Day 12: Culzean Country Park, South Ayrshire to Irvine, North Ayrshire

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021

16th January 2021: 97.81km walked today taking the total to 1264.39/8854km. 6% of 239 people's totals submitting 1630.18km.

Route 2. Stranraer to Ardrossan

After we walk through Maidens, we reach Culzean Country Park, owned by the National Trust for Scotland, which leads us to the magnificent clifftop castle of Culzean.

Culzean Castle began life back in 1777 and belonged to the Clan Kennedy, who can trace their ancestry back to Robert the Bruce. David Kennedy, 10th Earl of Cassillis and a peer in the House of Lords, commissioned the Scottish architect Robert Adam to design and build a castle to reflect the family’s status. It was completed in 1792 but neither Kennedy nor Adam actually survived to see the castle completed. Further improvements were made in 1877 by the 3rd Marquess. In 1945 the castle was passed to the National Trust for Scotland and the top floor was converted into a flat for use by General Eisenhower as a gesture for America’s support during World War II. He visited on four occasions including while he was President of the USA and at one point it was called the ‘Scottish White House’. The castle occupies a stunning cliff top position surrounded by beautiful beaches, parkland and gardens - so much to explore; it also has some more secretive goings-on; sea caves, originally formed by medieval smugglers and ghostly sightings. From here we continue north to something a little more scientific in nature.

Leaving Culzean Castle our walk is, first of all, going to take us to have a look at an optical illusion at Electric Brae (Croy Brae) which is near the Ayrshire coastal path. It is called this because there is a gentle slope with the land on either side providing an optical illusion making it look as if the slope is going the opposite way. This means a car with its brakes off appears to move slowly uphill. It was named ‘Electric’ as the phenomenon was thought to be caused by electric or magnetic attraction within the Brae.

After returning to the Ayrshire coastal path we continue to head north and soon reach the ruined Dunure Castle, which was the main stronghold of the powerful Kennedy family, the Earls of Cassillis in the 16th century. This was before their association with Culzean Castle. It is said that the Kennedys captured Dunure from the Norwegians following the Norse defeat at the Battle of Largs in 1263 but the first written record of a Kennedy at Dunure is from 1357 when John de Kennedy had the title to the estate. Little is known about the castle during the 14th and 15rh centuries other than it was gradually enlarged. David Kennedy became the 1st Earl of Cassillis in 1509 but it is the 4th Earl who was called Gilbert whose name is mainly associated with Dunure. During the reformation in the 1560s, landowners tried to take control of land and property belonging to the abbeys. Earl Gilbert was one such man; he used forged documents to seize land from Glenluce Abbey then he hired an assassin to murder the forger and then had the assassin hanged. In 1570 he wanted land belonging to Crossraguel Abbey and to this end he seized Allan Stewart, the Commendator of Crossraguel and pressured him to transfer abbey lands to him. When the Commendator refused Earl Gilbert tortured him by roasting him over a fire on a spit until he signed the lands over. The castle, from the middle of the 17th century, fell into decay with a lot of its stone quarried to provide stone for other buildings in the area.

After leaving the castle, we pass an intact circular beehive-type doocot (dovecot), which has space for 200 nesting boxes and probably dates to the 15th century, before heading into Dunure itself which was established in the 18th century to support the smuggling trade before being replaced by a fishing fleet, but this declined in the 20th century to leave the harbour to leisure craft. Some of Outlander Season 3 was filmed in and around Dunure.

Although we are not going to visit it, because it is mentioned above, it is worth talking about Crossraguel Abbey as it isn’t too far away, and it is one of the best preserved abbey ruins in Scotland. It was founded in the early 13th century by Duncan of Carrick, who later became the Earl of Carrick, at what is thought to have been an ancient holy place as the name probably means ‘the cross of Raighail’ (Raighaill being an Irish saint). In the Wars of Independence with England, Robert the Bruce became Earl of Carrick and because the monks were loyal to him, the abbey was targeted and severely damaged. It was rebuilt and what can be seen today was mainly built in the 14th and 15th centuries. It is relatively complete and there is an impressive 15th century chapter house in the cloister and much remains of the early 16th century tower house and gatehouse built by Abbot William Kennedy. With the arrival of the Reformation in 1560, Crossraguel stopped being a religious community and the last abbot died in 1564. This was when Allan Stewart was appointed by the Crown as Commendator to oversee the land and property owned by the abbey. This was the same Alan Stewart mentioned earlier who signed over the abbey, its land and revenues in 1569 after he was tortured over a fire at Dunure Castle by Gilbert Kennedy.

