Ayrshire and Arran offer magnificent golf opportunities with over forty quality courses, including three Open Championship courses. The area is home to numerous visitor attractions such as magnificent castles and country parks. Ayrshire is also one of the most agriculturally fertile regions of Scotland. Potatoes are grown in fields near the coast, using seaweed-based fertiliser, and in addition the region produces pork products, other root vegetables, cattle and summer berries such as strawberries are grown abundantly. The granite mountains, ancient stone circles and the sheltered waters of the Firth of Clyde attract walkers, cyclists, fishermen and sailing enthusiasts. Ayrshire is also the birthplace of world-renowned poet Robert Burns, and there are plentiful reminders of the man and his world to explore here.

The Isle of Arran, reached by ferry from Ardrossan, is known as 'Scotland in miniature'. A fascinating and surprising island, it has an unrivalled range of landscapes, covering the whole spectrum of Scottish scenery in one package. Arran is connected with the Scottish mainland by two Caledonian MacBrayne ferries, one from Brodick to Ardrossan and the second (in summertime only) from Lochranza to Claonaig. Summer day trips are also available on board the paddle steamer PS Waverley. There are numerous standing stones dating from prehistoric times, including six stone circles on Machrie Moor. The main industry of the island is tourism, one of the main attractions being the imposing Brodick Castle, owned by the National Trust for Scotland.