Overview
From Cumnock enjoy Dumfries House as you head south along the coast to the ruins of Greenan and Dunure castles. Enjoy the optical illusion at Electric Brae before exploring the architecture of Maybole, the splendour of Culzean Castle and the magic of Turnberry and Ballantrae.
Cumnock
At the centre is the Old Church, built in 1867 and the Mercat Cross, which dates back to 1703. 2 miles from the town is Dumfries House, a Palladian country house and estate. Noted for retaining much of its original 18th-century Thomas Chippendale furniture. The arboretum is home to 500 trees and a plethora of unique species.
Robert Burns Birthplace Museum
Walk around the village of Alloway and see the modest cottage where Burns was born in 1759; follow in the footsteps of Tam o’ Shanter by visiting atmospheric Alloway Auld Kirk and the Brig o’ Doon bridge; and see the classically styled Burns Monument, set in luscious rose gardens and the Burns Museum.
Greenan Castle
The ruins of a 16th-century tower house, possibly on the site of an ancient fort, perched on a rocky promontory. Beside the tower are traces of a walled courtyard and outbuildings with commanding views of the beach and sea - a good destination for a walk along the beach.Greenan Castle
Dunure Castle
The A719 takes a scenic coastal route with superb views out to the Isle of Arran and Ailsa Craig. A detour along a minor road takes you to the pretty village and the harbour of Dunure with its ruined castle. The ruins of the castle stand on a rocky promontory overlooking the village set in the Kennedy Park grasslands.
Electric Brae
Having turned inland, the road descends along a quarter mile stretch of road known locally as Croy Brae. Or does it? Stop in the layby. Once stopped, experience the illusion and release your handbrake. You get the very odd sensation of starting to roll uphill, back towards the corner and the sea.
Maybole
An old town with fine buildings along the High Street and Cassillis Street including Maybole Castle built in 1560 and standing by the roadside. The parish church was built in 1808 of striking orange stone, but what really sets the church apart is its very odd square spire comprising six steps
Culzean Castle
Dating from 1777 this Robert Adams masterpiece stands on a basaltic cliff, beneath which are the Coves of Culzean, once the retreat of outlaws and a resort of the fairies. With formal gardens and woodland the country park provides a perfect setting for the House and its many treasures and follies.
Turnberry
A village famous for its iconic golf course which is one of the best in the world and home to two championship courses and a Links Golf Academy. On the coast is Turnberry Lighthouse, built in 1873 and the ruins of Turnberry Castle, thought to be the birthplace of Robert the Bruce in 1274 while the granite island of Ailsa Craig, home to 40,000 gannets, is ten miles offshore.
Ballantrae
An attractive coastal village dominated by the ruins of Ardstinchar Castle, once home to the Kennedys of Bargany. The village offers great fishing opportunities not only in the River Stinchar at the mouth of which Ballantrae is situated, but in the many rivers and lochs nearby.
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