Ayr

A few photos from a brief visit to this lovely old town in 2008

The Wallace Tower in the High Street

Built in 1833 to replace the previous structure in which Sir William Wallace is said to have been imprisoned for setting fire to a barn with 500 English soldiers inside. This is a Neo-Gothic clock tower, 113 ft high, with a statue of William Wallace carved in the facade.

The Town Hall spire beside one of the main roads

The 'New Bridge' across the River Ayr

The Fort Wall is very interesting to visit - I came upon it by accident when walking around the harbour area. This ruin is part of the citadel built in the 17th century on the orders of Oliver Cromwell. The round turret overlooking the street and harbour was constructed in the 19th century by John Miller and is known as “Miller’s Folly”. When Miller returned from India he acquired the Citadel and actually lived inside. It’s less than a mile from the town and worth seeing.

A few more photos from around the harbour area

Although we started off with nice dry weather, it didn't last and later in the afternoon the rain poured down. We escaped for a while to the Costa Cafe inside Waterstones (above!) but it was still very wet by the time we went over to the Esplanade. Our plan to have a walk was shattered despite waiting in the car for some time. As with so many other places, it's somewhere to return to in future...

A video from inside the car, windows firmly shut!