North Ayrshire is a coastal county on the West coast of Scotland which is split into two parts: the islands of Arran and Cumbrae and the mainland part along the coast of the Clyde. The mainland part of North Ayrshire is made up of small towns along the coast which were famous for being seaside resorts for workers in the Greater Glasgow area during the Industrial Revolution and ever since, these include: Irvine, Largs, Saltcoats, Stevenson and Ardrossan. The population of North Ayrshire is 135,000 and has a land mass of 341 sq miles.

The most remote inhabited island within the North Ayrshire boundary is Arran and is famous for its holiday homes, the main villages being Brodick and Lamlash.

Beloved by holidaying Glaswegians is Millport on the Island of Cumbrae with its summer music festivals and many sandy beaches. Millport is serviced by the last ocean going paddle steamer in the world ‘The Waverley’ which is still carrying travellers (during the summer months) after over 60 years of service. Millport has the smallest cathedral in the UK, built in the Gothic Revival style in 1849 by William Butterfield.

The largest habitation in North Ayrshire is Irvine with 33,000 residents. Irvine owed its livelihood and reputation to its proximity to the sea with ship building, transportation of explosives (the ICI-Nobel Factory) and trading being major employers until Greenock and Port Glasgow took more prominence. Famous people who spent time in Irvine include: national poet Robert Burns, Mary Queen of Scots, author and poet Edgar Allen Poe, poet John Galt, William Wallace, author Daniel Defoe and inventor of Dynamite Alfred Nobel.

Other towns along the coast are: Ardossan (population 10,000), Saltcoats (population 11, 000), Largs (population 11,000) and Stevenson (population 9,000).