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Region in United Kingdom
Photo: The original uploader was Прон at Bulgarian Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
South West Scotland is a lowland region of Scotland, a triangle bounded to the west by the Firth of Clyde and to the south by the Solway Firth. It's mostly rural, but with a strip of resort towns along the Clyde coast and industry inland.
Near Ayr, the county town, is the birthplace of Robert Burns. The string of little resorts along the Clyde coast includes Largs (ferry port for the island of Great Cumbrae), West Kilbride, Ardrossan & Saltcoats, Troon, Ayr itself, and Girvan. Ardrossan is the ferry port for the Isle of Arran, from where you can reach Holy Island. Boat trips run from Girvan to the bird sanctuary of Ailsa Craig.
This is the upper valley of the Clyde, where the star attraction is New Lanark Mill near Lanark. The mills and factories along the river are silent, often demolished, and its upper reaches are lonely valleys and moors.
Stranraer is near the ferry ports for Northern Ireland, and along with Drummore gives access to the scenic Rhins and Mull of Galloway. Kirkcudbright and Castle Douglas are two small towns along the Solway coast. Altogether more substantial is Dumfries the county town, and base for exploring the area's castles and countryside. Further east are Annan, and every eloping couples target Gretna.
By train
The northern part of this region is commuter-land for Glasgow, with frequent trains from Glasgow Central station. These lines stretch down the west coast as far as Stranraer.
By boat
Being near Northern Ireland, there are a number of ferry routes into the south west of Scotland.
By road
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Prestwick, South Ayrshire · International · PIK
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