South of Kennedy's Pass the Carrick coast belongs to the sea. Lendalfoot is a strip of cottages along the A77 between Carleton Bay and Pinbain — some old fishermen's houses, some wooden holiday homes — with the shore on one side and steep green hills on the other. There is no shop and no pub, which is exactly why people like it.
The shore
This is one of the most geologically remarkable stretches of coast in Britain, and you do not need to know any geology to enjoy it. The rock platforms, shingle and pockets of sand here belong to the Ballantrae Complex — pillow lavas formed underwater, serpentinites, and fragments of ocean floor and mantle thrust up when an ocean closed around 480 million years ago. In plain terms: you can stand on the shore at Lendalfoot and put your hand on rock that was once the floor of a vanished sea. The pebbles are extraordinary, and rockpooling at low tide is excellent.
It is also where Ailsa Craig comes closest to the mainland, sitting square on the horizon about eight miles out. On a clear evening this is the best place on the whole coast to watch the light go.
What to see
- The Varyag memorial — a striking monument above the shore to the Russian cruiser Varyag, wrecked on these rocks in 1925 while under tow to Germany for scrapping. There is a free car park here, and it is the natural place to start any walk.
- Carleton Castle — a Kennedy tower ruin on the hill behind the village, tied to the ballad of Sir John Cathcart, who is said to have pushed seven wives off the cliff before the eighth pushed him.
- Bennane Head and the shore south towards Ballantrae, associated with the almost certainly invented legend of Sawney Bean and his cave.
Walking
The coastal path back to Girvan is the classic: seven miles or so on the line of the old coach road over Kennedy's Pass, with the sea below you the whole way. Catch the bus down and walk back. The Grey Hill ridge route starts just north of the village and climbs for a wider view over the Firth of Clyde. Both are part of the Ayrshire Coastal Path network.
Practical notes
Fifteen minutes from Girvan on the A77. Buses between Girvan and Ballantrae stop in the village. Parking is free at the memorial and there are informal pull-ins along the shore, but the A77 is fast and narrow here, so park properly rather than on the verge. There are no facilities of any kind — bring what you need. In heavy rain and high winds the pass north of the village occasionally suffers rockfall, so check for road closures in winter.
