Buggy friendly walk (a few steps – see walk report below)
Dog-friendly walk
Car park at east end of Castle Walk, Doonfoot (KA7 4HH). Local bus services stop on Greenan Road, a short walk from the start point. Ayr Train Station is 2 miles away.
View full route description
From the parking area return to Castle Walk, turning right. Continue onto Greenan Road, at the end of which you will see a cycle track leading uphill. Follow this along enjoying the views.
At the top of the hill turn left to stay on the cycle track. Ahead is a long, straight section leading to a sensory garden and the Dunure Road underpass.
Go through the underpass to stay on the cycle track heading towards Alloway and Ayr. The cycle path passes through the colourful Alloway Railway Tunnel, ending after approx 2 miles at Maybole Road where you turn left.
Follow the road down a little until you come to a narrow track leading off to the left just before you cross Slaphouse Burn. The track runs alongside the burn right into Rozelle Park.
Cross the park to pass Rozelle House on your left and out the main entrance gates to the B7024/Monument Road. Cross this road, turn right and look for the path on your left leading across Belleisle Golf Course.
Turn left at the end of the path, passing through the walled garden and play park and then left again out onto Greenfield Avenue. Turn right here, cross Dunure Road and take the path behind the Spar shop along the River Doon to the bridge.
Cross the bridge and the car park will be visible ahead.
WALK REVIEW: 14th March 2016 (updated August 2025)
I was delighted when my mum called me this morning to ask if I was walking this afternoon and could she come along with me! It was to be another sunny day so of course the answers were yes and yes 🙂
The first part of the route was along a cycle track and tunnels were a main feature! This cycle track is built on a former railway line which was known as the Golf Line, as it was originally built to transport golfers to Turnberry.
First up was the Burton Underpass (or Dunure Road Underpass as some know it). Prior to its installation, anyone walking or cycling up from Doonfoot had to navigate crossing the busy Dunure Road to join back up with the cycle track at the other side. With traffic moving at 60mph it wasn’t very safe! So the underpass is a very welcome addition to this route since it allows a seamless transition along the cycle path through a lovely sensory garden. It should be noted that this only exists thanks to lobbying by a local community group – South Ayrshire Paths Initiative, and funding from Sustrans. More info about the Dunure Road underpass project here.
There was a lovely view down into the gardens of Brig O’ Doon Hotel from one of the bridges just outside Alloway. In fact from here we could see the iconic Brig O’ Doon itself farther along the river just beyond the road bridge!
Immediately after that view is the Alloway Railway Tunnel, one of the highlights of this walk. The photo below was taken in the summer of 2025, but when I first did this walk in March 2016 it did not look anything like this and certainly wasn’t photo-worthy. Back then it was an intimidating, dark, dingy, graffiti-covered tunnel. It has been completely transformed through a community project which started in 2023 and has seen a group of volunteers work with professional muralist Chris Rutterford, local school children, college students, and local residents to create a place which celebrates Ayrshire’s rich heritage in a colourful, engaging way. It is now a place where you want to slow down and spend time. It feels safe, welcoming and inspiring! You can read more about the Alloway Railway Tunnel project here.
If I were to walk this route again I might choose to come off in Alloway next to Brig O’ Doon and head into Rozelle from there. However thanks to my annoying curiosity to know where the cycle track ended and what features of interest there might be further along, we stayed on it MUCH further than that…. yawn! As it turns out it’s quite boring from that point on, as there isn’t much of a view. It ends at A79 Maybole Road.
From here we came across a lovely track along Slaphouse Burn into Rozelle. We stopped here to have a bite to eat and let Thomas throw stones into the burn for a little while. This is the part with some steps but it was easy enough to bump the buggy up them. If you prefer not to do that there are alternative routes you can take into Rozelle via the housing estate.
We were a little short on time by now so we simply cut through Rozelle and across Belleisle Golf Course without stopping to enjoy Rozelle duck pond and Tea Room, or the large play park and walled garden in Belleisle. Those can be for another day!
We exited Belleisle onto A729 Dunure Road and crossed towards The Secret Garden tea room. From the car park behind it there is a path which leads along the River Doon to Greenan Shore where we crossed the bridge and headed back to our car via the beautiful hill path described in walk 18. I was excited to show my mum this section of the walk – I knew she would love the views across to Greenan Castle and Isle of Arran. I absolutely love this track and feel that it is a place I will return to again and again now that I know about it.
