Situated on the west coast of North Ayrshire in Scotland, Largs was the site of a historic (if somewhat accidental) Viking invasion in 1263, when part of King Haakoon’s army were blown off course and descended on by locals. The occupation however lasted only a few years, as it was never intended. Today Largs still celebrates its Viking heritage both culturally and through their love and enthusiasm for sailing and water-sports. Because of this deep-rooted relationship with the sea, Largs is a focus for yachtsmen and pleasure boat enthusiasts from all over Europe. All of them impressed by the fine sailing conditions, plentiful moorings, spectacular surroundings and warmth of the local welcome.
An extremely pretty resort, Largs caters for its visitors in spades, arcades, funfairs, riverboat expeditions, festivals and the fantastic Vikingar leisure complex are but a few of the attractions on offer. Add to this top quality shopping, a superb choice of accommodation, an incredible array of restaurants and cafes serving fresh fish and seafood, gourmet delights and fine homemade traditional cooking. There is also, as you would expect from a Scottish seaside town, an excellent pub scene for those holiday nights on the town.
Largs has come a long way since those ancient days of longboats and battles and one wonders, had the Vikings arrived today would they have abandoned the place quite so soon? Judging by the popularity for this idyllic seaside town in the 21st century I think they may well have stuck around a good while longer.
Comments (10)
06/11/2013 @ 9:37 am
The Williams
Has anybody tried Flamingo Yacht Charters ?
Thinking about giving them a go.
16/10/2013 @ 8:56 am
The Acorns {Liverpool}
Got drenched yesterday, sheltered in Fraser's Bar . Unfortunately did not notice when it stopped, good night though.
05/10/2013 @ 8:28 am
Leslie and hubby
Woodhouse Hotel is fantastic place to stay and great restaurant also.
28/09/2013 @ 8:38 am
William Thorne
Glad to see Nardini's is back refurbished as it was in the old days.
Well done.
26/08/2013 @ 8:50 am
The Robertsons
My family and i have been coming to Largs for years, but this is the first tíme we have stayed at fhe Queens Hotel. Very homely and friendly.
04/08/2013 @ 9:31 am
Stuart Mc Greggor
I have had my mariner outboard serviced by Clyde Outboard Services recently and They were very efficient and fast.
29/07/2013 @ 3:36 pm
Crusow crew
We have recently returned from a cruising holiday on the West coast of Scotland. We have been so fortunate with the weather, and also fortunate to discover your harbour guides to this area. We have used it extensively and found the restaurant section solved many a dispute over where to eat. On our last night we had a fantastic meal at The Bean and Leaf Restaurant.
Cheers
Crusow
22/06/2013 @ 12:40 pm
Henri Douglas
Jeff Rutherford is no.1 for marine electrical problems, lots of other cowboys out there but i can vouch for him.
14/09/2011 @ 7:57 am
HG CREW
Hi Greg and Linda..As far as we know it is the same owners and yes its as good as it was.
Hope you have a great night there!
13/09/2011 @ 8:32 pm
Greg and Linda
Coming back to Largs at the end of October..Had a great meal at Nardinis last time we were here,is it the same owners? and is it as good now as it was last year?
I recently used the services of Optimum Marine to carry out a survey of my vessel. Oli Byles carried out the survey and I found the service professional, informative and courteous. I would recommend this company. John Heale
The Woodhouse Hotel is run by Willie and Lilian Wood and provides large hotel efficiency in a warm, welcoming small hotel atmosphere. Situated in Largs, a beautiful seaside town that has been a holiday destination for many years the Woodhouse hotel is situated just a few hundred ms from the seafront with walks along the promenade towards Largs Yacht Haven and the ferry to Cumbrae Island. Largs is still a scheduled destination for the Waverley, the world's last ocean going paddle steamer, yet we doubt there is anywhere in Europe that can offer the same variety of activities or things to do and see in such a short distance, from simply sitting on beaches to extreme sports whilst in the evenings we have an excellent menu, wine cellar and draught beers for all to enjoy and at reasonable prices.
Drop in for a laid-back meal in the bar or book a table in the restaurant and enjoy eating à -la-carte, from one of Ayrshire's best chefs using local ingredients. We can also provide a private and lively house party or al fresco eating in the relaxing gardens
The Woodhouse Hotel provides a variety of hampers for sailing and race days.
Address: The Woodhouse Hotel, 2 Barr Crescent, Largs, KA30 8PX
Prepared by Head Chef Richard Finlay with his experienced team, and served by friendly and eager to assist front of house staff, a meal at The Catch At Fins Restaurant is a great dining experience.
