​Culzean Castle is undoubtedly one of Scotland's most beautiful buildings and a popular Ayrshire visitor attraction. Although perched dramatically on a cliff top overlooking the Firth of Clyde, it was never intended as a fortress.
Designed by renowned architect Robert Adam for David Kennedy, 10th Earl of Cassillis, it was built as a romantic castle style family home.
Originally commissioned in 1777 to replace a more basic structure, building work was finally completed in 1792. Donated to the National Trust of Scotland by the Kennedy family in 1945, today the magnificent Adam masterpiece attracts visitors from all over the world.

Thanks to the NTS, the 18th century mansion and its interior have been well preserved and it would be unthinkable that such a grand and relatively modern building could ever be allowed to fall to ruin.  Yet head a little further east in Ayrshire and you might be surprised to discover that the once equally beautiful younger sister of Culzean has succumbed to that very misfortune. 

For my third day touring Southern Scotland with Barbour, it was time to leave Dumfries and Galloway and travel further west into Ayrshire.  I wanted to showcase Alloway which happens to not only be one of the prettiest villages in Scotland, but also the birthplace of Scotland's National Bard, Robert Burns.
If you ever wanted to find out more about this iconic Scottish poet, there is no better place to visit in Scotland as Alloway celebrates his life and work in a range of attractions, from the cottage he was born in, to the modern Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.  Even the lamp posts, flower boxes and street names have all had a Burns themed makeover!

With plenty of parking, the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum is a good place to start your quest to learn more about the man himself.  It was built specifically to house the world's biggest collection of Burns related artifacts including original manuscripts written in his own hand and some of his personal belongings.  The collection was started just after his death in 1796 and now has over 5,500 objects.
The Birthplace Museum actually includes a further five sites within the village of Alloway and after an interesting introduction to the complex life of Robert Burns, it was time for us to follow in his footsteps on the Burns' Trail and find out more about the local places and characters that inspired some of his most important work.

For our next stop we travelled back in time to where the story of Robert Burns began, quite literally, as Burns Cottage is the place he was born on 25th January 1759 and spent the first 7 years of his life.  This pretty clay cottage, complete with thatched roof, was actually built by Robert's father, William Burns in 1757 and incorporated 2 rooms, a byre and a barn.
When the family moved out, William sold the cottage and it was leased out by the owners as an alehouse but shortly after the death of Robert Burns, the alehouse had to be extended due to the number of visitors attracted by the spreading fame of the poet.  In 1881 the cottage was bought by the trustees of the Burns Monument who spent 26 years restoring it to its original condition.  Today visitors can get an insight into what life was like in the early years of Scotland's Bard.

Image Credit - Sean Elliott Photography for Barbour

The Poet's Path was designed as a link between Burns Cottage and the other attractions in Alloway.  Look out for some quirky sculptures that celebrate some of the work of Robert Burns including a series of 10 weather-vanes with scenes from the famous 'Tam O'Shanter', a very large mouse that could never be described as a 'wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie' and a fox inspired by his poem 'On Glenriddel's Fox Breaking His Chain'.

A short walk from the Poet's Path takes you to Alloway Auld Kirk, which is undeniably atmospheric and dare I say a little bit creepy!  This might have something to do with a childhood learning 'Tam O'Shanter' which features this ruined Kirk as the place poor Tam stumbles upon a macabre scene, with warlocks and witches dancing to a tune played on the bagpipes by the Devil.  A drunken Tam stupidly disturbs their antics and they pursue him and his grey mare, Meg, towards Brig O' Doon, where they narrowly escape over the bridge with their lives as the witches can't cross the running water, although poor Meg did lose her tail. 
Exploring here as an adult, I can still imagine that it is the sort of place that witches might gather.  The ornate and eerie headstones, coupled with iron mortsafes designed to stop grave robbers gave us all a chill which couldn't simply be blamed on the damp weather!
As you enter Alloway Auld Kirk, you also can't miss the grave of William Burns, Robert's father, complete with an epitaph on the rear of the headstone composed by the poet.

Mauchline is a characterful little town in East Ayrshire with a long and varied history.  It is the home of Mauchline ware the famous wooden souvenirs and the only curling stone factory in the world, however the main reason many people visit here is the strong connections to Scotland's National Bard, Robert Burns.
Mauchline is mentioned in every Burns trail and with good reason.  He spent four important years here from 1784 to 1788 and during that time he experienced many highs and lows including

• Leasing local Mossgeil farm with his brother after their father died
  
• Fathering his first child to one of the farm servants
  
• Meeting and later marrying Jean Armour, they had four children here who unfortunately died
  
• During his on and off relationship with Jean Armour he married 'Highland' Mary Campbell who also fell pregnant with his child, they planned to emigrate to Jamaica, however Mary died later that year
  
• Setting out and publishing his Kilmarnock Edition, a collection of his poems published in 1786 by John Wilson of Kilmarnock, the 612 copies sold out in just over a month
  
• Writing approx 56 poems including some of his most famous such as 'Holy Willies Prayer', 'The Twa Dogs'. 'The Belles of Mauchline', 'The Jolly Beggars Cantata' and 'To a Mouse'
  

I had never been to Mauchline before and decided this week that it was time to visit the area of Scotland that inspired many of my favourite Burns poems.  The day I visited it was bucketing with rain which meant that I didn't manage to enjoy a full walk around the town, however there was still plenty to do and my first stop at the free Burns House Museum was a warm and welcome shelter from the wet deluge outside.  A 20 minute video about the Bard's life during the period he resided here was an informative introduction to the complicated life of the poet.  The museum is situated in a building where Burns and his wife Jean Armour spent some time living and features a recreation of the room they lodged in.  The museum also houses Burns artifacts and even has a listening snug where you can relax and enjoy his poems.  There has been alot of thought put into this museum and it's exhibits and the fact that it is free makes it an ideal starting point when visiting the town.

I'm going to put it out there, Culzean Country Park and it's instantly recognisable castle is one of my favourite Scottish attractions.  I've been visiting this National Trust for Scotland property since my early childhood and 3 decades later not much has changed.  There have been a few improvements and alterations here and there but overall this timeless classic of a park has pretty much remained the same giant playground for adventurers of all ages that I nostalgically remember.

The Robert Adam designed clifftop castle is no doubt the sparkling gem of this Ayrshire crown but the surrounding grounds offer an array of natural and historic twinkling jewels which compliment it perfectly.
The castle is open to the public and you can choose to tour the beautifully furnished room at your own pace or as part of a guided tour.  The armoury is particularly impressive as it holds one of the world's largest collection of swords and pistols. 
The manicured gardens below the castle with the groomed green lawn, ornate fountain and palm trees makes a perfectly picturesque lunch spot.