West Kilbride, United Kingdom

West Kilbride is situated on the west coast of Scotland, approximately 40 miles (60 kilometres) southwest of Glasgow, about 8 mi (13 km) south of Largs and about 5 mi (8 km) north of the "Three Towns" conurbation of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston. The built-up area extends from Seamill on the coast of the Firth of Clyde to the principal part of the town, which, raised up and about 1 mi (1.5 km) from the coast, lies between Law Hill (168 m or 551 ft) and Tarbert Hill (138 m or 453 ft). It is overlooked by Cauldron Hill (329 m or 1,079 ft), whose name is largely reputed to be from the Welsh "Cadron" ref. Geoffrey of Monmouth. It looks across the Firth of Clyde to the mountains of the Isle of Arran to the west. The seafront at Seamill features a long sandy beach, as well as rocky outcrops including the small harbour at Portencross. The neighbouring agricultural land supports cereals, potatoes, and livestock, particularly sheep.

The local area is predominantly rural, but agriculture accounts for only 1.4% of local employment. Managers and professional occupations make up 33.7% of the employed population, compared to the average of 23.8% for the whole of Scotland.

The area is noted for its Ayrshire potatoes. These grow well locally, thanks to the use as fertiliser of the abundant supply of seaweed conveniently deposited on the nearby shore by winter storms. For this reason West Kilbride was sometimes referred to as the "Tattie Toon". Other crops grown include sweetcorn (for cattle food), barley, root vegetables and summer berries, especially strawberries. Cattle and sheep are also farmed locally.

Industries close to the village include the Hunterston B nuclear power station and the nearby Hunterston Terminal, owned by Clydeport. A 24 MW wind farm, owned and operated by Airtricity, is located on Busbie Muir (about 3 km east of Tarbert Hill), and has been operational since February 2004. Its capacity will increase to 30 MW when three additional wind turbines become operational, scheduled for Autumn 2007.

Held on the first Friday of December every year, this is a Christmas event where shops open late as a procession of children and adults follow Santa to the village hall. Music, stalls and children's fairground rides are set up on Main Street and adjoining Glen Road, which are closed to traffic for the evening.

West Kilbride is the first town in Scotland to organise an annual "Scarecrow Festival". The purpose of the Scarecrow Festival is to foster community spirit and civic pride within West Kilbride and its surrounding area. It celebrates West Kilbride's origins as an agricultural community, while looking to the future through the "Craft Town Scotland" initiative.

West Kilbride Golf Club, a championship links course, is situated at Fullerton Drive, Seamill. The original designer of the course was Old Tom Morris. The club hosted the Millennium British Ladies' Championship, and hosts the Scottish Boys' Championship once every three years.

West Kilbride Bowling Club, located on Weston Terrace, has two bowling greens.

West Kilbride Amateur Football Club were formed in 1947 and compete in the Ayrshire Amateur Football League. Team colours are amber and black and home matches are currently played at Kirktonhall Glen.

West Kilbride Tennis Club was formed in 2016 following completion of the refurbishment of the Tennis Courts in Kirktonhall Glen.

West Kilbride Primary School serves West Kilbride, Seamill and Portencross. Opened in 1983, it replaced the previous Victorian-era school which had burned down in 1980 on the same site. The original school could support up to 250 pupils. The newer school has exactly 465 pupils.

The community centre in Corse Street houses many local groups and organisations including bridge, photo, snooker and music clubs, the local cub scouts, computer classes, yoga classes, and the North Ayrshire Music School. This building was originally the Paisley Convalescent Home, gifted by James Arthur of Carlung. Opened in the 19th century, it much later became a community centre and now.

The town's library, opened in 1996, was purpose-built to replace the library originally located in the village hall and is located at the fork of Main Street and Halfway Street. The library is run by North Ayrshire Council.