Seasonal menus let you to choose from a wide range of beautiful dishes, made from fresh local produce and prepared to perfection. Favourites include Cullen Skink, Salmon Fishcakes and Fencebay Seafood Platter with lobster, crabs, langoustines and scallops.
Advanced booking essential
Address: The Catch At Fins Restaurant, Fencefoot Farm, Fairlie, Largs, KA29 0EG, KA29 0EG
Created by Nicolas Le Clanche, équipage marine is intended for yacht owners in the west of Scotland who wish to maintain their boat in the best condition.
équipage marine was formed with one motivation, to take the pain out of boating.
Now you don't have to do those jobs you used to dread. You can just go to your boat and relax!
équipage marine is a mobile service which covers the west coast of Scotland. We come to you. So whether your boat or yacht is in a marina or in dry dock, it can still benefit from the équipage marine service.
équipage marine focus entirely on the maintenance of boat or yachts surfaces and know exactly how to achieve the best results possible for your boat, maximising its appearance and shine.
RYA Courses, Sailing Training Courses, Yacht Charters
Simple Chartering.
All yachts chartered from ScotSail in Scotland are coded to meet the exacting standards of the Department for Transports' code of practice for charter vessels in the U.K. ensuring that your boat is safe and easy-to-use. ScotSail strives to ensure that your yacht charter experience is as smooth and enjoyable as possible.
RYA Sailing Courses in Scotland
1st Scotsail Training utilise the latest technology and quality sea-going vessels to deliver the best possible training experience.
1st ScotSail Training at Sea
- A Full Range of RYA Sailing Courses & Experiences
- Fully Equipped TV/DVD, Central Heating etc.
- Experienced & Qualified Instructors
- Modern Luxury Training Vessels
- Very Competitive Prices
Friends & Family
All RYA Sailing Courses published here are available to take individually, as a couple, with friends or even as a whole family. We have also recently introduced 1st ScotSail Training Gift Vouchers so that our courses and experiences are available to give as gifts, either pre-arranged or as a surprise for a friend or loved one.
Our Chandlery department boasts stock from all the major suppliers in our Industry and we find that many leading manufacturers see us as their only Scottish outlet. Our Clothing department has every item of clothing any Yachtsman would ever require such as foul weather gear, wetsuits, drysuits, buoyancy aids, lifejackets, thermal wear, fleece, casual jackets, wellies, deckshoes and all types of accessories. We hope that you find our website informative and easy to use and welcome any comments you may have.
Service is our keyword and this, together with our combined experience and knowledge of over 50 years in sailmaking and 20 years of manufacturing in Scotland, ensures that you have a well-proven and reliable product.
All sails and accessories are carefully designed and produced on a "one-off basis" as we are NOT a mass-production sailmaking business.
We carefully select sail cloth with the aid of stretch test graphs for each sail, specifically according to sail type and aspect ratio.
It is because of our in-depth knowledge of sail cloth and yachts that we are able to advise our customers of the most suitable sails for their requirements.
Stockists of branded Outwear,Regatta,Trespass,Jack Murphy,ladies and kids waterproofs and windproof jackets and trousers packaway jackets and trousers, hats, gloves and thermal underwear.
Camping equipment in summer also boots and shoes.
Frasers Bar & Lounge – Millport
Offering the warmest welcome – to visitors and locals alike, Frasers is a popular choice. Feel at home and relax in our family run bar.
Food & Drink
A menu of simple dishes made from quality ingredients accompany traditional beers, selection of wines, or in the colder months enjoy the warmth of the fire with a tea, coffee or hot chocolate.
The Bar is open:
Monday to Wednesday 11.00 to 12.00am
Thursday to Saturday 11.00 to 1.00am
Sunday 12.30 to 12.00am
Food served:
Monday to Saturday served from 12.00 to 3.00pm & 5.30 to 7.30pm.
Sunday 12.30 to 3.00pm & 5.30 to 7.30pm
(weekdays off season 12 to 2.30pm & 5.30 to 7.30pm)
Address: 7 Cardiff street, Millport, Isle Of Cumbrae, KA28 0AS
CORGI registered & fully insured.
With having over 10yrs marine back ground we are able to offer manditory gas safety checks and certification as well as a full comprehensive installation and plumbing service. Although based in Largs we cover most of Scotland.
GO-GO BUS Scottish Tours and Scottish Taxi Services is a taxi service for Largs, North Ayrshire and Inverclyde. With an 8 seater Ford Tourneo Mini-bus, we are available for group activities and contract hire.
North Ayrshire and the Clyde Coast are popular destinations for vistors to Scotland and whether you are arriving at Glasgow, Edinburgh, or Prestwick International airports and requiring a taxi to bring you to this area or take you on to your hotel, we would be pleased to help.
