South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire offers unrivalled golf and sporting opportunities, a unique cultural heritage plus a host of leisure and recreational facilities.
South Ayrshire is an ideal base for family holidays. Long stretches of sandy beach, superb sports and recreational facilities and entertainment have helped make Ayr one of Britain's premier coastal resorts. Troon is also a popular holiday resort with its soft sandy award-winning beach overlooking the Isle of Arran. The towns esplanade offers various facilities for families including crazy golf and putting. Girvan is proud of its reputation for floral attractions and colourful displays which are situated in many parts of the town and include the Rose Gardens, Knockcushan Gardens and Orchard Gardens. The town is also a good base for exploring on foot or by bike the Carrick Forest and the many picturesque villages of the surrounding Carrick area.
South Ayrshire boasts excellent sporting opportunities. Golf is a major attraction in the area, particularly around Troon, which has six courses including the famous Royal Troon, a frequent host to the UKs Open Championship. For greens of another type, Ayr Racecourse is Scotland's top horse-racing centre and offers more racing days than any other Scottish course. Given its coastal location, there are also plenty of opportunities to take to the water for fun. Troons bustling harbour is a magnet for anglers, sightseers and yachting enthusiasts who can enjoy the first-class facilities of the Troon Yacht Haven, one of the Clyde's leading sailing centres. Sea-angling trips operate from Ayr as does the world's last sea-going paddle steamer PS Waverley which takes cruisers on trips down the Firth of Clyde during the summer.
The area also has important connections with Scotland's National Bard, Robert Burns, who was born in Alloway, close to Ayr. The villages various locations associated with the poet include the Burns National Heritage Park including the poet's birthplace, Burns Cottage, Brig o'Doon and the spooky Alloway Kirk.
