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If you have any questions, want to contribute your support, or wish to learn more about our ongoing efforts, we would love to hear from you.
It is right in the centre of Alloway Village across from the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Murdoch’s Loan, Alloway. KA7 4PQ, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Look out for directional signs on Murdoch's Lone, If you use 'What 3 Words': minds.forces.clocks
Yes – It is open, free, and accessible for all via a ramp down from Murdoch’s Loan. The cycle path goes all the way to Greenan Shore. There are no stairs to navigate, the ramp is quite steep but accessible for those in a wheelchair. The paths are in good condition outside the tunnel. Inside the tunnel a new path has been laid making it easy to get around. There is no seating in the tunnel, if you need one, we suggest taking a camping chair.
We have been speaking to our friends at Colinton Tunnel and they have advised this has not been their experience. The local street artists were asked to be involved in the artwork during the construction phase and it was found that the taggers appreciated ‘good art’ and there have been no issues. The artist will be using a special varnish over the artwork, so that even if it is painted over, it can easily be washed off with soap and water. CCTV has been installed as a deterrent.
It is 150m long and 8m wide – it will be one of the largest murals in Scotland. Remember to look up into the vaults as we have lots of incredible artwork to see. The mythical creatures were created by mural artist Ross McCrae.
Following the cycle path from the tunnel in Alloway to Greenan shore it's 4KM. Traffic-free until after the sensory garden where you join a road that takes you to the shore. At the east entrance to the tunnel (nearest the Museum) we have a noticeboard with a specially designed map with suggestions of where you can walk to from the tunnel. There are various circular routes you can do depending on what length of walk you wish.
The artist started working on the mural in September 2023. It was completed in stages. We hope to complete the mural in 2026.
We have worked with over 2,500 people from our community to help us clean the walls in the tunnel, paint the mural, create short films and write blogs. As we approach the end of the mural painting stage, our plans for community engagement are to form a 'WhatsApp' group' called 'The Tunnel Tidy Squad'. This is aimed at local people who would like to help us care and maintain the tunnel mural and the horticultural area at each entrance. Tasks will be planting bulbs, weeding, litter picking, checking the mural for damage, sweeping the path. If you would like to help keep the tunnel looking its best and have a few hours to spare, please volunteer at info@allowaytunnel.org.uk or fill out the contact form at the top of this page.
To achieve our ambitious and monumental project, transforming the Alloway Railway Tunnel into a local landmark it has cost £200,000 to complete this project. Funding has come from a variety of sources, including sponsorship, charity donations and awards from trust funds. You can see a list of funders on our sponsors page. From 2026 onwards, our priority is to care and maintain the mural. This will cost around £10,000 per year so our fundraising will continue. If you would like to make a donation - there is a 'Donate' button on every page on this website. You can also help us by buying some merchandise in our web shop. If you are part of a group, we can provide a guest speaker to talk about our mural art project from concept to completion or we can arrange a guided tour for your group. For costs and availability contact us info@allowaytunnel.org.uk or complete the contact us form on this page.
Initially we used our funding to clean and prepare the tunnel walls and ceiling. The rest of the funding covered artist fees and videographer fees for our heritage films that can be accessed from the mural so that visitors can learn more about Ayrshire's history. From 2026 onwards, we will be fundraising to maintain the tunnel, the horticulture at the entrance and ensure the mural art looks its best.