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 Souter Johnnie's Cottage |
 Culzean Castle |
 Harbourside Development, Ayr |
The largest town on the Firth of Clyde coast of Scotland is Ayr. It is an attractive town with a long history and for many centuries was the largest port anywhere on Scotland's west coast, only being overtaken by Glasgow in the 1600s. Today it retains an active harbour and is also home to one of Scotland's major racecourses, plus the Scottish Grand National.
The northern end of Ayr blends into Prestwick, possibly best known as the location of one of Scotland's three international airports. This is now known as Glasgow Prestwick International Airport to emphasise its road and rail links to Glasgow.
Nowadays virtually a southern suburb of Ayr, Alloway is closely associated with the poet Robert Burns. Here you find the Burns National Heritage Park, including Burns Cottage, and the Old Kirk, that provided such a striking setting for his poem "Tam o' Shanter".
The main A77 road south from Ayr takes you through Maybole, though a slightly lesser road, the A719, sticks closer to the Ayrshire coast. The A719 has many attractions. Travelling from south to north it passes Turnberry's famous golf courses and less well-known castle before going through the village of Maidens and skirting Culzean Country Park complete with the magnificent Culzean Castle. Meanwhile, on an unassuming hillside overlooking the sea, you find Electric Brae, where cars appear to roll uphill: an optical illusion, but a convincing one. A minor road nearby takes you even closer to the coast, though the pretty harbour village of Dunure and past the ruin of Dunure Castle.
Maybole is the ancient capital of Carrick and, as Miniboll it has a recorded history going back to the 1100s. Today it lies astride the A77 and is home amongst other things to an active campaign for a bypass to ease the impact of through traffic on the narrow High Street.
Two miles east of Maybole is Kirkmichael, another extremely pretty village. Further from the Clyde coast, the landscape becomes more post-industrial, although settlements like Cumnock and Dalmellington still have their attractions.
South of Maybole the main road passes by Crossraguel Abbey, one of the best preserved abbeys in Scotland, and one of its more unusual. It is certainly worth exploring. A little beyond is the attractive village of Kirkoswald, known for its range of connections with the poet Robert Burns and in particular for the restored Souter Johnnie's Cottage.
At Turnberry the main A77 rejoins the coast road and heads south towards Girvan. Here you find a substantial town with an even more substantial harbour, complete with boat building yards. It is perhaps best known as the point of embarkation for trips to Ailsa Craig, the remarkably shaped 1114ft high rock sitting offshore at the southern end of the Firth of Clyde.
