PLANS to draw up a package aimed at attracting cruise ship visitors to Largs are beginning to take shape.

Lesley McCormack, a director of the Largs Viking Festival and a tour guide at the town’s Vikingar visitor attraction, revealed that talks have taken place with VisitScotland about putting together a programme of activities to offer to holidaymakers on ships calling at the Ocean Terminal in Greenock.

And with 120 cruise ships expected to visit Greenock this year, she says it’s a “big opportunity” for Largs that shouldn’t go to waste – and one that she hopes local businesses will get behind.

Ms McCormack was speaking at a meeting of Largs Community Council (LCC), held within the Vikingar centre’s Valhalladrome.

She told LCC members: “Recently we were delighted to hear that the Vikingar had retained its four star rating with Visit Scotland.

“We were told that in search engines, Vikingar was featuring second in searches in Ayrshire, behind Culzean Castle, so this is bringing a lot of people to town.

(Image: KA Leisure)

“We attended a tourism trade workshop about how we can attract more people to Largs, and one of the things that was brought up was cruise ships arriving in Greenock.

“ Last year there were 80 cruise liners and this year there will be 120, so it is a big opportunity.

“We are looking at trying, as a community, to get people to come here rather than going to Edinburgh or Loch Lomond.

“We talked about a heritage project where people could go on a history tour of Largs, including the Vikingar experience and a visit to Nardini’s.

“The Largs package could be booked up before the tourists leave on their cruise.

(Image: Newsquest)

“We are working closely with Visit Scotland, who have asked us about putting a town package together for visitors, so any businesses who think they can help put something together to be included in the package could also get involved.”

Community councillor Wendy Low Thomson said thought it was a “wonderful idea” and added that the subject was one that had been mentioned often by the late Patricia Perman at past LCC meetings.

She said: “Patricia often said that we, as a town, were missing a trick as people are literally coming off the boats and going right onto a bus to Loch Lomond when they could be coming here.

“There is so much history here with Kelburn Castle, the Prophet’s Grave and the Brisbane Observatory. It is something that is very much worth looking into.”

Work is also under way on a Scotland-wide Viking heritage trail, linking other Viking attractions throughout Scotland and ending at the scene of the famous Battle of Largs in 1263.

Ms McCormack previously helped spread the message of the history of Vikings in Largs on an episode of the BBC series Great Coastal Railway Journeys.

She was interviewed by presenter Michael Portillo in the episode, which was first broadcast in February 2022, with the former Conservative politician dressing up as a Viking to get into the spirit of the occasion.

Cruise ship picture: Eddie Williams