Ardeer was once an island with a sea channel running along to exit in the vicinity of Auchenharvie Academy. Blaeu's map of 1654, based on Timothy Pont’s map of circa 1600 clearly shows a small island with the settlements of Ardeer, Dubbs, Bogend, Longford, Snodgrass, Lugton Mill and Bartonholm all being on or near the coastline. The island was small and extended no further than Bartonholm, nowhere near the size of the present-day Ardeer peninsula. The Lugton Water opened into the bay at that time and not into the Garnock.Blaeu's Map Retrieved: 2012-08-16 Robert Gordon's map of 1636-52 highlights the coastline as being much further inland than at present and the island of Ardeer is not shown, cross-hatching or crossing out being shown.Robert Gordon's Map Retrieved: 2012-08-16 Roy. It was at around this time that the old harbour at Seagatefoot was finally abandoned a new harbour built at Fullarton in 1665Close, Page 55 and the extreme sand movements recorded in relation to the old harbour may have also choked the sea channel that had made Ardeer an island.
