Staying Home Sucks, home
Water of Girvan, Straiton
Girvan. Photo: Humphrey Bolton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Girvan

Kayak spot · UK

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

56Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 57 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 56 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 57 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
19kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 56 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 55 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 53 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
7°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 48 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
4°C
Rain
0 mm

Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 258, fair
  2. Tue 357, fair
  3. Wed 456, fair
  4. Thu 557, fair
  5. Fri 656, fair
  6. Sat 755, fair
  7. Sun 853, fair
  8. Mon 948, fair
  9. Tue 1054, fair
  10. Wed 1150, fair

The spot in three facts

  • Grade IIIat its hardest
  • Moving waterthe water
  • Best Jul–Aug7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Girvan
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov58, fair2 kn6kn9°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov57, fair6 kn12kn9°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov56, fair7 kn14kn8°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov57, fair10 kn19kn9°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov56, fair9 kn16kn8°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov55, fair5 kn12kn8°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov53, fair2 kn7kn7°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov48, fair6 kn14kn4°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov54, fair9 kn20kn7°C0.9 mm
Wed 11Nov50, fair7 kn15kn6°C0 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. More

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Best time to go

best Jul–Aug

Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for expert paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
  7. Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
  8. Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
  9. Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec

Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.

Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.

Map

put-in, take-out, its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Girvan

The old mill lade, Straiton
Photo: Humphrey Bolton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Old Bridge of Blairquhan
Photo: Billy McCrorie, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More kayaking near here

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Girvan

A river section on the Girvan, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade III, on the international scale. Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade. None within 10 km, the nearest 42 km away. For expert paddlers the best months are usually July and August, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Maybole.

  • River Girvan
  • Grade Grade III, on the international scale.
  • Who it suits Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 42 km away.

Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,390–US$2,590 each

about US$1,390–US$2,590 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, kayak hire.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to EDI, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$422–US$884
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$141–US$234
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$322–US$543
Food7 days eating outabout US$315–US$583
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$188–US$348
Totalabout US$1,390–US$2,590

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Maybole

Closest

Maybole

about 20 min by car · 5 places to stay

about US$121/nightcountry average

See 5 places to stay in Maybole · Booking.com

About Maybole its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$121 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 13h 55m

About 13h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → EDI, direct, then 2h by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

On the water

River level

River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 25 km.

Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits