Loch Fergus

The ground running towards Mossend Farm is marshy and prone to extensive flooding, indicating the previous extent of the loch. The outflow is a drain and once higher water levels are illustrated by physical indications of the once higher loch margins. In the work titled A Summary of the Character of Scotland dated 1624 it is stated that Loch Fergus, with an isle with many growing trees, where a great quantity of heron resort with the loch seal. There is a decayed monastery in it. Loch Fergus is mentioned in the charter of the Burgh of Ayr from King William in 1205, when the boundary of the burgh is delineated.

The roughly oval island, around 190 yd long and 0.814 ha in area, is said to have been reached by a causeway, no longer extant, that ran from the bank near Lochfergus Farm. Two totally formless low mounds of boulders are located on the island which may be the remains of a building. The 25 in OS map indicates a small rectangular structure near the centre of the island. An anglers club-house was constructed in 1976 ten metres from the ruins. The island is covered in dense vegetation. The island is designated by the Scottish Wildlife Trust as a Local Nature Conservation Site (LNCS) and maps show that it has long been covered in woodland.