 named towns and villages, listed alphabetically below. The mainland holds the towns; Arran’s settlements ring the island on the coast road, and Millport is the only town on Great Cumbrae.
- Ardrossan
- Auchagallon
- Auchencar
- Auchenhew
- Auchentiber
- Ballymichael
- Barrmill
- Beith
- Benslie
- Birchburn
- Blackwaterfoot
- Brodick
- Burnhouse
- Catacol
- Cordon
- Corrie
- Corriecravie
- Cunninghamhead
- Dalgarven
- Dalry
- Dippin
- Dougarie
- Drakemyre
- Dreghorn
- Drimlabarra
- Drybridge
- East Bennan
- Fairlie
- Gateside
- Glengarnock
- Gortonallister
- Imachar
- Irvine
- Isle of Arran
- Isle of Cumbrae
- Kilbirnie
- Kildonan
- Kilmory
- Kilpatrick
- Kilwinning
- Lagg
- Lamlash
- Largs
- Largybeg
- Levencorroch
- Lochranza
- Longbar
- Machrie
- Meigle
- Millport
- Munnoch
- North Corriegills
- North Feorline
- Perceton
- Pirnmill
- Portencross
- Saltcoats
- Sannox
- Seamill
- Shannochie
- Shewalton
- Shiskine
- Skelmorlie
- Sliddery
- South Corriegills
- South Feorline
- South Hourat
- Springside
- Stevenston
- Strathwhillan
- Thundergay
- Torbeg
- Tormore
- West Bennan
- West Kilbride
- Whitefarland
- Whiting Bay
The ten largest settlements are Irvine (34,130), Kilwinning (16,100), Saltcoats (12,250), Largs (11,030), Ardrossan (10,500), Stevenston (9,290), Kilbirnie (7,520), Beith (6,170), Dalry (5,560) and West Kilbride (4,760). Arran holds about 4,600 people in total, Great Cumbrae about 1,400.
Geography
The mainland coast faces west across the Firth of Clyde, backed by a raised beach and then by the Renfrewshire Heights. The Garnock rises in those hills and runs south through Kilbirnie and Dalry to join the Irvine at Irvine harbour.
Arran, 20 miles long, is often called Scotland in miniature because the Highland Boundary Fault crosses it. North of the fault the island is mountainous, rising to 874 m at Goatfell; south of it the land is lower and farmed. Great Cumbrae is small and low, about four miles long, with Millport on its southern shore.
East Ayrshire lies to the east, South Ayrshire to the south, and Renfrewshire and Inverclyde to the north. Argyll and Bute lies across the firth, with Kintyre a short crossing from Lochranza on Arran.
Demographics
Scotland’s Census 2022 counted 133,413 residents, down 4,733 on 2011. The 3.4% fall was among the steepest in Scotland and reflects the loss of industrial jobs on the Three Towns coast at Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston.
Density is 151 people per km2, but almost the entire population lives on the mainland coastal strip. Arran and Great Cumbrae together hold about 6,000 people across nearly half the council’s land area, and both have older age profiles than the mainland.
Economy and Local Life
Irvine was designated a new town in 1966, the last in Scotland, and drew chemical and pharmaceutical plants to the Garnock estuary. GSK’s Irvine site still makes antibiotic intermediates, and the i3 and Riverside business parks carry lighter manufacturing.
Hunterston, on the coast near West Kilbride, held the Hunterston B nuclear power station, which generated from 1976 until January 2022 and is now being decommissioned. The deep-water terminal beside it handled coal and ore and is being redeveloped for offshore energy.
Tourism carries the coast and the islands. Largs draws day visitors from Glasgow, Millport lives on summer trade and cycling round the ten-mile island circuit, and Arran supports whisky at Lochranza and Lagg, cheese at Torrylinn, brewing, and walking on Goatfell. Ardrossan harbour is the mainland ferry port for Arran.
History
The Battle of Largs was fought in October 1263 between a Scots force and the fleet of Haakon IV of Norway. The engagement was inconclusive, but the campaign failed, and the Western Isles passed to Scotland under the Treaty of Perth three years later. The Pencil monument at Largs marks the site.
Irvine was a royal burgh and for centuries the main port for Glasgow, before the Clyde was deepened. Kilwinning Abbey, founded around 1162, gave its name to Mother Kilwinning, recognised as the oldest Masonic lodge in Scotland.
The Eglinton Tournament of 1839, staged by the Earl of Eglinton near Kilwinning, was a full re-enactment of a medieval tournament that drew tens of thousands and was ruined by rain. Coal, iron and later explosives at Ardeer — where Alfred Nobel opened a dynamite factory in 1871 — built the Three Towns.
Getting There
The A78 runs the length of the coast from Skelmorlie through Largs and Ardrossan to Irvine and on to Ayr. The A737 and A736 link the Garnock valley to Glasgow, and the A760 crosses from Largs to Kilbirnie. The nearest motorway is the M77, reached at Kilmarnock or Glasgow.
The Ayrshire Coast Line runs from Glasgow Central with branches to Largs and to Ardrossan Harbour, and the main line serves Irvine, Kilwinning and Stevenston. Journey times to Glasgow are 40 minutes to an hour.
CalMac ferries sail Ardrossan to Brodick on Arran, Largs to Cumbrae Slip for Millport, and Lochranza to Claonaig on Kintyre in summer. Glasgow Prestwick Airport is about 15 miles south of Irvine and has its own station.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of North Ayrshire?
133,413 at the 2022 census, down 3.4% from 138,146 in 2011.
What is the largest town in North Ayrshire?
Irvine, with about 34,130 people. Kilwinning (16,100), Saltcoats (12,250) and Largs (11,030) come next.
Which islands are in North Ayrshire?
Arran and Great Cumbrae are the inhabited islands, along with Holy Isle off Lamlash. Little Cumbrae is privately owned.
How do you get to Arran?
By CalMac ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick, about 55 minutes. A summer service also runs from Claonaig in Kintyre to Lochranza at the north end of the island.
How many towns and villages are in North Ayrshire?
77 named settlements across the mainland, Arran and Great Cumbrae.
What postcodes does North Ayrshire use?
KA postcodes: KA11 to KA13 around Irvine and Kilwinning, KA14 and KA15 in the Garnock valley, KA20 to KA23 on the Three Towns coast, KA27 on Arran, KA28 on Cumbrae and KA29 and KA30 at Largs.