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Ayrshire is located in the south west of Scotland but remains well located for both Glasgow and Edinburgh and indeed as a gateway to the West Highlands of Scotland through the Island of Arran.

Historically Ayrshire has plenty to offer from its links with the Scottish Bard, Robert Burns, through to world famous golf and some of the best sailing waters in the United Kingdom. Hunting, shooting and fishing can all be arranged for guests in conjunction with nearby estates.

Castles and historic trails abound with many famous sites of interest and ruins to be explored and a host of attractions associated with Burns.

On a sporting level, top quality horseracing takes place throughout the year at Ayr Racecourse and Premier League Scottish football can be watched at Kilmarnock Football Club .

The city of Glasgow is now only twenty minutes from Ayrshire and that opens up a range of world famous museums and galleries, arguably the best shopping outside of London and top class theatre, concerts and festivals.

For touring Loch Lomond is less than an hour’s drive and the capital city of Edinburgh less than two hours drive.

Whatever you’re primary reason for visiting Ayrshire there are plenty of secondary ones to keep you occupied during your stay.

Accommodation

Ayrshire offers some of the finest accommodation in Scotland from country house hotels, traditional hotels to excellent conference venues and traditional guesthouse and self catering cottages. Ayrshire offers a wide range of quality and value for the golfing group, family holiday or short break couple. In Troon select from Lochgreen House , Highgrove , Piersland House or The Marine Hotel overlooking Royal Troon Golf Club ThePark Hotel , Western House and Gailes Hotel a re three new hotels all with excellent meeting facilities whilst in Ayr it’s worth trying The Horizon or The Ellisland.

It Must Be Ayrshire offers some of the very best value and top quality accommodation with real time on line bookings throughout Ayrshire at three, four and five star hotels.

Simply enter your dates and check on line availability at more than three dozen hotels, guesthouses and self-catering accommodations.

Dining

Ayrshire is increasingly renowned for the quality of its dining using fresh local produce and creative cooking skills. Braidwoods near Dalry and McCallums in Troon have both been recipients of recent plaudits and offer some very fine dining. Fouters in Ayr is an excellent venue in the centre of town whilst The Ivy House and Harveys both offer different but quality experiences.

Many of Ayrshire’s hotels offer a quality dining experience in their own restaurants. One of the best is Lochgreen House Hotel in Troon which is owned by the Costley Hotel group who also offer Highgrove House and The Brig O’ Doon Hotels in the area. The Piersland House Hotel in Troon has always been well regarded for its dining in both the bar and restaurant and if you’re looking for a quiet dinner location in the country how about Enterkine House near Ayr or Montgreenan Mansion House near Irvine. More recent additions include the Gailes Restaurant and Hotel near Irvine, The Park Hotel in Kilmarnock and Western House Hotel at Ayr Racecourse.

Village inns also offer excellent quality with perhaps one of the best being Wildings in Maidens near Turnberry, further north you could do worse than a stop at either the Wheat Sheaf in Symington or in the neighbouring village of Dundonald try the Castle View. Nearby Gatehead offers a similar dining experience in The Cochrane Inn as does the excellent Old Loans Inn just outside of Troon.

Attractions

Ayrshire is well placed to offer the visitor plenty of things to do. It has a wide range of visitor attractions across the county and Castles and historic trails abound with many famous sites of interest and ruins to be explored including the very splendid Culzean Castle , nearby Dundonald Castle and other country parks and castles at Kelburn and Dean . Robert Burns was born in nearby Alloway and there are now attractions showcasing his life and works and in May every year a festival of the arts, Burns an’ a’ That , celebrates his influence.

For the Burns enthusiast or even just the casual visitor a trip to the Burns National Heritage Park is a must. You can enjoy the audio-visual interpretation of Tam O’Shanter Experience before strolling along the road to visit Burns Cottage . Continue the experience with a visit to Souter Johnnie's Cottage or the Bachelor's Club.

For the family how about the Heads of Ayr Farm Park , Vikingar , Loudoun Castle Theme Park or experience a bit of industrial heritage at Dunaskin Open Air Museum or the Scottish Maritime Museum .

Family leisure centres include The Magnum , Galleon Leisure Centre and The Citadel in Ayr.

Other attractions can be found by accessing websites such as www.widecow.com and www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk .

Shows & Events

If you want to watch some live sporting action you can always catch Scottish Premier League action at Rugby Park home of Kilmarnock Football Club or Scottish Football League games at Ayr United . BT Premiership rugby action takes place at Millbrae, home of Ayr Rugby Club .

Ayr Racecourse has been recently refurbished and now offers an excellent day out for business or the family with more than two dozen top class meetings a year.

The seas around the Ayrshire Coast provide some of the finest sailing waters in the United Kingdom playing host to several large regattas and events. There are excellent mooring facilities at both Troon and Largs marinas.

Entertainment is available throughout Ayrshire with theatres in Kilmarnock ( The Palace Theatre ) Ayr ( The Gaiety , Borderline and the Civic Theatre) and The Magnum Theatre in Irvine.

Odeon cinemas in Kilmarnock and Ayr show the latest movies with online bookings.

Ayrshire is less than thirty minutes from the centre of Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, which provide some of the best venues for live music, theatre and entertainment in the country. The SEC , Kings Theatre , Theatre Royal , The Tron and Royal Concert Hall .

Online ticket booking for many Scottish shows is available at www.ticketmaster.co.uk

There are an increasing number of festivals taking place throughout Ayrshire during the year. These include Burns an a That in May – celebrating in music and the arts the life of Burns, Kirkmichael International Guitar Festival , The Marymass Festival in Irvine, The Largs Viking Festival or how about the Dundonald (Highland!) Games in August. The gardeners amongst you should not miss the annual Ayr Flower Show , which remains one of the biggest in Scotland.

Golf

Ayrshire is world famous for its golf courses and it boasts three Open Championship courses The Ailsa at Turnberry, Prestwick and Royal Troon and a host of quality courses such as Kilmarnock Barassie , Glasgow Gailes , Western Gailes , The Dundonald , IrvineBogside , West Kilbride , the Turnberry Kintyre and Prestwick St Nicholas .

In Troon you’ll find two of the best public courses in the country at Lochgreen and Darley . Inland courses also provide a challenge including the excellent Belleisle , Brunston Castle or Loudoun Gowf Club.

Discount golf cards are also available. Try the Open Qualifier Card (using the Qualifying courses at Barassie, Bogside and Glasgow Gailes) or South Ayrshire Councils Golf Pass for starters and play at Belleisle, Lochgreen and Darley in Troon and the wee gem at Girvan.

For the James Braid trail aficionados you can enjoy Bogside, Routenburn and West Kilbride.