From Dunure we head towards Ayr on a section of the Ayrshire Coastal Path which features some sections of hard walking on rocky and slippery foreshore, cliff tops and grassland. Just past Fisherton Bay a set of steps leads up a rocky outcrop and then onto a clifftop path which follows a disused railway line. We continue along this to reach the Heads of Ayr Caravan Park before turning left to descend along a good path to sandy Bracken Bay. From here we go round the Heads of Ayr before we must squeeze through a rocky gap inland of the volcanic sill of Deil's Dyke. From here we have a great view of the ruined Greenan Castle perched precariously above the bay. The site where Greenan Castle is situated was originally a promontory fort before being converted into a motte and bailey castle in the 12th century. Then in the 15th century the Lord of the Isles built the Tower House we see today which later passed to the Kennedy family. The castle eventually passed to Thomas Kennedy, Earl of Cassillis in 1766 and not long after this the castle seems to have gone out of use as a residence and today it is a ruin.

Before reaching Ayr we head away from the Ayrshire Coastal Path to visit Alloway. Alloway is a conservation village which is now a suburb of Ayr and is best known for being the place where Robert (Rabbie) Burns, Scotland’s National Poet, was born. As we head into Alloway along a disused railway track we cross the River Doon before reaching the B7024 where we turn right passing Alloway Auld Kirk. This church was built in the 16th century but was already a ruin by the time Rabbie Burns was born. It was made famous in his poem Tam O’Shanter as the spot where Tam first spots the witches and warlocks who subsequently chase him. Also in the church yard are the grave of Robert Burns father and there are also stepping stones dotted round the church with lines from the poem.

From the church we cross the road to visit the Burns Monument and Memorial Gardens operated by the National Trust for Scotland. The memorial itself is a 21-metre-high Grecian-style temple designed by Sir Thomas Hamilton with nine pillars representing muses from Greek mythology. It was funded by subscription and was opened in 1823. Inside we will find a bust of Robert Burns and we can climb the stairs to the walkway around the top of the monument which gives excellent views over the gardens and to the river with Brig O’Doon which we will walk down to next. Brig O’Doon is the 15th century hump-backed bridge which was made famous as being the bridge over which Tam is forced to flee for his life on his horse, Meg, in the poem, Tam O’Shanter.

From Brig O’Doon we walk back through the gardens to the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum which has exhibits detailing the life and times of Robert Burns. It also houses more than 5000 Burns artefacts including handwritten manuscripts. We will then take the Poet’s Path to visit the actual cottage where Robert Burns was born. As we walk along the Poets Path we will find a series of weathervanes which all feature scenes from the Robert Burns poem 'Tam O'Shanter and we will also encounter the wee timorous beastie, the mouse!

At the end of the path we turn right to visit the thatched cottage where Robert Burns was born on the 25th of January 1759. This was where Robert Burns lived until he was seven and inside we can see the box bed that he shared with three of his siblings.

From Burns cottage we head back to the coast along Greenfield Avenue before walking along a path beside the River Doon. We soon re-join the Ayrshire Coastal Path and turn north walking along Ayr Esplanade, which overlooks the beach with the sands stretching for nearly 3 km on one side and the town of Ayr on the other.

Ayr was established as a Royal Burgh in 1205 and was originally known as St John’s Town of Ayr or Inverayr and was a settlement built to serve the castle built here in 1197 by William I although nothing of the castle remains. By 1300 Ayr was Scotland’s main west coast port until it was eventually overtaken by Glasgow. Ayr is also famous for horse racing. The first racing at Ayr took place in 1576 but the first official organised race meeting took place in 1771 and it wasn’t long before the Ayr Gold Cup was created, and it is still Ayr’s biggest and most prestigious race since its inception in 1804. The racecourse which now exists was established in 1907 as there was no room at the original site to extend its one-mile oval track.

