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The earliest recorded history of
the market town Ayr is during the
reign of the Scottish King
‘William the Lion’
(1165-1214). This famous king had a
wooden castle built between the
mouths of the rivers Ayr and Doon.
The settlement that grew beside the
castle was granted Royal Charter in
1205, this founding the Royal Burgh
of Ayr. By 1263, the town of Ayr
had to fight off an invasion by
Vikings. Although that invasion was
successfully repelled, the English
army of Edward 1st (Longshanks)
took control of the town in 1296,
along with most other parts of
Scotland. This was a time when a
local of Ayr ‘William
Wallace’ (1270-1305) began
his rise to fame. Robert the Bruce
(1274-1329) born at Turnberry
Castle 15 miles south of Ayr used
the town for his first parliament
to conduct his succession to the
Scottish throne. The next famous
local of Ayr was John Loudon
Macadam born in 1756; he pioneered
the building of roads made from
layers of different size of broken
stone. Three years later,
Scotland’s most famous poet
Robert Burns (1759-1796) was born
in Alloway village to the south of
Ayr. Much of present-day Ayr has
buildings, statues, pubs and
monuments dedicated to Robert Burns
and William Wallace.
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The statue of Robert Burns as seen
right is situated near the bottom of the
Burns Statue Square in the town centre.
The other statue in this square is in
honour of the Royal Scots Fusiliers that
served in South Africa, Soudan, Burma and
Tirah. The old Royal Scots barracks were
situated on the south side of Ayr Harbour
on the site now containing the swimming
pool.
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Left is the 115 feet high Wallace
Tower with a statue of the Scottish
legend on the front facade. This tower
was built in honour of William Wallace
who led the Scottish rebels to an
historic victory over the English army at
Stirling Bridge in 1297. Wallace was
rewarded for his bravery by being given
the title ‘Guardian of
Scotland’. The tower that was
reconstructed to its present form in 1832
may have been built on the site where
William Wallace’s father once
lived, now the centre of the High
Street.
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The Auld Brig leading off the High
Street was built in the 1400s to replace
the original wooden bridge from the
1200s. The 1400s also saw many of the
wooden buildings in Ayr replaced by stone
buildings.
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Off the High Street to the right is a
narrow lane named Kirk Port. This lane
leads to an old churchyard and riverside
pathway named Blackfriers Walk. This site
originally contained a monastery named
Greyfriars from the 1400s and is
supposedly near the site of the monastery
of the Blackfriars from the 1200s. The
Auld Kirk was built in 1654 during the
reign of Oliver Cromwell.
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The English Parliamentarian leader
Cromwell had Charles 1st (Stewart)
beheaded in 1649 and ruled Britain as
Lord Protector until 1658. During that
time, he funded one fifth of the cost of
this church and had a large fort built on
the south side of the harbour. Little of
that fort now remains. The Auld Kirk is
still used to this day.
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The New Brig allows a good view of the
harbour. The fish market at Ayr was
relocated to Troon in the 1990s allowing
this harbour to be developed into
accommodation apartments. The large
indoor swimming pool can be seen to the
left of the new apartments with the ruins
of the old fort next to that.
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Left is a view from the Sandgate
looking towards the New Brig and the Town
Buildings 226 feet high steeple (one of
Scotland’s highest). Most of
Ayr’s Chinese, Indian and Italian
restaurants are situated on this
street.
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At the top of the Sandgate is
Wellington Square. This peaceful scenic
square hosts three statues and a war
memorial. The first statue as you enter
the square is of Brigadier General George
Smith who served in India during the
1800s. He was credited with stemming a
rebellion at Bengal and died later in
action at Licknow.
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A right turn at the court buildings
leads to Cassillis Street and St Johns
Tower. The tower is one of Ayr’s
oldest surviving buildings built in the
1300s. Next to St John’s Tower are
the outdoor tennis courts. The courts are
open to the public free of charge all
year round.
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Right is a view of Ayr beach from the
south at the point for windsurfing. This
sandy beach that can get exceptionally
busy in summer seems to stretch for
miles. There is the vast Low Green
grassland that runs almost the length of
the beach with an outdoor and indoor kids
play area. The Harbour and the Citadel
(large indoor pool and sports complex)
are at the north end of the beach.
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Left is a view of Belleisle colf
course situated on the south side of Ayr.
This is one of the finest Parks Courses
in Scotland, and inexpensive to play,
attracting golfers from far and wide.
This scenic country estate also contains
the shorter Seafield course that allows
36 hole golf.
Website.
Belleisle
was formerly a country estate, one of 3
country estates in the town of Ayr now
open to the public, the others being
Rozelle
situated next to Belleisle and Craigie,
situated close to the town centre behind
Ayr College.
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Culzean Castle & Country Park is
situated about 13 miles south of Ayr by
the village of Maidens on the scenic
coast. This is one of Scotland's top
castles to visit, only Edinburgh and
Stirling castles are rated higher.
Culzean gives the ultimate impression
of how wealthy some families were a few
centuries back, as along with the castle,
the vast grounds and gardens are
impressive.
The coastal road A719, between Girvan
and Ayr, passing Turnberry, Maidens and
Dunure, is one of the most scenic in
Scotland.
There is a regular bus service between
Ayr Bus Station, Maidens and Girvan that
drop off and pick up at the entrance to
Culzean Estate. There is a fairly long
walk from the entrance to the castle.
Best to check times and prices at Ayr Bus
Station.
More
Information & Prices.
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For a guided tour of Ayr, let Donald
Kay take you back to the 1200’s and
show you how the town developed from two
streets into the beautiful Royal Burgh
you see today. Discover where and when
the charter was awarded and by whom.
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Hear about Ayr’s many
distinguished residents and visitors -
Sir William Wallace, Robert the Bruce,
Mary Queen of Scots, Oliver Cromwell,
Maggie Osborne, John Macadam and others.
Admire the Covenanters and the history of
the Auld Kirk of St. John the Baptist...
and many more facts about the people of
Auld Ayr. For more information, visit the
website www.walkaboutayr.com
Phone: 00 44 (0)1292 287765
Mobile: 07867 510 165
Email: donald@walkaboutayr.com
For information on tourist attractions
in the Ayrshire area, see: Main Attractions.
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