East Ayrshire Council

East Ayrshire covers an area of 487 square miles and has a population of 122,100. Kilmarnock is the largest town followed by Cumnock. The current boundary of East Ayrshire council was out in place in 1996 through the combining of the Kilmarnock and Loudon district with the Cumnock and Doon Valley districts.

Towards the boundary with Dumfries and Galloway, east Ayrshire has some spectacular scenery and habitats, such as Loch Doon and Ness Glen, both of which are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to Arctic Char and rare mosses and ferns species respectively.

Catrine Voes is East Ayrshire’s first designated nature reserve and provides a home for Water Voles, Kingfishers, Otters and Atlantic Salmon. Airds Moss and the Muirkirk uplands are Special Protected Areas (SPA)