Ardrossan

Seaport and industrial town in North Ayrshire unitary authority, Scotland, on the Firth of Clyde, 19 km/12 mi south of Largs; population (2001) 11,000. Its harbour, first constructed in 1806, plays a central role in the town's economy; there is a ferrypoint for the island of Arran, a shipbuilding industry, and an oil refinery. With two local sandy bays, the town is also a minor holiday resort.

A marina was developed in Ardrossan in the late 1990s for the expanding leisure yachting and boating market in the west of Scotland. The marina is linked to the town's harbour. The burgh of Ardrossan was created by the Earl of Eglinton in 1805 and its harbour became viable with the arrival of deep-water steamboats. The harbour exported and imported for several industries, including iron, steel, and (at Ardeer) chemicals.

There are three railway stations at Ardrossan. Offshore is the Horse Isle nature reserve for birds. Ardrossan's ruined castle contains a dungeon known as Wallace's Larder.