20 Attractions to Explore Near Thomaston Castle

Culzean Castle is a beautiful fantasy castle created by Robert Adam in 1772-1790 for the 10th Earl of Cassillis. Culzean is notable for its elegant oval staircase, circular saloon, painted ceilings and delicate friezes, this is one of Adam's greatest creations. The clifftop castle lies within the Culzean Castle Country Park and is opened to the public. From 1972 through 2015, an illustration of the castle was featured on the reverse side of five pound notes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

The former home of the shoemaker John Davidson, immortalised by Robert Burns as Souter Johnie in his supernatural tale Tam o' Shanter. This is a beautiful thatched cottage with restored 18th-century domestic and workshop interiors, containing shoemaking tools and Burns-related artefacts.

Kirkoswald Parish Church is located in the small village of Kirkoswald, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is a parish church in the Church of Scotland. The church is unusual in that its design was, at the very least, strongly influenced by Robert Adam, one of Scotland's outstanding architects. He was working at the time on his masterpiece, Culzean Castle, and there are many Adam features about the church. It was built in 1777 and is essentially unchanged since.

Crossraguel Abbey is one of the best preserved, most varied and most interesting of the many abbey ruins that are dotted across Scotland. Despite being a place of worship, this Cluniac monastery saw its fair share of conflict. The monks’ loyalty to Robert the Bruce eventually saw Crossraguel severely damaged in the Wars of Independence.

The Electric Brae is a gravity hill in Ayrshire, Scotland, where a freewheeling vehicle will appear to be drawn uphill by some mysterious attraction. The phenomenon is an optical illusion. There is more than one stretch of road known as the Electric Brae. The most famous is on the A719, south of Dunure, not far from Ayr, between Drumshrang and Knoweside. Metal road signs that used to mark the location have tended to be taken by visitors, and have been replaced by a stone inscribed with an explan

Baltersan Castle is a ruined L-plan tower house located near Maybole, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It was originally graded as a Category B listed building in 1971, but this was upgraded to Category A in 1995. It is currently for sale and is listed as at moderate risk by the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland.

Turnberry Castle is a fragmentary ruin on the coast of Kirkoswald parish, near Maybole in Ayrshire, Scotland.[1] Situated at the extremity of the lower peninsula within the parish, it was the seat of the Earls of Carrick. Turnberry Castle is adjacent to Turnberry Golf Course. Turnberry Castle is surrounded on three sides by the sea, and the landward side is occupied by a golf resort. The ruin has been affected by the actions of centuries of severe weather and erosion by the sea, leaving little m

A beautiful wide sandy beach in a rural surrounding, backed by the famous Ailsa Golf Course, a regular spot on the Open Championships. To the north of the beach, visitors can walk to Turnberry Lighthouse, now converted into a suite of the Trump Turnberry luxury hotel (yes, as in Donald), attached to the golf courses in the area.

Maybole Castle, a former seat of the Earls of Cassillis, dates to 1560 and still remains, although aspects of the castle are viewed as "of concern". The Castle is the oldest inhabited house in the town having been built about the middle of the sixteenth century. It was built in the style of a typical Scottish castle, with square tower and round turrets, and strong enough to protect its occupants from unfriendly neighbours, of whom there were many at that time.

Kennedy Park is a park in Scotland. It is situated in Dunure, close to Dunure Castle. There are so many thing s to see and do around this park and also it is a good holiday destination with family.

Dunure Labyrinth is a community-funded project constructed and maintained by local volunteers and pagan groups. Poised between Dunure Castle and the beach of the same name, puzzling through the labyrinth is an atmospheric experience steeped in both history and nature. You will also have lots of time to reflect and meditate as you unravel the solution to the labyrinthine mystery.

Dunure Castle was once the main fortress of the powerful Kennedy family, the Earls of Cassilis. The castle's origins probably date back to at least the 1200s when a stone keep was built on an easily defensible rocky outcrop overlooking the Firth of Clyde. Today the castle stands in ruins on a rocky promontory on the Carrick coast, overlooking the small harbour of Dunure.

Brown Carrick Hill is the highest hill close to Ayr. It is situated on a range that runs from south of Alloway Village on the south side of Ayr, to Dunure 5 miles south. It overlooks the Heads of Ayr to the north and the Firth of Clyde to the north and west. A subsidiary summit reaches 279m (915 feet) a half-mile to the east northeast is crowned by police transmitter masts.

Dalquharran Castle consists of a ruined 15th-century tower, with a round tower at one corner. It was extended to form an L-plan, and rises to three storeys and a garret within the corbelled-out crenellated parapet. The castle was extended and altered in the late 17th century, and was surrounded by gardens and landscaped grounds. The basement is vaulted.

Dalquharran Castle is a category A listed building in South Ayrshire, Scotland, designed by Robert Adam and completed around 1790. The first recorded lord of the property which already included a castle, was Gilbert Kennedy, as stated in a 1474 Charter for the nearby Crossraguel Abbey; the estate was later owned by the Kennedy family for centuries.

The Water of Girvan is a beautiful river in South Ayrshire, which has its source at Loch Girvan Eye in the Carrick Forest section of Galloway Forest Park. This 28-mile river passes through the villages of Straiton, Kirkmichael and Dailly en route to the Firth of Clyde at Girvan Harbour.

The Cassillis Estate, based in Maybole, is nestled amongst 310 acres of land in the sprawling countryside. The castle, which has 112 rooms, is set in a 285-acre estate, and the tower is harled and washed in yellow. It was now one of the iconic attractions in this area and it attracts a lot of tourists to here.

Greenan Castle is a 16th-century ruined tower house, around 2+1⁄2 miles southwest of Ayr in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Situated at the top of a sea cliff, it was originally a promontory fort converted into a motte-and-bailey in the 12th century. In the 15th century a tower house was built by the Lords of the Isles, which later passed into the hands of the Kennedy family.

This is a late medeival high single arched bridge crossing the River Doon at the south end of Alloway. It is believed to have been built in the 1400s: until then it had been necessary to cross the river using a ford. As a result a new bridge was built a couple of hundred yards downstream. This opened to traffic in 1816, and today still carries the main road through Alloway south towards Maybole and beyond.

Girvan Golf Course is one of eight fine courses owned and managed by South Ayrshire Council. Although a municipal course it provides the only golf in Girvan and there is a thriving independent local club with the members having facilities within the municipal clubhouse. Although not of Championship standard, Girvan provides a golfing test of considerable charm and aesthetic pleasure.