Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ayrshire and Arran
The rolling hills
and rich soil of Ayrshire make for prime farming country,
etched with a patchwork of lush fields and hedgerows. The region's real
draw, however, is its coastline, thanks to its wide, flat, sandy beaches, while
its endless, fantastic golfing possibilities (which include several
championship links courses), attract golfers from all over the world. The
county town is Ayr, which draws a healthy number of visitors thanks to its
associations with Robert Burns, who was born in nearby Alloway.
Fifty miles from top to bottom, the largely unblemished
South Ayrshire coastline
,
between Ayr and Stranraer, offers several appealing possibilities: notably
Culzean Castle
,
Robert Adam's cliffside Neoclassical mansion, and
Ailsa Craig
, the giant mu
n-shaped
island in the Firth of Clyde, which is home to the world's second-largest gannetry. Back
onshore, the little visited but wonderful medieval ruins of
Crossraguel Abbey
are well
worth stopping off for, while also inland,
Dumfries House
is one of the finest
eighteenth-century stately homes in Britain.
he disparate
North Ayrshire coastline
, whose towns once benefited from the
industrialization of Glasgow, offers fewer incentives to visit. hat said,
Irvine
, home to the
terrific Scottish Maritime Museum, and
Largs
, the area's most agreeable seaside resort, from
where you can catch a ferry across to
Great Cumbrae
, both merit a portion of your time.
Without doubt the most alluring destination in Ayrshire is the
Isle of Arran
, its jagged
outline visible across the Firth of Clyde from the entire length of the Ayrshire coast.
Often described as “Scotland in miniature”, the beautiful, barren north of the island is
a great place to get a quick taste of the Highlands.
4
ARRIVAL AND GETTING AROUND
AYRSHIRE AND ARRAN
BY PLANE
Ayrshire is home to the misleadingly named Glasgow
Prestwick Airport (see p.162), which is actually five miles
north of Ayr.
BY FERRY TO LARNE
P&O
T
0871 664 2121, poferries.com.
Fast ferries to
Larne in Ireland (2 daily; 2hr 15min) depart from Troon, ten
miles north of Ayr.
BY TRAIN
Both Prestwick and Ayr are served by frequent trains from
Glasgow Central, while this line also continues down the
coast to Stranraer. Largs is also served by trains from Glasgow.
BY FERRY TO ARRAN
CalMac
T
0800 066 5000, calmac.co.uk.
Ferries to
Brodick, on Arran (5-6 daily; 55min) depart from
Ardrossan, twenty-three miles north of Ayr.
Ayr and around
With a population of around fifty thousand,
AY R
is by far the largest town on the Firth
of Clyde coast. It was an important seaport and trading centre for many centuries,
rivalling Glasgow in size and significance right up until the late seventeenth century. In
recognition, Cromwell made it a centre for his administration and built an enormous
Horse racing in Ayr
p.163
On the Burns trail
p.164
Robert Burns
p.165
Golf in Ayr
p.167
Largs Viking Festival
p.169
Arran golf pass
p.173
Goat Fell
p.174
