Barr lies in a hollow where the Gregg Water meets the Stinchar, eight miles from Girvan by the B734, and it is among the most attractive villages in Ayrshire: whitewashed cottages, a bridge, a church and an inn, set in a bowl of steep green hills with forestry above. It is a conservation village, and it looks it. There is nothing to do here in the visitor-attraction sense, which is the whole appeal.
Walking
This is the main event, and the network from the village is genuinely good.
- The Changue forest trails — waymarked routes of varying length through the plantation above the village.
- The Devil's Trail, up the Gregg valley to the Devil's Elbow, named for a legend about a local laird who is supposed to have wrestled the Devil in these woods and won.
- Auchensoul Hill to Girvan — a full-day hill crossing linking the village to the town, and the best way to arrive in Barr.
- Longer routes run east into the Galloway Forest Park and towards Loch Trool and Bruce's Stone.
The Nick of the Balloch
South from Barr the road climbs to about 1,280 feet over the Nick of the Balloch and drops down to Glentrool — a single-track road with passing places, sheep on it, and a view from the top over the whole of the Galloway hills. It is one of the best drives in southern Scotland and a serious, rewarding cycle climb. It is not the road for a wide vehicle or a nervous driver, and in winter it can be blocked by snow.
Practical notes
Eight miles and about 20 minutes from Girvan on the B734 up the Stinchar. The village inn has offered rooms and food, but opening in a village this small varies — check before planning a meal around it. There is no fuel and limited mobile signal. Parking is on the street, so park considerately: this is a small village and people live here.
Barr sits on the Stinchar valley loop from Ballantrae through Colmonell and Pinwherry, which is the ideal way to see this country in a half-day drive.
