Headland and shore
Heads of Ayr
Twin headlands cut through an ancient volcanic vent, with sea caves and rock platforms to explore at low tide.
Hidden gem
The Heads of Ayr lie about 7 km (4 miles) south-west of the town. The two headlands cover about a kilometre of coast, and their cliffs and wave-cut platforms show the inside of a deeply eroded volcanic vent from the Lower Carboniferous, filled with tuff and agglomerate.
Along the shore are raised sea caves, and agates sometimes weather out onto the beach. Much of the interest is in the intertidal zone, so start on a falling tide. The area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Turn off the A719 south of the Heads, go past the caravan site and take the footpath down to the shore. Check tide times first.
- Distance from Ayr
- about 7 km (4 miles)
- Protected as
- SSSI
Nearby
Where this comes from
Listing data from OpenStreetMap, node 13500865654, last edited 26 January 2026. Something wrong or missing? Fix it on OpenStreetMap and it shows here after the next update.