Welcome
Welcome to the website of Ayrshire & Wigtownshire CAMRA. Geographically, our branch is located in South West Scotland and covers an area of approximately 1600 square miles (4185 km²)
Currently, we have in excess of 650 members who are passionate about pub going and real ale. We are an active branch with regular social activities and a very successful festival which is held in early October each year. In addition, we publish a multi-award winning branch magazine called Full Pints with four issues printed annually.
Full Pints Wins Again!
Full Pints has retained the title CAMRA National Magazine of the Year. This is the third win in the space of the last four years and is a fantastic achievement for our branch. The award was made during the Members’ Weekend in Dundee and magazine editor, Stuart McMahon, was on hand to accept the certificate from National Executive member Lynn Atack.
Pub of the Year 2019
Judging over and points tallied, we can now reveal that our branch Pub of the Year for 2019 is The Twa Dugs in West Kilbride. An amazing achievement for a pub which opened its doors after a major refurbishment early last year.
Club of the Year 2019
Cambusdoon Sports Club has retained the title of Ayrshire & Wigtownshire CAMRA Club of the Year.
The presentation was made by branch chair,Lindsay Grant to Ross Mitchell, the club steward, during the recent 4th Alloway Beer Festival.
Beer of the Festival Presentation
Windswept Brewing Company finally received the Beer of the Festival 2018 award for their excellent Weizen. With the brewery based in Lossiemouth, trying to come up with a suitable strategy to make the presentation was proving difficult until Allan Brown, a long-standing Ayrshire & Wigtownshire member, offered to make the presentation during a family break while in the area.
Beer of the Year 2019
Red MacGregor from Orkney Brewery was voted our Beer of the Year at our AGM in March. The presentation of the award was made by National Director, Jonathan Kemp at the recent Glasgow Real Ale Festival. Accepting the award was Craig Steven, the commercial manager of Orkney Brewery.
Beer Garden of the Year 2019
On what had been a rather damp and dreich day, the clouds parted and the sun shone long enough for the presentation to McKays to be made outside in the beer garden.
What's On!
Not Long to Wait
With only one more planning meeting scheduled, arrangements for this year’s festival are nearing completion.
Tony Scott has been working hard on the beer order and it will be available soon. Our Walker Hall theme this year is Border Breweries and will feature beers brewed near the Scotland-England border as well as those located in the vicinity of the Wales-England border.
Early Thursday evening we’ll have some Morris dancing from The Border Reivers and entertainment on Friday is provided by Big Slinky. Saturday afternoon will feature a pipe band in the Concert Hall followed by The Best Bad Influence in the evening.
Were always on the lookout for more volunteers. It’s great fun and not too tiring. If you’re a CAMRA member and have a few hours to spare, come and lend us a hand. Fill in the online staffing form at https://www.ayrshirebeerfestival.co.uk/volunteering/