Places to Visit in Ayrshire, Scotland

Places to visit in Ayrshire and South-West Scotland.

• East of the castle lies the massive Galloway Forest Park (click to view the Galloway Forest Park web site), the largest forest park in Great Britain. There are miles of marked hiking trails, endless acres of hillwalking and cycling, all with an abundance of wildlife including wild goats, otters and even eagles and ospreys.
• Northwards, towards the cities of Ayr and Glasgow can be found many of the haunts of Scotland’s National Poet, Robert Burns (click to view the Robert Burns' web site) famous the world over, not only for his poetry – ‘Tam O’Shanter’, and ‘To a Mouse’, but also songs such as ‘Auld lang Syne’-sung at the end of every New Year celebration across the globe. 
  
  Burns was born in a thatched cottage in Alloway, just south of Ayr and many of the local places and people he knew here feature in his works. 
  
  Culzean Castle and Country Park, with its Robert Adam designed castle and magnificent gardens is another great place to visit.

• South of Glenapp are the Rhins and the Machars of Galloway, two wild and remote peninsulas dotted with remote sandy beaches, small villages and beautiful gardens.  From the Mull of Galloway (click to view the Mull of Galloway web site) on the Rhins, the most southerly point in Scotland, you can gaze across the sea to Ireland, The Isle of Man and the Lake District. 
  
  From there you can enjoy a visit to Logan Botanical Gardens (click to view the Logan Botanical Gardens web site) or Logan Fish Pond (click to view the Logan Fish Pond web site) then meander round to the pretty fishing village of Portpatrick for a walk around the harbour, or a meal in one of the harbourside restaurants and pubs.  You could even walk the first few miles of The Southern Upland Way (click to view the Southern Upland Way web site), a marathon walk from the west to the east coast of Scotland.
  
  On the Machars, you can find The Whithorn Dig (click to view the Whithorn web site for more information) and St Ninian’s Cave, (click to view the Visit Scotland web site for more information) both sites of the earliest Christian settlements in Scotland.  Bladnoch Distillery, (click to view the Bladnoch Distillery web site) the most southerly malt whisky distillery in Scotland, has tours and samplings!  Wigtown Book Town (click to view the Wigtown Book Town web site) is host to a large collection of antiquarian book shops.

Ailsa Craig ~ The Fairy Rock	Thistles in the Grounds of Glenapp

• West of Glenapp is the coast and the Irish Sea, with spectacular views across to the massive granite rock known as ‘Ailsa Craig’ (click to view the Wikipedia web site for more information)‘The Fairy Rock’.  This 1100ft volcanic plug has many interesting stories to tell, and is now also a bird and wildlife sanctuary.  In the summer months, boat trips to the island and sea fishing trips can be arranged. 
  
  Beyond Ailsa Craig can be seen the Island of Arran, (click to view the Visit Arran web site) known as ‘Scotland in Miniature’, the island has long been a holiday destination and day trips from Glenapp are possible sailing from Ardrossan on the Caledonian MacBrayne Ferries (click to view the Caledonian MacBrayne Ferries web site). 
  
  Further still across the Irish Sea, can be seen the Mull of Kintyre, the remote and rugged peninsula made famous in song by Sir Paul McCartney - a long drive from Glenapp, but a very short helicopter flight!  From some of the higher windows of the castle and from many points on the coast, the coast of Northern Ireland is clearly visible, and a day trip from Stranraer or Cairnryan to Belfast on the ‘Stena Line’ (click to view the Stena Line web site) or P&O (click to view the P&O web site) ferries is something many of our guests enjoy.  The city of Belfast has great shopping, and restaurants and many sights to see, including Harland and Wolff, the shipyard where the RMS Titanic was created.  Further north, the Giant’s Causeway and the Antrim Coast (click to view the North Antrim web site) are well worth a visit.