Wemyss Bay owes its popularity as
a resort to the arrival of the railway service from Glasgow
in 1865, by which time a number of villas had been built there which were owned
by wealthy Glasgow
merchants, earning the area the name "Little Glasgow". The magnificent station, built by James
Miller in 1903 and restored in the 1990s, stands as a fitting reminder of the
railway heyday, with its curved glass and steel roof. Sadly, since the
restoration the station has been somewhat neglected, prompting the founding of
the Friends Of Wemyss Bay Station whose stated intent is to restore the
building to its former glory. Aside from
the train link there are ferries to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, and the
station incorporates the ferry terminal.
The main feature of the bay itself is a red sandstone cliff, which
incorporates the deep ravine of Kelly Burn.
The Burn acts as a natural boundary between Wemyss Bay
and neighbouring Skelmorlie, which has hotels, a golf course and a trout fishery
open to visitors. Skelmorlie Castle,
to the south of the village, is a 16th century tower house built over an
earlier structure.
Map of the area.
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