Ayr, Scotland: 3 Cool Visitor Attractions You Mustn’t Miss

Posted by joanne on October 30th, 2008 at 08:55pm

Ayr is the largest town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde and, for hundreds of years, it was a prestigious trading center and seaport, surprisingly, at one time, it was about the same as Glasgow in size and importance to the nation of Scotland. The towns tourist business really started during Victorian times. Nowadays Ayr is still a popular place for tourists to stay due, partly, to the towns relationship with Robert Burns but also because of the many visitor attractions to be discovered in and around Ayr. Below we have listed information about three popular tourist attractions worth visiting; The Auld Brig, The Electric Brae and Greenan Castle.

Greenan Castle

During the 12th century, Roger De Scalebroc built a fortress, which was later the site of Greenan Castle. In 1476, the Lands of Greenan were lost by John, Earl of Ross and Lord of the Isles, for his treason against James III. The Lands of Greenan were then given to William Douglas, who was the son of Archibald, Earl of Angus, by James IV, in 1493. The rectangular tower house was erected in the early 17th century, by John Kennedy Baltersan, and the original fortess was immersed in this construction. Erected on the edge of a sheer coastal cliff, Greenan Castle is in a stunning situation, with breathtaking views. Not far from the castle is a large stone, where the Picts and the Scots are rumoured to of signed the peace treaty.

The Auld Brig

The Auld Brig is not the only bridge in Ayr, in fact, over the years there have been three. The others were the New Brig and the old iron footbridge. Long before the Auld Brig was built, in 1470, the only way over the river, and into town, was over a wooden bridge. In 1788, the New Brig was built, but sadly washed away during a flood about one hundred later. Once again the Auld Brig became the main crossing until another New Bridge could be built (1878). A lot of people know of the Auld Brig thanks to Robert Burns, who wrote the poem, ‘The Brigs of Ayr’.

The Electric Brae

This naturally occurring phenomenon can be found in Ayrshire, Scotland. The Electric Brae is a gravity hill, where a motionless car on the road, with the brakes off, will appear to slowly move uphill. This is purely an optical illusion which is due to the way the landscape lies. There once were metal markers on the road pointing to the spot, but these have now been replaced with a stone cairn. The stone cairn is also engraved with an explanation of the Electric Brae. Originally people thought the phenomenon was due to an electric or magnetic force within the Brae, hence the name.

If you are considering taking a vacation in Scotland and you plan to spend a few days in Ayr you may wish to book your accommodation online and you will find listings of accommodation and hotels in Ayr at http://www.ayrhotelscotland.com.

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