Stage 5 of 5 · National Byway (SW Scotland)← Stage 4

Girvan to Alloway

37 km road cycling route376 m climbing2 h 36 minGPX

Girvan, South Ayrshire, United Kingdom · Road

A hilly 37 km road cycling route from Girvan, South Ayrshire to Alloway through Kilgrammie, Wallacetown and Roan of Craigoch, with 376 m of climbing. The first 21 km has no café, shop or water.

Signed route The waymarked National Byway (SW Scotland) (regional route NB), traced from OpenStreetMap and measured against the terrain model; no member has recorded it yet. Stage 5 of 5 of the National Byway (SW Scotland). Ridden it? Add your recording and photos.

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At a glance

Best for: Short, climbing-heavy rides
Distance: 36.5 km; Point to point
Elevation gain: 376 m; 10 m per km
Riding time: 2 h 36 min; moving time, estimated
Difficulty: Moderate
Bike: Road bike; from the mapped surface
Surface: Paved; 98% paved · 1% unpaved · 1% no data
Traffic: Some main roads; 10.5 km on main roads without a cycle lane · 14.5 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more
Food & water: Longest gap 21 km; 19 cafés and restaurants · 6 shops · 2 petrol stations · 2 public toilets · 1 bike shop
Best months: Jun to Aug; Girvan climate, 10 years
Navigation: GPX download; free, no sign-in
Start → finish: Girvan → Alloway

Bridge Street, Girvan — Photo: Leslie Barrie · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation profile

Total ascent: 376 m
Distance: 37 km

Route description

Girvan
Kilgrammiekm 9
Wallacetownkm 12
Roan of Craigochkm 14
Maybolekm 22
Allowaykm 37

The route starts at Girvan (0 km) at 3 m elevation and passes Kilgrammie at 8.5 km and Wallacetown at 11.5 km before reaching Roan of Craigoch at 14.1 km. Maybole is 22 km into the ride. The road climbs gently from 2.4 km for 2.6 km gaining 46 m at an average 1.8% grade, and includes further steeper climbs mainly after Maybole with the longest climb of 2.3 km starting at 28.6 km gaining 104 m at 4.5% average gradient. The highest elevation is 203 m reached near 31 km. The route finishes at Girvan again at 36.5 km, with total climbing of 376 m over the ride.

Highlights

Climbs near Maybole
Gentle climbs early on
Longest climb 2.3 km at 4.5%
Highest point at 203 m near 31 km

Along the route

Measured from the route line, the Copernicus elevation model and OpenStreetMap.

Places passed

Kilgrammie 8.5 km
Wallacetown 11.5 km
Roan of Craigoch 14.1 km
Maybole 22 km

Climbs

Climbs in ride order: where each starts, what this ride climbs, and the full named ascent
Climb	Starts at	On this ride	Top on this ride
Unnamed climb	2.4 km	2.6 km · 46 m · 1.8 % · max 3.6 %	54 m
Unnamed climb	20.6 km	2.1 km · 78 m · 3.7 % · max 5.7 %	139 m
Unnamed climb	23.1 km	1.7 km · 56 m · 3.4 % · max 6 %	194 m
Unnamed climb	28.6 km	2.3 km · 104 m · 4.5 % · max 6.6 %	203 m

High point 203 m at 31 km; low point 3 m.

Traffic, surface and gradient

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Expect stretches on main roads without a cycle lane (10.5 km in all) between quieter sections.

Roads: 61% minor road · 29% main road · 8% quiet street · 2% other roads and tracks
Main roads: 10.5 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads: 14.5 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Main roads used: B741 (8 km)
Surface: Paved: 98% of the route is mapped as paved, 1% as unpaved.
Gradient: 24% climbing · 23% descending · 53% flat
Steep sections: 1.7 km over 5% · steepest 500 m averages 6.1% at 29.3 km
Longest descent: 2.8 km from 26 km, dropping 88 m

Food, water and services

Within a few hundred metres of the track, from OpenStreetMap. Opening hours change — treat this as where to look, not a promise.

The longest stretch without a café, shop or water is 21 km, from the start. Along the route: 19 cafés and restaurants, 6 shops, 2 petrol stations, 2 public toilets and 1 bike shop.

Food, water and shops in ride order

0 kmMaly's Cafe · café · 50 m off route
0 kmBoots · pharmacy · 130 m off route
0.1 kmAsda · supermarket · 320 m off route
0.1 kmToilets · 60 m off route
0.1 kmOld Street Garage · petrol station · 210 m off route
0.3 kmRepair stand · 260 m off route
21.6 kmToilets · 70 m off route
21.8 kmThe Dairy Corner Tearoom · café · 180 m off route
21.8 kmSpar · supermarket · 160 m off route
21.8 kmJET · petrol station · 160 m off route
21.8 kmLloyds Pharmacy · pharmacy · 210 m off route
36.1 kmCo-op Food · supermarket · 360 m off route

Need to bail out?

0.1 km — Girvan (station), 480 m off route
21.8 km — Maybole (station), 30 m off route

Whether bikes are carried depends on the service — check before relying on it.

Worth a stop

1.3 km — Girvan Mains Roman camp (archaeological site)
12.5 km — Captain's Bridge, dun site (archaeological site)
22 km — Maybole Castle (castle)

Stay after this ride

Greenan Lodge · guest house · 470 m from the finish
Brig o' Doon Hotel · hotel · 1.8 km from the finish
The Chestnuts · hotel · 2.7 km from the finish
The Abbotsford · hotel · 2.9 km from the finish
Blackburn Villa B&B · guest house · 3.1 km from the finish

Start and access

Starts at Girvan. Mapped within a short walk of the start and finish, from OpenStreetMap.

At the start

Food and coffee: Maly's Cafe (50 m), Flynn's Boatyard (20 m), Bob's Ice Cream Kiosk (90 m)

At the finish

Shops: Co-op Food (360 m)

Know before you go

21 km longest stretch without café, shop or water from 0.3 km
10.5 km on main roads without cycle lane
14.5 km on roads with speed limit 80 km/h or more

Routes are for inspiration. Roads, surfaces and conditions change — check locally and ride within your limits.

2 photographs from the road

Photo: Leslie Barrie · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Billy McCrorie · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: John Walton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Stage of

National Byway (SW Scotland)

About this route

Route line: Traced from the waymarked route’s relation in OpenStreetMap.
Elevation: Recalculated from the Copernicus GLO-90 terrain model every 50 m, not the device’s barometer.
Roads, surface, services: Measured along the line from OpenStreetMap extracts.
Best months: Ten years of ERA5 weather for Girvan (Open-Meteo).
GPX: Generated from the route line: track points only, no timestamps or personal data.
Page added: Thursday 3rd September 2026
Page last updated: Friday 4th September 2026

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Girvan to Alloway