When we reach Low Green we cross it to reach George Wellington Square with the County Buildings bordering one side. The original County buildings were built between 1812 and 1822 and consisted of the court house, county hall and a jail. In 1931 the jail had already been demolished and the County Buildings were extended to its present form. It now houses the Sheriffs Court and headquarters of South Ayrshire Council.

We head along Cassillis Street to reach St John’s Church where only a single tower remains, known as St John’s Tower. The original church, dedicated to St John the Baptist, was Ayr’s Parish Church and was built in the late 12th century with the tower being a later addition. The Scottish Parliament met in the church in 1315 to settle the succession of the crown on the family of Robert the Bruce and it is thought that Mary Queen of Scots may have visited it as well. In the 1650s Oliver Cromwell’s troops established a fort in Ayr, enclosing St John’s Church within its walls, using the church as a storehouse and armoury. Oliver Cromwell’s fort or citadel was one of five built to control the Scots with Ayr being the biggest. After the restoration of the monarchy under King Charles II the fort at Ayr was given to the Earl of Eglinton who called it Montgomerieston after his family name of Montgomery. In 1726 the body of the church was demolished, with the stone used in the rebuilding of the High Tolbooth in the Sandgate but leaving the tower as it was. The tower was left because mariners as a navigation aid as they used it to guide them into Ayr harbour.

From St John’s Tower we follow the Ayrshire Coastal Path round Montgomerie Terrace before we turn onto the esplanade again and make our way out to the end of the South Pier and its lighthouse which guards the mouth of the harbour. From here we walk back along the River Ayr which takes us to part of the old fort walls and Miller’s Folly. In the 1850s John Miller, a gunsmith, bought the Barony of Montgomerieston and as well as building a gothic style residence around St John’s Tower (which was subsequently demolished) he added a turret to the corner of one of the old fort walls. Today it is known as Miller’s Folly.

From Miller’s Folly we follow the River Ayr eastwards along South Harbour Street before we reach Loudon Hall. This is Ayr’s oldest remaining house built in 1513. It is now a community centre after being saved from demolition by the 4th Marquis of Bute in 1937.

Walking further along the High Street we reach Wallace Tower, which was designed by Robert Snodgrass to commemorate William Wallace, and was opened in 1857. The monument is nearly 20 metres tall with the Wallace family coat of arms and their motto ‘Pro Libertate Patriae’ (for the freedom of my country) carved above the entrance. On three sides are bronze panels telling the story of William Wallace’s life. From here we turn left to visit the Auld Kirk. This church was built between 1654 and 1656 to replace St John’s Church which Cromwell’s forces had taken over and incorporated into their fort. The local commander authorised funds to pay for this replacement church and the rest of the funds were raised by local people.

From here we cross the River Ayr at the Auld Brig, which was built in 1470 and is now pedestrian only. The River Ayr was originally crossed by a ford before a timber bridge was built. This was subsequently replaced by the Auld Brig. From the Auld Brig we can see the New Brig, designed by Robert Adam, which was opened in 1788. The New Brig and the Auld Brig feature in Robert Burn’s poem, The Brigs O’Ayr which describes an argument between the two bridges, in which the Auld Brig predicts that it shall remain standing long after the New Brig has gone.

After crossing the bridge, we go through a more industrial area of Ayr before reaching the Newton-on-Ayr promenade which then becomes the Prestwick Promenade. Prestwick is a town which is Scotland’s oldest Royal Burgh dating back over 1000 years. It grew around the old Church of St Nicholas. This was originally a Monastery church before being modified after the Reformation. There have been claims that there are Knight Templars buried within the grounds. It was just a village until the 1840s when the railway arrived and the new middle classes from Glasgow began to build large houses in the town. It was at this time that Prestwick and Ayr effectively joined together as both towns expanded.

At Prestwick Promenade we turn right along Maryborough Road. From here, if we look towards the golf course, we will see two buildings which were built about 1760 for the salt boiling industry. Before refrigeration, salt was the main means of preserving food and the salt boiling industry was where salt water was placed into pans over a fire which would boil the water off resulting in salt deposits which would be scraped off and bagged.

