Walk 9 – Prestwick Promenade – 2 miles

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This walk is perfect if you don’t have a lot of time but enjoy a brisk seaside walk on easy ground. There's a play park for the kids too. If you time it right and the tide is in, there is one section of the promenade where the water reaches the sea wall and on a ‘choppy’ day the waves sometimes spill over onto the promenade (exciting)! This is a "there and back" route with a total distance of 2 miles / 3km.

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  Parking available at Prestwick promenade (KA9 1QG). Prestwick Town train station and bus stops on Main Street are 0.4 miles from the start point.

Prestwick Promenade
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With Kidzplay behind you and the water on your right, walk all the way to the end of the promenade. Return via the same route or turn left up Mayborough Road to reach Prestwick Main Street, filled with independent shops, cafes and restaurants. 

WALK REVIEW: 14th January 2016

This morning the little man and I went to Prestwick to watch the fly-by marking the final flight of the Sea King rescue helicopters. They were leaving from Prestwick at 10am. We made it just in time to see them (running late as usual).

While we were there I took Thomas a walk along the prom in his buggy. It was a beautiful sunny winters day with clear blue skies and a stunning view across to snow-covered Arran (see photo below!). Walking along feeling the freezing wind on my face I was in my element, I thought to myself ‘there is nowhere else I would rather be right now.’ Perfection! We were joined by plenty of others out enjoying the fresh air.

If you have kids with you then the play park halfway along the promenade is a must-visit: it quite possibly has swings with THE best view in Scotland, it is quite magnificent!  I normally sit my two in the swings facing towards the sea and they pretend that they are flying into the water 🙂

Near the start of the walk you will see this large sunken area just outside Kidzplay. There used to be a play area here as shown above, however sadly all the equipment has been removed now (Oct 2023). This sunken area is the location of the former outdoor pool, known as the Lido. It was the largest swimming pool in Scotland at one time, attracting 32,000 people in its first season of summer 1931! Cheap package holidays abroad were its demise. There is a good photo of it on this Facebook post. Lots of people I show that too like the idea of bringing it back!
Avoiding the splashes at high tide can be exciting! However take care and avoid in stormy weather as debris is washed up which could cause injury.
Looking south along the coast from Prestwick Promenade towards two identical brick 'houses' each with two chimneys - the former salt pans.
Near the southern end of the prom you will see the historic Salt Pan Houses, dating from the mid 1700s. These are considered to be the most complete surviving examples of their kind in Scotland and are a reminder of a time before modern refrigeration, when salt was a valuable commodity for food preservation. Sea water would have been boiled by burning coal in large furnaces beneath the salt pans, causing the water to evaporate and the remaining salt crystals scraped up and bagged for distribution. The workers would have lived upstairs!
Looking north along the beach from Kidzplay – an option for extending your walk if you wish, in the direction of the scenic Pow Burn which is located between Prestwick and Troon
The Pow Burn bends its way to the sea, banked by golden sand at each side and rich marram grasses
The Pow Burn, as mentioned above. This photo was taken from the north side so if you decided to walk along the beach from Prestwick you would arrive from the left. Most of the time you will be unable to cross, however there is a route inland past Prestwick Holiday Park which brings you out where this photo was taken, and then you can continue onwards all the way to Troon. Swans and other bird life can often be enjoyed at Pow Burn.
The silhouette of my husband and sons holding hands looking out towards the sea and Arran, with the sun beginning to set.
The sun beginning to set behind the Isle of Arran –  an unforgettable sight for all ages and a reminder that “west is best” when it comes to sunsets!

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