Girvan is the nearest port to Ailsa Craig and has close connections with the island, its granite quarry (now disused), lighthouse (built by the Stevenson family) and castle. The island, colloquially known as Paddy’s Milestone, lies at the mouth of the Firth of Clyde and has strong historical and cultural associations for seafarers, migrants and the people of southwest Scotland. The jewel in the crown of the local environment, “the Craig” is a volcanic extrusion some ten miles from the Girvan shore. The island is a Grade 1 Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and also a listed European Site, EPA. It is an internationally recognised seabird reserve classified as an SPA for rare and vulnerable bird species. In particular it has one of the largest colonies of Gannet Morus bassanus in the world (32,460 pairs representing at least 12.3% of the breeding North Atlantic population). It also has important populations of razorbill (Alca torda, 1000 pairs) and lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus, 1000 pairs).