After walking along Maryborough Road, we reach Bruce’s Well. This is where it said that Robert the Bruce, who had a leprosy-like ailment, found himself better after drinking from a well situated behind St Ninian’s Episcopal Church. From here we turn left into Ayr Road which changes into the Main Street where we pass the Mercat Cross which is supposed to date from 1473 and is inscribed with the words stating it was rebuilt in 1777.

From here we turn into Kirk Street where we arrive at Old St Nicholas Church which is the church which Prestwick was originally built round. It is thought to date back to the 12th century but is now ruined. Returning to the Ayrshire Coastal Path we pass the Prestwick Golf Club where the first ever British Golf Open Championship was held in 1860 and then where it was held every year until 1872 (apart from 1871). Walking north we pass a children’s playground where Prestwick Bathing Lake or Lido used to be. This was opened in 1931 and at the time was the largest swimming pool in Scotland which allowed for 1200 swimmers.it was closed in 1972 and then demolished.

As we walk north, we pass to the west of Glasgow Prestwick International airport. In 1945 it was the first Scottish airport to start regular transatlantic commercial flights to New York mainly because it has very benign weather conditions and has a much lower incidence of fog than other UK airports. This transatlantic monopoly continued until the early 1990s when transatlantic flights were also allowed from Edinburgh and Glasgow airports. This led to a decline in Prestwick airport until the low-cost airline, Ryanair based a lot of its flights there and military aircraft still use it as a stop off and refuelling point. However, after several loss-making years it was taken over by the Scottish Government in 2013 for £1.

The next seaside town we reach is Troon, the name coming from ‘Trwyn’ which is Celtic for headland or point. Troon developed on a rocky projection which created a natural harbour, but its development really took off when the Duke of Portland (originally the Marquis of Titchfield) bought the land from the Fullartons (more of them later). He had married Henrietta Scott, a coal heiress from Kilmarnock and wanted a way of transporting the coal from there to Ireland and so bought the Fullarton estate which included Troon. In 1808 he added docks to the harbour before in 1812 he built a horse-drawn railway connecting the harbour to his coal mines. This railway has a number of firsts: It was the first railway in Scotland to use a steam locomotive, it was the first to carry passengers, and the River Irvine bridge, Laigh Milton Viaduct, was the earliest railway viaduct in Scotland. Although it was the first train to carry passengers, by law only freight could be carried so anyone wanting to travel had to be weighed and charged at freight rates. By the end of the 19th century Troon was among the top ten coal ports in Britain.

The Duke of Portland was also instrumental in how Troon expanded as he drew up the grid pattern of streets, and all planning applications had to go through him. Due to him it was also the first town in Ayrshire where all houses had running water. Troon harbour is now a large marina and Troon itself is probably best known for the seven golf courses which surround it, including Royal Troon which is used in the Open Golf Championship.

From Troon harbour we walk back to the south to join the Smugglers Trail at Fullarton Park. The Fullartons which means ’fowlers of the town’ provided the king with wild fowl and game and it was Alanus de Fowlerton who took possession of the coastal strip stretching south from his castle at Irvine, including the area where Troon is now. He built Crosbie Castle around 1240 which was rebuilt a number of times before being dismantled to provide stone for Fullarton House which was built in 1745. All that now remains of Crosbie Castle is the dungeon as it was used as a cold storage cellar by the new Fullarton House due to the presence of an underground river. Colonel William Fullarton was the last of the Fullartons to live in the house as he got into financial difficulties and sold it and Troon Harbour to the Duke of Portland in 1805. Fullarton House was demolished in 1966 but the stable block and walled garden are still there. From here we head north before heading east past Collennan Reservoir. This is now used by Troon fishing club but was originally the water supply for Troon. The Smugglers’ Trail that we are following was used by smugglers in the 18th century to avoid duty on foreign goods like rum, tea, lace and silk. The contraband would be landed at small bays on the Ayrshire coast and then transported to Dundonald via this route avoiding Revenue Officers.

