Parked up on an airfield

Thursday 18 September 2025

Nido's parked up on the Scar Park CAMpRA aire, overlooking Stranraer and the two ferry ports.  This used to be an RAF Seaplane base and the five huge pitches are on the concrete plane parking spots.  Our nearest van neighbour is therefore at least 50m away!  It's a bit grey and drizzly but the views are still excellent and I can hear curlews calling on the low tide areas.

After leaving the Highfield campsite our next planned stop was in the town of Largs, on a free motorhome parking area next to the Yacht Haven. On the way we stopped at Lochwinnoch - with a view of the loch - for lunch.  It was quite a busy place and the huge piles of goose poo on the pavement sort of put us off having a walk!  It was quite warm out when we parked up in Largs and we walked along the promenade towards the town.  We fancied fish and chips for tea, but they were a 35 minute walk away (each way) and we wanted to eat them in the van, so it would have meant driving into town and finding (difficult to find) parking close to the chippy.  Also, whilst the park up was level and seemed safe, it didn't have a view and we weren't really feeling it.

Instead we drove another 20 minutes down the road to another free park up, this time in a car park next to Saltcoats harbour and looking directly west over the sea.  Saltcoats, a coastal town in North Ayrshire, Scotland, grew from a small medieval settlement known for salt panning, which gave the town its name. By the 17th century, it expanded into a hub for fishing and handloom weaving, later developing strong ties to shipbuilding and coal exports. Its sandy beaches and railway links transformed Saltcoats into a popular Victorian seaside resort, attracting visitors from Glasgow and beyond. Although heavy industries declined in the 20th century, the town remains part of the "Three Towns" area with Ardrossan and Stevenston, preserving its maritime heritage and seaside character.

The  chippy was just across the road from the park up, so that was ideal.  The fish and chips were tasty and cheap and afterwards we took a walk along the harbour wall, ducking from the occasional waves breaking over the top!  During the night the wind really picked up, but it was a quiet spot and we slept well.

This morning it took about 50 minutes to drive to Culzean Castle and Gardens, a NT Scotland property on the coast near Maybole.  Culzean Castle, perched on Ayrshire’s coast, was transformed in the late 18th century by architect Robert Adam for David Kennedy, 10th Earl of Cassillis. Built on the site of an older fortified tower, it became a grand example of Scottish baronial style, blending elegance with dramatic coastal views. The surrounding gardens and parkland, landscaped with woodlands and follies, enhanced its status as a showcase estate. In 1945, the Kennedy family gifted the castle to the National Trust for Scotland, granting U.S. President Eisenhower an apartment in recognition of wartime support.

We arrived early so there was plenty of space to park our van.  We did notice later, however, that a couple of larger motorhomes had to park across 2 - 3 parking spaces as none of them were long enough; NTS would benefit from creating some dedicated motorhome parking.  We weren't bothered about visiting inside the castle, but we did enjoy our walk around the large estate and gardens, in particular the walled garden and greenhouses were lovely.  We spent almost 3 hours walking around before returning to the van for a well-earned lunch.

On the drive to the Scar Park aire, we passed the Trump Turnberry golf resort.  It's a really weird place, looking like they've picked up fancy houses and buildings from Florida and just dropped them into this windswept part of the southern Scottish coast; they looked really out of place.   

As I'd already pre-booked and paid for the aire, we drove along the concrete runway to Pitch 5, which is the closest to the sea.  Having had lunch we're not feeling hungry so may just have something light later and catch up on YouTube.  In the meantime I'm enjoying looking out over the bay and watching the wading birds.