Although we are based in Largs and are available for tours around this beautiful part of Scotland, no journey is too long or short for us and we cater for domestic and international travellers to any destination in Scotland. We also cater for business tourists, provide courier services, and hotel and conference transfers, journeys to and from sports events an music festivals
Address: Go Go Private Hire, Contact George, Largs
Established in 2004, Halliday Pharmacy is situated in the town of Largs. We provide NHS and Private Pharmacy Services and stock a wide range of healthcare, toiletries, and beauty and gift products for sale.
As a business we aim to provide a high level of patient care through excellent customer service, highly trained staff and full product knowledge. We are also running a new service allowing you to arrange your repeat prescription at your convenience online.
At GRM Rigging Services we believe in providing our clients a high quality, prompt service at reasonable cost.
We have been in business for over 134 years and draw on years of experience to provide the best quality of service available, whilst also embrassing new technology to provide the most up to date solution.
GRM Rigging Services supplies Masts, Booms & Spinnaker Poles from various suppliers (Selden, Sparcraft, Z-Spars) to ensure the correct mast is fitted to your yacht and personal requirements including Carbon Fibre Spars for Racing and Large cruising yachts. Including onsite manufacture of Custom Carbon Fibre Spinnaker Poles.
Our production facility is based in Gourock only 10mins drive from Inverkip. Onsite we Roll swage terminals to wire diameters from 2.5 to 12mm and 16mm through our suppliers, Talurit swage up to 24mm diameter, and supply rod rigging.
We supply and service headsail furling gears (Harken, Furlex, Pro-furl, Schaefer, Facnor, Plastimo).
We have 2 seperate salons in one building,one for men,and you guessed it,one for women.
Walk in for men ok but women should check for availability.Specialists
in Wella and Loreal colours.
We are open 6 days a week 9.00-5.30. Closed Sundays.
Late nights Wed and Thurs.
The complex houses an 8 lane 10 Pin Bowling Alley, arcade games and amusements, a Wimpy food outlet, and Fluid Bar (see Food & Drink page for more details on Fluid).
There are special deals throughout the year, a bowling league weekly, and special food and bowl offers for adults and kids.
The Woodhouse Hotel is run by Willie and Lilian Wood and provides large hotel efficiency in a warm, welcoming small hotel atmosphere. Situated in Largs, a beautiful seaside town that has been a holiday destination for many years the Woodhouse hotel is situated just a few hundred ms from the seafront with walks along the promenade towards Largs Yacht Haven and the ferry to Cumbrae Island. Largs is still a scheduled destination for the Waverley, the world's last ocean going paddle steamer, yet we doubt there is anywhere in Europe that can offer the same variety of activities or things to do and see in such a short distance, from simply sitting on beaches to extreme sports whilst in the evenings we have an excellent menu, wine cellar and draught beers for all to enjoy and at reasonable prices.
Choice from nine rooms including a stylish room with four-poster bed, balcony and sea views; or Doubles (one with balcony and seaview), Twins, Singles and Family Rooms. All are comfortable and welcoming with ensuite, with tea/coffee-making facilities and complementary hand-made soap/shampoo and shower gel.
Welcome to Nardini's!
Scotland's most famous café, restaurant & ice cream parlour has re-opened following a multi £m refurbishment that has seen the landmark art deco building restored to is past glory with a new contemporary feel, together with sumptuous surroundings and fabulous ambience make it the place to visit. For all bookings and enquiries please phone 01475 675000
The Classic Nardini Café is back with it's new menu's ,beautiful surroundings and panoramic views of the Clyde, all make it an experience not to be missed.
Nardini's flagship 80 seater Ristorante Pizzeria features only the finest ingredients to create the ultimate in Italian Cuisine while still making it affordable to the general public. The Ristorante features an open plan kitchen where you can watch our chefs prepare your food while taking in the atmosphere of this truly outstanding dining experience. Our Stone baked Pizzas have also built a great reputation as being of the highest quality to rival the best in the trade.
Each trip is unique and varies according to the season. There are almost daily sightings of Seals, Oyster Catchers, Gannets, Cormorants and occasional sightings of Porpoise, Dolphins and Whales.
We also run a variety of Corporate Events, group days, Stag/Hen days and weekends and also custom trips to suit you. For those events we can organise the entire event including accomodation, meals, other transportation and any other requirements that you may have.
Although we are based on the West Coast of Scotland we are fully mobile and can bring the boats to your location. Please just get in touch with us with an enquiry.