We pass Merkland Loch which was once used for curling before passing through Dundonald wood which is designated as an Ancient Woodland with elm, ash, oak, sycamore and larch. Before reaching the town of Dundonald we will visit Dundonald Castle and visitor centre. This castle was built in 1371 by King Robert II, grandson of King Robert the Bruce on the site of a previous castle. King Robert II was the founder of the Stewart royal dynasty and built the castle soon after he came to the throne. He died there in 1390 and it subsequently served as a noble residence until the 1590s when it was owned by the Wallace family of Craigie who built Auchan’s Castle nearby. In 1638 it was sold to Sir William Cochrane and it remained in his family until 1953 when it was handed over to the State and which is now overseen by Historic Environment Scotland. We can explore its high vaulted halls and its prison and see the fantastic views over the Firth of Clyde.

From Dundonald we make our way to Kilmarnock, meaning Marnock’s (Mernoc) Church, 11 km away. On the way we can take a diversion to see the Laigh Milton viaduct, the oldest surviving viaduct in Scotland, from the Duke of Portland’s railway line which connected coalfields round Kilmarnock with Troon.

Kilmarnock is famous as being where the first collection of the work by Robert Burns, known as the Kilmarnock Edition, was published in 1786 by John Wilson printers. Kilmarnock’s size increased dramatically with the industrial revolution and produced carpets, textiles and leather products as well as railway engines. It is also the place where Johnnie Walker whisky originated in the 19th century and until 2012 was still distilled and bottled here.

Walking into Kilmarnock along the B7081 we turn left at Bank Street which takes us to the New Laigh Kirk, dating from 1802. This stands near the site where Mernoc is said to have established his church in the 7th century and replaces an older church around which the town of Kilmarnock originated. The previous church was demolished, apart from the steeple, when 29 people were killed in a stampede trying to leave the church in 1801 when a loud cracking noise was heard and it was thought the building was about to collapse. From here we walk to the cross where we will find a statue of Robert Burns and John Wilson, the printer. As we walk through Kilmarnock we might spot street art dotted around the streets, including ‘twa dugs’ which are also sited at the cross. From the cross we walk east, past the Palace Theatre, to reach the Dick Institute which is a museum and library opened in 1901. The funds to build it were donated by James Dick who lived in Australia but was born in Kilmarnock. It highlights the heritage of East Ayrshire and includes a working replica of John Wilson’s printing press and is also showing some of the collections from Dean Castle while it is being refurbished. This includes a large collection of arms, armoury and musical instruments.

From the Dick Institute we head north through Kay Park, past another Burns Monument, before following the path up the side of the Kilmarnock Water to enter Dean Castle Country Park with its fantastic woodland walks. This estate was gifted to Sir Robert Boyd by King Robert the Bruce for his services at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1316. The keep was built in 1350 before a palace was built next to it in the 15th century when the then Lord Boyd was guardian of James III. Until about 1700 the castle was called Kilmarnock Castle but later was renamed ‘Dean castle’ where dean is a traditional Scottish term for a wooded valley. In 1735 the castle was badly damaged by fire and Lord William Boyd and his family moved into the centre of Kilmarnock. He unfortunately supported the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion and after the Battle of Culloden, where he was captured, he was executed in London and so his son sold the ruined Dean Castle and moved to Aberdeenshire. The castle was sold a number of times before it was inherited by the 8th Lord Howard de Walden in 1899 and he spent many years restoring it after it had been a ruin for more than two hundred years. He also collected swords, weapons, armour and musical instruments. In 1974 the castle and its collections were gifted to the people of Kilmarnock and in 1976 the castle was opened to the public. As said earlier Dean Castle is currently closed for refurbishment but we were able to see the collections, the 8th Lord Howard de Walden amassed, in the Dick Institute.

Leaving Kilmarnock, we follow cycle route 73, which uses a disused railway line, to walk to Irvine. When we reach the outskirts of Irvine, we take the New Town Trail westwards following the Annick Water before leaving it at Milgarholm Park and then crossing the River Irvine. After following the A71 west we turn left onto the A737 before turning right down Harbourside Road and then left at Marine Drive so that we can visit Irvine Beach. Following the path along the beach we reach The Stone Dragon which was built of red sandstone when the Beach Park was redeveloped. It is known locally as the Great Protector of Irvine, Guardian of the Beach Park and Watcher on the Hill.