{"id":195005,"date":"2025-06-18T17:57:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T17:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/195005\/"},"modified":"2025-06-18T17:57:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T17:57:12","slug":"the-charming-scottish-seaside-resort-that-survived-against-all-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/195005\/","title":{"rendered":"The charming Scottish seaside resort that survived against all odds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gone are the days when half of Glasgow thrashed \u201cdoon the water\u201d on holidays to the Firth of Clyde resorts<\/a>. The advent of cheap jet travel has spirited Glaswegians off to the Spanish Costas, sounding the Clyde\u2019s death knell. Ayr no more. Ardrossan no more. One resort town, though, survived the onslaught. Largs is the beguiling Clydeside resort they forgot to close down.<\/p>\n

Behind the town\u2019s evergreen tourist appeal are an embarrassment of natural charms. The emerald cloak of the surprisingly wild (and wildly beautiful) Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park provides a rugged natural amphitheatre, with Knock Hill a brilliantly rewarding yomp. The famed beachfront promenade unfurls over two miles, with Great Cumbrae sparkling just across the water. The isles of Bute and Arran glower beyond, competing with the hills of Argyll<\/a> for cinematic attention.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Clydeside resort viewed from Castle Hill – Dave Pattison \/ Alamy<\/p>\n

\u201cLargs is lovely and it just oozes nostalgia,\u201d beams Janet Martin of Tasting History Scotland Tours, who hasn\u2019t looked back since moving up from Kent 40 years ago. There is only one place for us to meet \u2013 Nardini\u2019s, a graceful old Art Deco<\/a> ice-cream parlour and caf\u00e9 that ushers us gently into a different time. It\u2019s a warmer, more innocent world, the 1930s when the \u201cwar to end all wars\u201d had supposedly brought enduring peace to a war-ravaged Britain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a different Britain back then and visitors today enjoy tapping into the comfort of that age and its heritage,\u201d muses Janet.<\/p>\n

\"Nardini<\/p>\n

Nardini\u2019s, the Art Deco ice-cream parlour and caf\u00e9, opened in 1935 – Ian Goodrick \/ Alamy<\/p>\n

If the name Nardini sounds familiar it\u2019s because \u2013 outside of Scotland\u2019s west coast \u2013 it\u2019s more synonymous with the actress Daniela Nardini, who scooped ice creams<\/a> for customers as a child long before winning awards for her role as Anna Forbes in the BBC Two series This Life. Her Scottish family of Italian heritage are part of Largs\u2019 solid Ayrshire sandstone backbone. Their Art Deco creation has stood proudly since 1935, even surviving the dark days of the Second World War, when all able-bodied Italian men of fighting age were incarcerated on the Isle of Wight, despite one of the Nardini family fighting for the Allies in the Great War.<\/p>\n

In its heyday, a six-man orchestra struck up and a crooner sashayed around charming customers. The stage still stands. Though there is no live music today I savour delicious nostalgia with traditional haddock and chips and a strawberry milkshake topped up with double cream.<\/p>\n

\"Nardini's<\/p>\n

Nardini\u2019s serves classic, nosalgia-tinged ice creams and desserts – alamy<\/p>\n

Long gone, of course, are the halcyon days when dozens of paddle steamers swished into Largs daily, disgorging delighted holidaymakers for meanders along the town\u2019s palm-fringed waterfront. The palms still sway, but only one paddle steamer \u2013 the heritage vessel PS Waverley \u2013 still calls in summer. You can catch one of the modern ferries that ease across to the island of Great Cumbrae<\/a>, home to a cracking gin distillery, the trim village of Millport and the only cathedral in the Hebrides.<\/p>\n

That ferry link and the hourly train service are the oxygen that Largs needs to continue winning its battle for survival. The railway arrived in 1885. More hotels, guesthouses and cafes followed suit, along with Barrfields Theatre. Remarkably it\u2019s still open today and has had a swimming pool and history museum (Vikingar<\/a>!) wrapped around it. The roster of past performers is as impressive as it is eclectic, with everyone from Billy Connolly<\/a> and Gregor Fisher (Rab C. Nesbitt), through to Ronnie Corbett.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The paddle steamer Waverley approaching Largs pier on the Firth of Clyde – Dave Pattison \/ Alamy<\/p>\n

During Largs\u2019 golden age most people came for a day trip or just a night, a trend that continues today, but historically some more unwelcome visitors lingered longer in the Firth of Clyde. Much longer. The Vikings first descended on the Scottish isles with the shock sacking of the religious community of Iona in 795 AD. They ravaged, settled and then ravaged again, seizing control of almost all of Scotland\u2019s islands, as far south as the Isle of Man, a Scottish possession at the time.<\/p>\n

At Vikingar!, local schoolkids learn that Largs had Thor long before Marvel, as they\u2019re stirred by proud tales of how the mighty Norse eventually met their match in the Battle of Largs in 1293. The museum\u2019s Joe Thompson tells me, \u201cLargs was pivotal as it\u2019s when we finally sent the Vikings home to think again. Without Largs, Scotland today might have been very different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Statue<\/p>\n

Statue of Magnus the Viking standing by the seafront – John Peter Photography \/ Alamy<\/p>\n

Largs really does spread its wings far and wide. A plaque marks the sight of the hotel where Churchill and Eisenhower cemented Normandy as the site of D-Day landings. William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, inventor of the Kelvin Scale, loved Largs so much he built a mansion here and Largs luminary Sir Thomas Brisbane made such an impact as governor of New South Wales they named Queensland\u2019s capital after him.<\/p>\n

Largs has also had a seismic impact on football. The roll-call of managers who have honed their skills or taught at the legendary Inverclyde National Sports Centre<\/a>, overlooking the town, includes Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Kenny Dalglish, Roy Hodgson, Jose Mourinho, Fabio Capello and Giovanni Trapattoni.<\/p>\n

\"Kelburn<\/p>\n

Kelburn Castle near Largs is a 16th-century restored historic castle, painted with colourful graffiti – Findlay \/ Alamy<\/p>\n

Footballers may hate sitting on the bench, but people in Largs love them. The resort must have more benches \u2013 and more shades of them \u2013 per capita than anywhere in Britain. They\u2019re well-used: a couple share their love of Nardini\u2019s ice cream with their daughter, while a brace of fish-supper quaffing bikers fend off the gulls and two mature gents bemoan another defeat for Scotland at Hampden Park.<\/p>\n

My head swims in thoughts of the famous Largs alumni; my heart sways at the Arran Hills poking through the cloud that hangs low over the isles. I make a last stop on the waterfront at a pub called The Paddle Steamer. As the slick modern hybrid CalMac ferry glides in I raise a toast to Largs, the Clyde resort that survived against the odds.<\/p>\n

Caledonian Sleeper<\/a> services from London Euston connect at Glasgow Central with Scotrail<\/a> trains to Largs. See www.visitscotland.com<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gone are the days when half of Glasgow thrashed \u201cdoon the water\u201d on holidays to the Firth of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":195006,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5009],"tags":[79427,748,79425,79422,79423,37451,4884,79424,79426,712,79430,79429,79428,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-195005","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scotland","8":"tag-art-deco","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-clyde-muirshiel-regional-park","11":"tag-daniela-nardini","12":"tag-dave-pattison","13":"tag-firth-of-clyde","14":"tag-great-britain","15":"tag-janet-martin","16":"tag-resort-town","17":"tag-scotland","18":"tag-scottish-family","19":"tag-scottish-isles","20":"tag-tasting-history-scotland-tours","21":"tag-uk","22":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114705665148008327","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}