North Ayrshire

North Ayrshire (Siorrachd Àir a Tuath, ) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It has a population of roughly 136,000 people. It is located in the southwest of Scotland, and borders the areas of Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire to the northeast and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and south respectively.

The area was created in 1996 as a successor to the district of Cunninghame. The council headquarters are located in Irvine, which is the largest town. The area also contains the towns of Ardrossan, Beith, Dalry, Kilbirnie, Kilwinning, Largs, Saltcoats, Skelmorlie, Stevenston, West Kilbride, as well as the Isle of Arran and the Cumbrae Isles.

Towns in the north (Fairlie, Largs and West Kilbride) are affluent commuter towns, while Ardrossan, Saltcoats, and Stevenston in the south, are rather more industrial. The inland Garnock Valley towns (Beith, Dalry and Kilbirnie) were once a centre of steel and textile production, however this has long since gone. Tourism is the main industry on Arran and Cumbrae, however the number of holiday homes on the latter has begun to squeeze locals out of the housing market. Regeneration is currently taking place at Ardrossan Harbour and Irvine town centre, and there has been a rapid increase in the building of new housing in recent years.

The SNP has formed a minority administration in the local council since May 2012. In the Westminster parliament, the area forms the parliamentary constituency and is represented by Patricia Gibson MP of the SNP. In the Scottish Parliament, the constituency is divided into Cunninghame North and Cunninghame South, both represented by Scottish National Party MSPs.

Towns and villages
The main administration centre and largest settlement in North Ayrshire is Irvine, a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde, with a population of 39,527.

The second biggest settlement is Kilwinning which has a population of over 18,000. Other major population centres include Largs, and the Three Towns - Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston.

On the Isle of Arran, the largest village is Lamlash and there are numerous smaller villages. On Great Cumbrae, the only town on the island is Millport.

Places of interest

 * Barrmill Park
 * Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park
 * Eglinton Country Park, Irvine
 * Eglinton Tournament Bridge
 * Irvine Harbour
 * Spier's Old School Grounds