Ailsa Craig
Ailsa Craig
This dramatic island rising to 338 metres above the Firth of Clyde has one of the largest gannet colonies in Britain. Also good numbers of guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and a few puffins. Boat trips from Girvan.
This spectacular granite island off the Ayrshire coast has long been famous for its gannets. Over 40,000 pairs breed here along with smaller numbers of guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes. The burrow-nesting puffins, once driven out by rats, are gradually returning. The island is also home to slow worms, a small snake that grows unusually large here. Ailsa Craig is well known for its high quality granite used for fashioning curling stones.