Welcome to our new website!

gogirvan.co.uk is your ultimate guide to all things Girvan. Our aim is to be a one-stop visit for all tourists and visitors to Girvan, where you can find out where to stay, where to eat, and what to do while you’re here. You’ll also find all the latest news and events happening around the town, like the annual Girvan Traditional Folk Festival, The Lowland Gathering, and Civic Week, as well as pop-up events, activities for young people and more, so make sure to check back often.

Our Go Girvan website, branding, and digital media is part of the Girvan Community Led Tourism project, funded by the Scottish Government and Carrick Futures, and supported by SENScot and Creetown Initiative Ltd.

What is Community Led Tourism?

Community Led Tourism puts local people at the centre of the decision-making process to produce a tourism offering which benefits the whole community, not just a few organisations. It looks to build a strategy which allows small, local organisations and businesses to capture the footfall of visitors who are attracted to larger, popular local assets. 

Encouraging local communities to take ownership of tourism in their area can help preserve historic and cultural heritage, improve management of land and assets for community use, encourage the development of new business opportunities, and improve the quality of services and sustainability of the area; socially, economically and environmentally.  Tourism can be used as a tool for regeneration – connecting local people and local businesses in the development of their area. 

 Community Led Tourism in Girvan

Sustainability is considered key throughout the process – working with our local community to develop businesses opportunities, create new projects and build on existing activity this includes identifying funding and investment. In Girvan, this has resulted in a wide-ranging project with many outcomes – some short term, and others much longer term, and this website is one such outcome. Other outcomes include a new walking trail in the town (under development), supporting community events, developing new events, and working with key partners to protect local sites of heritage and culture, such as Ailsa Craig and our Town House.

Our steering group is made up of representatives from the following organisations: South Ayrshire Council, Girvan Community Garden, Girvan & District Attractions, Girvan Town Team, Adventure Carrick/ACE, Ballantrae Community Council, Living with Leisure, galloway and South Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, Tourist Information Point, and South Ayrshire Community Leisure Swimming Pool Quay Zone.

Thanks to the following…

This website was supported by Carrick Futures with funding from Scottish Power Renewables’ Mark Hill and Arecleoch wind farms. It was designed with thanks by Creo Design.

With thanks to Epic Sky Media (Rodger Hunter and Craig Bradshaw), Roddy Leitch, and Girvan Camera Club (Bill Arnott, Patrick McCloskey, Robert Grant, Robert Wright, Rory McAdam and Stewart McLaren) for the beautiful images which we have used with their permission throughout this website.