PANORAMIC VIEWS of the Ayrshire countryside, a stylishly converted milk byre and two friendly alpacas await guests at a newly opened coastal getaway located between Ardrossan and Dalry.

Allan and Louise Reid of Coalhill Farm have recently diversified into a new holiday venture, converting unused outbuildings over a hundred years old in to a five-star self-catering cottage – complete with a private hot tub and a meet and greet experience with new additions to the farm, alpacas Jaffa and Rowan.

The Reids have farmed at Coalhill for generations, and Allan now works in partnership with his dad Kerr to look after around 280 acres and run a small suckler cow herd.

The idea to diversify came from Allan’s mum Mattie who saw an advert for Ayrshire LEADER rural diversification funding which they managed to secure, along with funds from the Scottish Rural Development Programme and the European Agricultural Fund.

The new cottage isn’t the only recent addition on the farm, with baby Freya being born at the start of lockdown.

Louise told The SF that ‘it’s probably a precarious time for the tourism industry but we hope to start work on our next renovation in 2021.’ Watch this space!