Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HORSE RACING IN AYR
Horse racing
in Ayr dates back to the seventeenth century, though Ayr's present
racecourse
(
W
ayr-racecourse.co.uk) staged its first race in 1907. Today it ranks as Scotland's premier course,
staging both flat and national hunt (jump) races, including Scotland's two most prestigious
outings; the
Scottish Grand National
in April and the
Gold Cup
in September.
30min; 20min); Prestwick Airport (every 30min; 10min);
Stranraer (Mon-Sat 6 daily, 2 on Sun; 1hr 20min).
every 2hr; 55min); Culzean Castle (Mon-Sat hourly, Sun
every 2hr; 30min); Girvan, for Ailsa Craig (Mon-Sat
every 30min, Sun hourly; 1hr); Glasgow (hourly; 55min);
Irvine (every 30min; 35min); Largs (Mon-Sat every
30min, 5 on Sun; 1hr 20min); Stranraer (Mon-Sat 7
daily, 4 on Sun; 2hr); Wemyss Bay (Mon-Sat every
30min, 4 on Sun; 1hr 45min).
BY BUS
The bus
station is smack bang in the centre of town at the
corner of Sandgate and Fullarton Street.
Destinations
Ardrossan (Mon-Sat every 30min, Sun
INFORMATION
Tourist o
ce
22 Sandgate (Easter-Sept Mon-Sat
9am-5pm, Sun 10am-5pm; Oct-Easter closed Sun;
T
01292 290300,
W
ayrshire-arran.com). Packed with
local and regional info, the tourist o
ce can also help with
accommodation, which is a particularly useful service
during big race meetings.
ACCOMMODATION
Ayr has a reasonable choice of accommodation, with
guesthouses
dominating; the cheapest of these are generally
clustered in the streets between the town centre and the Esplanade, with the smarter places to be found in the leafy streets
to the south of the town centre. There are no hostels in town, though there are a couple of
campsites
in the vicinity.
4
The Crescent
26 Bellevue Crescent
T
01292 287329,
W
26crescent.co.uk.
Spacious and cosy Victorian house
with five distinctively furnished rooms (one a four-poster
suite), though Laura Ashley-style wallpaper, curtains and
the like dominate. A
cra
cking breakfast is served in the
elegant dining room.
£77
Eglinton Guest House
23 Eglinton Terrace
T
01292
264623,
W
eglintonguesthouse.com.
Charmingly old-
fashioned B&B in a peaceful but still very central location,
offering a variety of rooms spread over three floors, a
couple of which are with shared shower facilitie
s. Th
e
single and family rooms are particularly good value.
£50
Heads of Ayr Caravan Park
Dunure Rd
T
01292
442269,
W
headsofayr-caravanpark.co.uk.
Three miles
south of town along the coastal A719, beside the popular
Heads of Ayr Farm
Park, this
caravan site also has pitches for
tents.
March-Oct.
£22.50
/pitch
Savoy Park Hotel
16 Racecourse Rd
T
01292
266112,
W
savoypark.com.
A splendid red sandstone
Scots Baronial building which, though a little lacking in
atmosphere, does possess extremely well-appointed
rooms. The public rooms are suitably grand, too, and
there's
a lo
vely garden complete with gazebo and
swings.
£65
EATING AND DRINKING
The steady flow of golfers and racegoers to Ayr are well catered for thanks to a clutch of fine
restaurants
, alongside
several cheery town-centre
cafés
. With a couple of exceptions, Ayr's drinking dens are your fairly typical town centre
establishments, while any late night entertainment is relatively tame.
flavours ranging from the sublime (pistachio, strawberries
and cream) to the ridiculous (Irn-Bruw).
Daily 9am-9pm.
CAFÉS
Pandora
32 New Bridge St
T
01292 289919.
Stylish,
dark wood-panelled coffee house offering great caffeine
fixes alongside light snacks like bagels, toasted baguettes
and omelettes. For a wee treat, get stuck into the afternoon
tea, consisting of sandwiches, scones and traybakes
(£7.25).
Mon-Sat 7.30am-6pm, Sun 10am-5pm.
Renaldo's
98 Sandgate
T
01292 265956.
Cheery
Renaldo's
is renowned for its authentic Italian ice cream
(£1.35 a tub), all of which is made on the premises, with
RESTAURANTS
Beresford Grill and Wine Bar
22 Beresford Terrace
T
01292 280820,
W
theberesfordayr.com.
Ayr's most
accomplished restaurant combines great food with fine
wine and art (there's an on-site gallery and artwork
adorning the walls). The food manifests a strong French
and Mediterranean slant, such as
chevre
cheese and green
