TERRAIN: Graded Easy. Surfaced roads and gravel tracks. Quite a lot of ascent on the way back but nothing steep. No gates, stiles or steps.
Car parking available at Craigiemains Garden Centre, Ballantrae (free) – however please check opening times as the gates will be closed shortly after! Another option is Foreland car park at the southern end of the village (free). Local bus services stop on Main Street Ballantrae. Closest train station is Girvan, 13 miles north.
Public toilets are at Foreland car park (free) and customer toilets at Craigiemains Garden Centre or the Kings Arms, both on Main Street.
Dog-friendly route (you might prefer to go out and back via the woodland route to avoid the roads)
View full route description
Leave Craigiemains Garden Centre via the main exit and turn right to walk along Ballantrae’s Main Street. After about 1km, and having crossed the River Stinchar, take the first road on your left, signposted for Lagganhouse Caravan Park. Approx 1km / half a mile along the road you will pass Laggan Dairy followed by South Lodge – a further 100m up the road turn left down a farm track which leads you into the woods.
Follow this woodland track for 2.5km / 1.5 miles and on reaching a surfaced road in Lagganhouse Caravan Park, continue ahead (uphill). At the T junction turn right. Turn right again when you reach the main entrance to the caravan park, beginning a long and steady ascent on a single track road.
When you reach a junction with a big blue and white house on the corner, turn right. There is a small bit more ascent before you begin an easy downhill amble back to Ballantrae. You will pass the entrance to the woods which you took earlier. From there retrace your steps back to Craigiemains Garden Centre.
Printable Route Guide – Ballantrae to Lagganhouse
Download, Print, Go! This PDF Route Guide has been carefully designed to allow you to easily print a copy of the key information for this route on an A4 page to take with you on the walk. Perfect for offline use!
Walk Report: 1st July 2025
Lagganhouse Country Park – somewhere I’d never heard of until now. But a sign at the road-end in Ballantrae claims that it is “Ayrshire’s Best Kept Secret!” Wow, now that is definitely one reason to go there and explore! We could’ve just driven to it, but where’s the fun in that?! Especially when I know of a woodland walk which would take us there from the village.
It turned out to be a lovely easy stroll in fact, with glimpses of the River Stinchar through the trees, an abundance of bunny rabbits crossing our path, and hundreds of butterflies enjoying the summer wildflowers. Knockdolian Hill was our companion for much of the way and we were hoping to reach the summit the following day, so this was a nice introduction. We didn’t meet a soul on the entire walk, even as we passed through the caravan park!
The park’s website speaks of a relaxing atmosphere and calm setting – I must say that is exactly what struck me about the site when we arrived. I commented to the kids that it would be a great place to come to get away from it all, unwind somewhere quiet.
The route back was along a series of single track roads, which although quite a bit hillier than any of us had expected, were surrounded by lovely views. You could walk this route in either direction and enjoy beautiful countryside views on the way down to Lagganhouse or panoramic sea views on the way down to Ballantrae. We were doing the latter, and from the highest point we could see over to Kintyre on one side of Ailsa Craig, and Northern Ireland on the other. I did have to prove it to the kids using Google Maps mind you… I guess the idea of being able to see Northern Ireland from Ayrshire is hard to absorb when you are 12!
Got the bikes with you? Or the Nordic walking poles? This route would be ideal for either.
THIS ROUTE GUIDE WAS COMMISSIONED BY THE BALLANTRAE TRUST, WITH FUNDING FROM BALLANTRAE COMMUNITY COUNCIL. ALL OPINIONS AND PHOTOS ARE MY OWN.
