About
The Ayrshire Coastal Path was created and built by the Rotary Club of Ayr as a major community project to celebrate the Centenary of Rotary International in 2005. Rotary International is a community-based, worldwide Service Organisation with over a million members in 165 countries. With the consent of farmers and landowners, and the support of our two local councils – the Ayrshire Coastal Path was completed in just four years.
Using a simple strategy of linking existing natural beaches and walkable shore and cliff-top terrain by means of field-edge paths, wrack roads, existing farm tracks, promenades and old railway track – only short stretches of path required to be built or restored.
Opened in June 2008, (when it won the Rotary International British Isles Environmental Award 2008), the ACP provides Ayrshire folk – and visitors – with healthy exercise and the opportunity to enjoy and cherish their beautiful natural heritage.
Subsequently, Ayr Rotary encouraged Stranraer Rotary Club to create their Mull of Galloway Trail; and the Rotary Clubs of Gourock and Allander to develop the Clyde Coastal Path. Together, but managed independently, the three Trails form the Firth o Clyde Rotary Trail.
Nowadays, as one of Scotland’s Great Trails – and part of the International Appalachian Trail (Scotland) – the ACP attracts an ever-growing number of walking visitors from all over the world to our beautiful and historic county.BBC Scotland Out of Doors radio program have visited twice – listen to their latest broadcast to see how impressed they were:
The Ayrshire Coastal Path was opened in 2008, and run as an Ayr Rotary project. Over the years its popularity increased greatly, and along with that, the workload. It became clear that it had outgrown its “project status” for Ayr Rotary, and in 2019 a Board of Management was formed. It is now a completely separate organisation, constituted as a Community Group. Over recent years, many volunteer non-Rotarians have joined the Pathminders’ group, and several are now active members of the Management Board. It was felt that this influx of younger people with a variety of skills, needed to be developed further to secure the Path’s future.
