ATTRACTIONS

Ayrshire is brimful of activities to suit every age and enthusiasm
from cliff top castles such as Culzean to the Engineering Park at Dumfries House
for children to an adventure across the waves to the Isle of Arran.

Below are some of our previous guests' favourite places

Within 20 minutes:

Dumfries House: the beautiful Georgian house designed by the Adam brothers, with all its original contents intact, which was saved by the Prince of Wales in 2007 for the benefit of the nation. There are glorious gardens as well as a café, shop and children’s play areas.

Ayr: a handsome seaside town with great playground on the beach. The tourist office is in the historic Sandgate. Ayr's Old Bridge is pictured above.

Robert Burns’ Birthplace Museum, Alloway: the charming thatched cottage (pictured above), owned by the National Trust for Scotland, where Scotland’s most famous poet was born with a museum and café close by.

Rozelle Art Gallery: a fine Georgian house between Alloway and Ayr with café, shop and changing exhibitions.

Within 30 minutes:

Crossraguel Abbey: an Historic Scotland property, with fine surviving remnants of a medieval abbey (pictured above).

Culzean Castle: Robert Adam’s romantic masterpiece, perched high above the sea with sensational gardens as well as a café and stunning new play ground, run by the National Trust for Scotland.

Dean Castle, Kilmarnock: an imaginatively restored medieval castle with outstanding collection of arms, armour and musical instruments and relics from the most famous Ayrshire party, the Eglinton Tournament.

And I'll be in Scotland afore ye…

Great to be back at this very special place. A very big thank you to William
who has gone out of his way to make our week so enjoyable.

Chris and Cherry-ann

Places to go and things to do!

Dining Suggestions

Restaurants

Low Coylton Arms, Coylton

Trysting Thorn, Coylton

Hollybush Inn, Hollybush

Meridian, Burns Statue Square, Ayr

Waterfront, Ayr (with own parking on the River Ayr)

Stage Door, Gaiety Theatre, Ayr

Elliots, Prestwick

Souter Johnnie’s, Kirkoswald

Woodlands Restaurant, Dumfries House (weekends only)

Cafés

Pandora, Sandgate, Ayr

Café Nero, High Street, Ayr

Costa Coffee in Waterstones Bookshop, High Street, Ayr

Stables, Dumfries House, Cumnock

Boswell Coach House, Auchinleck

Takeaways

By phone: Sizzle and Spice 2 (01292 560066)

In person: The Coylton Fish & Chip Shop (01292 571146)

Other Activities

Entertainment

Odeon Cinema, Burns Statue Square, Ayr

Gaiety Theatre, Ayr

LA Bowl, Ayr

Fun for Kids

Playground, Sea Front, Ayr

Soft Play, Pirate Petes

Heads of Ayr Farm Park

Natural Wonders

The Red Kite Trail

Puffins on Ailsa Craig

The Dark Sky Park Observatory, Craigengillan Estate, Dalmellington

The Isle of Arran, which forms the dramatic backdrop to the Ayrshire coast dark canopy web site

Crawick Multiverse, Sanquhar: Spectacular Charles Jencks land form with astronomical symbolism

Golf

Take your pick from championship courses at Trump Turnberry, Prestwick and Royal Troon, to municipal courses at Ayr, Prestwick, Troon and Barrasie, to Roodlea (10 minutes from the cottage) for beginners with a driving range.