Maidens and Dunure Light Railway

A short history of the railway line.

1906

Railway opened

The Maidens and Dunure Light Railway opened on 17th May 1906. The Turnberry Station Hotel opened on the same day as the line.

1968

The last train

On 14 September 1968 the line finally closed with the last train from Heads of Ayr Holiday Camp railway station.

2000

NCN7 cycle route opened

National Cycle Network route NCN7 opened between Irvine and Heads of Ayr. This included a virtually traffic free section from Ayr to Dunure Road, Doonfoot.

2005

Alloway Burton cycle path opened

The 2 mile Alloway Burton cycle path was completed using the track bed of the Maidens and Dunure Light Railway from Maybole Road, Alloway to meet NCN7 at Dunure Road, Doonfoot.

2018

50th anniversary

It’s been 50 years since the line closed and a lot has happened in that time. Butlins is now the thriving Craig Tara Holiday Park and numerous caravan parks have opened on or near the line to take advantage of the scenic coastline.

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The Culzean Way

It can take years to gather support, plan, fund and develop a multi-user path like The Culzean Way.

With your support we can make it happen.

Photos of the line and stations can be found here

More information on Wikipedia