ARYSHIRE
& ISLE OF ARRAN
CULZEAN CASTLE ON THE AYRSHIRE COAST,
COMPLETED IN 1792. (NATIONAL TRUST FOR SCOTLAND)
One
of the most attractive county towns in Scotland, Ayr has long
tidal sands, pleasant riverside walks, quiet leafy suburbs and an astonishing
range of grassy open spaces. There are parks at Rozelle, Belleisle
and Craigie, whose gardens border the River Ayr. And in a district
passionately keen on golf, there are three public courses in the town
itself: a links course at Seafield, a parkland layout at Belleisle
and another on moorland at Dalmilling.
At Heads of Ayr Farm Park you can admire the rare and exotic
animals or have fun in the play areas.
Ayr also has old-established cricket and football clubs. Ayr Racecourse
is the headquarters of horse-racing in Scotland, scene of the Scottish
Grand National and the Ayr Gold Cup.
Robert Burns had strong connections here. Many of his friends and contemporaries
are buried at the Auld Kirk whose grounds run to the riverside.
The Tam O’Shanter Inn in the High Street, named after the
hero of his most lively ballad, was a haunt of the real-life farmer
Douglas Graham, ‘Tam’ in the poem. There are Burns mementoes
here, and the inn was the start of the dramatic ride the ballad describes.
Traditional Scottish fayre at Fouters in Academy Street, Ayr
will fortify you for your journey onward.
Alloway, where the ride ended, was also Burns’s birthplace
commemorated now by the Burns National Heritage Park. Here, the
Burns Cottage Museum attracts thousands of visitors world-wide.
Nearby stands the modern Tam O'Shanter Experience, and a stroll
down to the old Brig O'Doon will take you to the location of
the final scene of ‘Tam O’Shanter’, where the witch tore
off the tail of Tam’s horse. The classically styled Burns Monument
stands in gardens close by.
