Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
INFORMATION
Tourist o
ce
There's no o
cial tourist o
ce, but the
volunteer-run Largs and Millport Information Bureau next
to the train station entrance can provide information and
assistance (April-Sept daily 10am-4pm;
T
01475
676182,
W
largsinformation.co.uk).
ACCOMMODATION
Biscayne House
110 Irvine Road
T
01475 672851,
E
info@biscayneguesthouse.co.uk.
Located at the top of
the hill entering Largs on the Ayr road, this well-positioned
hostel-cum-guesthouse offers six roo
ms w
ith sea views, as
well as self-catering
accommodation.
£56
Old Rectory
2 Aubery Crescent
T
01475 674405,
W
oldrectorylargs.co.uk.
Formerly the home of the
ministers of the neighbouring Episcopal Church, this
accomplished seafront guesthouse has just three rooms
(two double and a twin), all of which are exquisitely
furnished with period
piece
s and have excellent views over
to Cumbrae and Arran.
£65
South Whittlieburn Farm
Brisbane Glen Road
T
01475 675881,
E
largsbandb@southwhittlieburn
farm.freeserve.co.uk.
Situated on a working sheep farm
in a peaceful glen about three miles northeast of town, this
is a great option if you're up for a genuine rural retreat;
although primarily a (small) caravan and ca
mpin
g site,
they als
o do
excellent B&B in the farmhouse.
£14
/pitch;
doubles
£62
EATING AND DRINKING
Nardini's
2 Greenock Road
T
01475 675000,
W
nardinis
.co.uk.
Locally renowned Italian restaurant and ice-cream
parlour housed in a wonderful L-shaped Art Deco building on
the Promenade, just north of the pier. The freshly caught fish
and home-made pasta is terrific, though the Tea Time Special
(fish and chips, ice cream and a pot of tea) for £7.95 is a real
steal.
Daily noon
-
11pm; ice-cream parlour 9am-10pm.
Teacups
68 Gallowgate Street
T
01475 676178.
Treat
yourself to some scrummy calorific fare (home-made
scones served with jam and cream, cupcakes and mu
ns)
at this self-styled “shabby-chic” tearoom, with its green
and white checked tablecloths, floral bunting and
mismatched vintage teacups. A cream tea costs £7.
Daily
9.30am-5.30pm.
4
Great Cumbrae
Immediately offshore from Largs lies
Great Cumbrae
, a plump, hilly and wonderfully
peaceful little island roughly four miles long and half as wide. he most popular
activity here is
cycling
: a circuit of the island taking no more than two hours even at a
very leisurely pace, while there are a couple of good red sandstone beaches on the west
coast overlooking Bute. he only settlement of any size is
Millport
, which curves
around a lovely wide bay on the south coast, overlooking the privately owned
neighbouring island of Wee Cumbrae. he seafront is one long parade of Victorian
seaside villas and terraces, interrupted only by
The Garrison
, a distinctive old barracks
building with castellated gables.
Cathedral of Argyll & the Isles
College Street • Mon-Sat 11am-4pm; concerts July-Sept Sun 3pm • Free
Hidden from view in the woods above the town is the Episcopal
Cathedral of Argyll &
the Isles
, completed in 1851 to a design by William Butterfield, one of the leading
High Victorian Gothic architects. It's pretty modest by Butterfield standards, with only
the polychromatic tiling in the chancel giving any hint of his usual exuberance.
However, it does have the distinction of being Britain's smallest cathedral, with seating
for just a hundred worshippers.
Robertson Museum & Aquarium
Near Millport • July-Sept Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm, Sat 10am-4pm; Oct-June Mon-Fri 9am-12.15pm & 2-4.15pm • £2 •
T
01475 530581
Just out of Millport, to the east, overlooking the Hunterston nuclear power station
and iron-ore terminal back on the mainland, is the island's University Marine
Biological Station. Its west wing contains the
Robertson Museum & Aquarium
, so
named after the esteemed nineteenth-century naturalist, David Robertson, and a
laudably ecological exhibition on the local marine environment, a mock-up of the
