The Irvine New Town Trail is a recreational cycle path in Irvine

Irvine, North Ayrshire

Irvine is a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. According to 2007 population estimates, the town is home to 39,527 inhabitants, making it the biggest settlement in North Ayrshire....

, North Ayrshire

North Ayrshire

North Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland with a population of roughly 136,000 people. It is located in the south-west region of Scotland, and borders the areas of Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire to the north-east and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the East and South...

, Scotland. The route is 19 kilometres (11.8 mi) long.

The trail is used by many dog walkers and cyclists in the area. The route forms a ring as there are no start and end points. The trail passes through Irvine's Low Green, and goes up to Kilwinning

Kilwinning

Kilwinning is a historic town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is known as The Crossroads of Ayrshire. The 2001 Census recorded it as having a population of 15,908.-History:...

's Woodwynd and Blackland's area. The route passess through Eglinton Country Park

Eglinton Castle

Eglinton Castle was a large Gothic castellated mansion in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland.-The castle :The ancient seat of the Earls of Eglinton, it is located just south of the town of Kilwinning...

 a very popular area for recreational activities. The route carries on to Girdle Toll

Girdle Toll

Girdle Toll is a small village on the outskirts of Irvine, North Ayrshire.-Geography:It is situated off the Stanecastle Roundabout just next to the Stanecastle Keep. The village is from Prestwick Airport and only from the city of Glasgow....

, Bourtreehill

Bourtreehill

Bourtreehill is a housing scheme which forms part of the Irvine New Town in North Ayrshire, Scotland.- Etymology :A 'Bour Tree' is the Ayrshire name for the Common Elder tree, Sambucus nigra, often found in the older and more biodiverse local woodlands....

, Broomlands

Broomlands

Broomlands is district of Irvine in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Situated on a series of bends in the River Annick, Broomlands and its original features are now almost lost within the south-Bourtreehill and Broomlands housing scheme.-History:...

, Dreghorn

Dreghorn

Dreghorn is a village near Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. This parish comprehends the old parishes of Dreghorn and Pearston, which were united in 1668. The whole of the parish was historically the property of the De Morvilles, who were Constables of Scotland and Lords of Cunninghame...

and carries on to the Irvine Riverside and back to the Mall and the Low Green again.

The route forms part of the national cycle network with routes 7 and 73 forming part of the route.

Unsolved murder of Shona Stevens

In an incident that shocked the community of Bourtreehill a young mother was brutally murdered on this path, this murder has to this day been left unsolved. In broad daylight on November the 10th 1994 Shona Stevens had her life taken away from her violently while walking on the footpath in Bourtreehill Park / Middleton Park on the way back to her nearby house on the New Town Trail.

External links

• Irvine and Kilwinning New Town Trail (pdf)

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