Corporate Events, Entertainment, RYA Courses, Sailing Training Courses
About The Centre
A log chalet style building with excellent indoor facilities. During courses you will use the lecture rooms, changing rooms, drying area and dining room. For relaxing in the evenings there is a comfortable lounge and bar, sauna and gym facilities. The log chalets accommodate twelve persons in twin rooms with bunks. Each chalet has a lounge area with basic kitchen facilities. The grounds around the Centre are ideal for the storage of the equipment used and for rigging and preparation. The beach is only metres away once you are ready to go afloat.
The Instructional Staff
All our full time and seasonal staff are highly qualified in what we do. Staff members bring with them their own energy and enthusiasm for the activities. They also have a huge breadth and depth of personal and instructing experience in their own specialist areas that their certification may not reflect. Ashore our support staff will endeavour to make your stay with us as comfortable and welcoming as possible. All Instructional staff hold a valid first aid certificate.
Address: sportscotland national centre Cumbrae, Isle of Cumbrae near Largs, Ayrshire, KA28 OHQ
The business was launched in 2006 with the aim of providing servicing, repairs and parts for outboard owners in the Glasgow and Clyde area.
We provide a service were we can travel to you to service your outboard, This made it more convenient for outboard owners who could not get to a service centre for reasons such as their outboard being to heavy or fix to their boat.
These core services have enabled Clyde Outboards to grow year on year and this was recognised when a Regional Business Award for new business start ups was awarded to us in 2008 presented by Business Gateway.
In October 2010 we moved to our current premises Tarbet Street in Gourock and in March 2011 we obtained Honda dealership status. Our larger premises allowed for the creation of a showroom where Honda outboards, inflatables, parts and accessories are on display. In addition a separate workshop facility was established to continue with the repair and servicing aspect of the business.
Have you visited Kelburn lately? It's more than just a children's paradise. Bring your company for a corporate team building event, or are you planning your wedding and would like a day to remember?
We are proud of our quality reputation due to our outstanding location in beautiful sheltered sailing waters and also of our top class facilities that are on offer.
Above all we pride ourselves in offering you friendly and efficient service at all times.
The only nightclub in town.
Oceans is 80's and 90's music only on saturday nights.Whilst upstairs at fiddlers we specialise in chart and dance music and are open 11.30pm-2.30pm fri.sat.sun.
Smart attire is required but if you have had a rough crossing exeptions may be allowed.
We look forward to seeing you and your crew.
Address: Fiddlers and oceans, 2-4 Townhead Close, Largs, KA30 8JL
Located to the South of the pier there are 24 serviced moorings ranging up to 10 ton capacity.
We have a Wise 80 ton travel hoist, a purpose built hoist pier and 100 metres of heavy duty service pontoons.
The marina office is open 7 days a week from 09.00 to 17.00. There is small chandlery and anything that is not in stock can be ordered through the main chandlery at Kip.
There is 24 hour security on site both manned and CCTV. To comply with Government Legislation Fairlie Quay is ISPS compliant.
Set in Largs, in a building dating from 1901, 2.6 km from Kelburn Castle & Country Centre, St Leonards Guest House provides guestrooms with free WiFi. This 3-star bed and breakfast offers a garden.
The rooms in the bed and breakfast are equipped with a kettle.
A continental breakfast is served daily at the property.
Cycling is among the activities that guests can enjoy near St Leonards Guest House.
The nearest airport is Glasgow Airport, 28 km from the accommodation.
Stockists of branded Outwear,Trespass,ladies and kids waterproofs and windproof jackets and trousers packaway jackets and trousers, hats, gloves and thermal underwear.
Camping equipment in summer also boots and shoes
Address: Trespass Shop, 9 Main Street, Largs, KA10 6AA
C.Y.Neilly is a family run business established since 1952
Stockists of Gabor, Rieker, Van Dal, Lotus, Hotter, Tamaris, Caprice, Rohde, Equity, Loake, Camel Active and Start Rite.
We also stock designer bags by; Jane Shilton and Dents.
Open 9.30 to 5.00 Monday- Saturday
Address: C.Y.Neily, 50 Main Street, Largs, KA30 8AL
TeemSurveys are a team of small craft Marine Surveyors based in Scotland specialising in Pre-Purchase, Damage and Insurance Condition Surveys. We focus on power and sailing boats of all types up to 30m in length and have full PI insurance.
The complex houses an 8 lane 10 Pin Bowling Alley, arcade games and amusements, a Wimpy food outlet, and Fluid Bar (see Food & Drink page for more details on Fluid).
There are special deals throughout the year, a bowling league weekly, and special food and bowl offers for adults and kids.
Thinking about giving them a go.
Well done.
Cheers
Crusow
Hope you have a great night there!