famous road
Electric Brae
Famous optical-illusion stretch of the A719 on the Ayrshire coast where cars appear to roll uphill. Drivers have pulled over to test the gravity-defying slope since the 1930s.
32 km · about 35 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomScotland
Cumnock
Scotland, United Kingdom · Europe
About Cumnock
Cumnock sits on the route: 10 minutes from Ochiltree, 32km from Electric Brae.
Cumnock is in Scotland, United Kingdom, with about 8,900 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Ochiltree, about 6 km away.
Cumnock (Scottish Gaelic: Cumnag) is a town and former civil parish located in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The town sits at the confluence of the Glaisnock Water and the Lugar Water. There are three neighbouring housing estates which lie just outside the town boundaries, Craigens, Logan and Netherthird, with the formerRead more
ironworks settlement of Lugar also just outside the town, contributing to a population of around 13,000 in the immediate locale. A new housing development, Knockroon, was granted planning permission on 9 December 2009 by East Ayrshire Council.
The 2011 UK Census revealed that the Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock constituency, of which Cumnock is part, had an above-average unemployment rate at 5.6% compared to the Scottish average of 4.8%, with a significant proportion of residents living in local authority housing at 20.2% compared to the Scottish average of 13.2%. The constituency also had a high proportion of retired people and Church of Scotland Protestants at the Census relative to elsewhere in Scotland, with 19% of those living in the constituency retired (14.9% across Scotland) and 43.3% of constituents recognising their religion as Church of Scotland (32.4% across Scotland). 90% of residents identified their ethnicity as White British, with 99% recognising their ethnicity as White.
The town is home to the Robert Burns Academy, a new educational campus housing the main Robert Burns Academy secondary school following the merger of Cumnock Academy and Auchinleck Academy, Lochnorris Primary School and Cherry Trees Early Childhood Centre. The campus is the largest educational establishment in Scotland.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Cumnock?
Within an hour or so of Cumnock: Electric Brae (32 km), Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park (36 km), Riverside Museum (46 km), Brodick Castle (58 km).
Are there any good drives near Cumnock?
The nearest famous roads are Electric Brae, Arran Coast Road (A841) and The Royal Mile.
Where is Cumnock?
Cumnock is in Scotland, United Kingdom, about 6 km from Ochiltree.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 8,920
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- Scotland
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 55.4545, -4.2664
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United Kingdom
112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.
Full driving guide for United KingdomTags
Worth the detour from Cumnock
4 notable places within an hour's drive.
national park
Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park
The UK's first Dark Sky Park, crossed by the A712 Queen's Way, with some of the darkest measured skies in Britain.
36 km · about 40 min drive
museum
Riverside Museum
Glasgow's Zaha Hadid-designed transport museum on the Clyde, packed with classic cars, a recreated cobbled street of vintage vehicles, and the tall ship Glenlee moored outside.
46 km · about 55 min drive
castle
Brodick Castle
A red sandstone castle and country park above Brodick Bay on Arran, with woodland gardens and a rhododendron collection.
58 km · about 65 min drive
Driving roads near Cumnock
4 named roads, passes and coastal drives within 100km.
- 32 kmElectric BraeFamous optical-illusion stretch of the A719 on the Ayrshire coast where cars appear to roll uphill. Drivers have pulled over to test the gravity-defying slope since the 1930s.
- 61 kmGoatfellArran's highest peak at 874m, climbed from Brodick, with views over the Firth of Clyde and to Ireland on clear days.
- 64 kmArran Coast Road (A841)The 90km loop around Arran, taking in the Boguillie and the Ross road climbs — a classic day's drive or ride from the Brodick ferry.
Driving in United Kingdom
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.73/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
May to September
Far northern latitude: short daylight hours outside summer make long drives harder.
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