Ayr

Understand

Ayrshire is mostly lowland and fertile, and Ayr grew up as the market town for the nearby farm villages, but it was also industrial from the 17th century with local deposits of coal. It had a defensible river crossing and harbour, one of several ports that flourished before the Clyde was made navigable up to Glasgow. A major industry was smuggling: there were many quiet beaches where goods "for export" could be run ashore on moonless nights. And there was also illicit trade with England and its colonies, before the 1707 Union ended the embargo against Scotland. One of those farm villages three miles south was Alloway, now a suburb of Ayr, and on 25 Jan 1759 it was the birthplace of Robert Burns. His family lived in the same cramped farm cottage until he was seven, then moved to a series of other farms near Tarbolton and Mauchline, always on the verge of poverty. Robert began writing poetry, chasing the women and drinking, not necessarily in that order; he was on the verge of emigrating to the West Indies when his first poetry collection was published in 1786. He was prolific and famous even within his short lifetime, and is now revered as Scotland’s national poet. You’re bound to know Auld Lang Syne, but if you don’t know Burns' other works, essential reading is Tam O’Shanter (and you’ll need a Lallans glossary to translate the dialect.) Tam is a poor useless sort of farmer, and one dark wet night he's riding home from Ayr market, drunk as usual, when he sees strange lights in the derelict old church of Alloway. Creeping closer, he beholds witches dancing in a satanic party, and there’s one very fit young witch clad only in a skimpy shirt - a "cutty sark". Tam’s ribald shout to her is the biggest mistake of his prattish life, and it may well be his last. Ayr's main sight is thus the Burns Heritage Park at Alloway comprising a museum in the cottage where he was born, the Auld Kirk (that spooky derelict old church), the Burns Monument and Gardens, and the ancient bri

Getting there

Ayr is on the main road and rail route between Glasgow and Stranraer. With your own car from Glasgow follow A77. From England take M6 then A75 to Dumfries, A76 to Cumnock, then A71 into Ayr.

By plane Glasgow Airport (GLA IATA), 6 miles west of central Glasgow on M8, has the best connections. It has flights from many UK and European cities, including the Hebridean islands. There are regular direct flights from Canada but other long-haul destinations usually involve changing planes in London or Amsterdam. There is a pre-bookable shuttle bus to GLA from Ayr, otherwise travel via central Glasgow. 1 Prestwick Airport (PIK IATA) is only 4 miles from Ayr, but only has Ryanair flights to Med holiday destinations such as Barcelona and Tenerife, nothing within the UK. The Ayr-Glasgow trains call here, as does the X77 bus, see below. Or take a taxi, or you could even walk.

By train Trains run from Glasgow Central four times an hour, but it feels like only two as slow trains departs 5 min after the faster trains. The latter take an hour to Ayr via Paisley Gilmour Street, Glengarnock (for Kilbirnie), Kilwinning, Irvine, Troon, Prestwick Airport and town, and Newton-on-Ayr. Change at Kilwinning for Ardrossan, West Kilbride and Largs. The last train leaves Glasgow around 11:30PM. Two or three trains a day run from Kilmarnock via Troon, and continue from Ayr to Girvan. Five trains a day run from Stranraer, connecting with the ferries at Cairnryan, and taking 90 min via Girvan. From London, Birmingham and Manchester it's usually quickest to take a fast train via Carlisle to Glasgow Central then change. Another route is to change at Carlisle for the train towards Glasgow via Dumfries - get off at Auchinleck south of Kilmarnock and take Bus 42 to Ayr, described below. 2 Ayr railway station is central by the main square. There is a staffed ticket office and machines, a cafe, waiting room and toilets. There is level access to Platforms 1, 2 and 3. Platform 4 (towards Stranra

Getting around

Bus 57 runs hourly to Alloway, taking 10 min. Bus 60 towards Girvan runs hourly past the driveway to Culzean Castle; the 58 takes a different route. Taxi operators include Ayr Citadel (☏ +44 1292 402204), Ayr Premier Taxis (☏ +44 1292 404040) and Ayr Cabs (☏ +44 1292 787878). The area is lowland and well-suited to cycling.

See

1 St John's Tower is the 15th-century bell tower of the original parish church and choir school, founded in the 12th century but demolished by Cromwell in 1654 to make way for a fortress. Only the tower was spared. A block north by the river bank is the main surviving stretch of fortress walls. 2 Auld Kirk. This was the 1654 replacement St John's church; Burns was baptised here. It's still an active Church of Scotland. (updated Sep 2022) Auld Brig across the river was originally a 13th century wooden structure, rebuilt with stone in the 16th. It's a narrow footbridge, mocked in Burns' poem Brigs o' Ayr as too narrow for a pair of wheelbarrows to pass. The bridge retorts that it will still be standing when the New Brig of 1788 has vanished, and so it proved — the present New Bridge is Victorian. 3 Burns Cottage Museum (Burns Heritage Park), Murdoch’s Lone, Alloway KA7 4PQ (off B7024 from Ayr), ☏ +44 1292 443700, [email protected]. Daily 10AM-5PM. This is the only ticketed area of the Heritage Park, the thatched cottage where Burns was born and lived until he was 7, plus adjacent museum. Adult £11.50, conc £8.50, NTS & NT free. (updated Sep 2022) Burns Monument, Brig o'Doon and Alloway Old Kirk by the cottage are free to view. 4 Rozelle House, Monument Rd KA7 4NQ, ☏ +44 1292 445447. M-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM. Small museum and gallery in an Adam-style mansion of 1760. It was built for Robert Hamilton of Bourtreehill, who got rich from slavery and sugar on his Jamaica plantations, and the name derives from his La Rochelle estate there. It was rebuilt in the 1830s; the family fortunes waxed then waned, and the mansion was gifted to the town in 1968. The surrounding park and woodland is accessible 24 hours. Free. (updated Sep 2022) 5 Belleisle Conservatory, Doonfoot Rd KA7 4DU, ☏ +44 7739 342622. Daily 11AM-4PM. Botanical garden and conservatory. The Victorian original was replaced in 1955 to the same design; this fell derelict in 2005 but was restored in 2010. (updated S

Do

Golf 1 Belleisle Golf Course, Doonfoot Rd. White tees 6446 yards, par 71, with the smaller Seafield course at 5429 yards, par 67. (updated Mar 2024) See Troon for Royal Troon Golf Course. See Girvan for Trump Turnberry.

Recreational and Theatre 2 Astoria Cinema, Burns Statute Square. will be opening in the same place as the former Odeon on 29 March 2024. (updated Mar 2024) 3 Cutty-Sark Centre, 40 High Street. is a council-run events venue. (updated Mar 2024) 4 Gaitey Theatre, Carrick St. Regular shows. (updated Mar 2024) 5 Bannatyne Health Club, 1 Highfield Drive KA8 9SH (A77 at Whitletts roundabout), ☏ +44 1292 283833. M-F 6AM-10:30PM, Sa Su 8AM-10PM. Fitness