MINISHANT

Minishant is situated about two miles north of Maybole -a charming, straggling village in the lee of Brown Carrick Hill. Henrietta and Hugh Douglas have dug deeply into the past to uncover details of the days when this was the granary of the monks of Crossraguel Abbey, when Kennedys and Mures fought fiercely for power and when the village became a busy little place with two woollen mills

CROSSHILL

Crosshill is located 3 miles (5km) south east of Maybole in South Ayrshire. The area was first settled by Irish immigrants who employed themselves in the business of hand-loom weaving. They constructed many single-storey cottages a few of which may still be found on Dalhowan Street. The recorded population in 1991 was 531.

KIRKMICHAEL

Kirkmichael is situated on the Dyrock Burn 3 miles east of Maybole. Although a village with a long history and character of its own it has many ties with Maybole and its people. Listed below are links to some of pages on Maybole’s site relating to Kirkmichael and links to other sites of interest.

TURNBERRY

Turnberry is a village, famous for its iconic golf course which is one of the best in the world. Home to two championship courses and the Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy, golf enthusiasts should happily base themselves here. On the coast is Turnberry Lighthouse, built in 1873 and the ruins of Turnberry Castle, thought to be the birthplace of Robert the Bruce in 1274. The magnificent Culzean Castle in nearby and the granite island of Ailsa Craig, home to 40,000 gannets, is ten miles offshore.

KIRKOSWALD

The village of Kirkoswald is located 4 miles south-west of Maybole. It is well known as the village where Robert Burns attended school with Maybole notable William Niven. It is also here that we find the cottage of Souter Johnnie in which the 18th-century life of a cobbler is presented. Buried in the Kirkoswald churchyard are John Davidson and Douglas Graham, memorialised as Souter Johnnie and Tam o’ Shanter in the poem of Robert Burns.

MAYBOLE

Maybole is a burgh of barony and police burgh of South Ayrshire, Scotland. Pop. 4,760. It is situated 9 miles south of Ayr and 50 miles southwest of Glasgow by the Glasgow and South Western Railway.

MAIDENS

Maidens is a fishing village at the southern end of Maidenhead Bay 2 miles north of Turnberry and 5 miles west of Maybole. The village retains an old world air of peace and tranquility and is a favourite spot for artists and camera enthusiasts. It was at Maidens that Robert the Bruce landed when he sailed from Rathlin Island.

DUNURE

The village of Dunure is located 5 miles (8km) north west of Maybole in South Ayrshire. This fishing village is a fairly recent addition to the coastline, dating from the early 19th century. The harbour was improved in 1811, and along with the creation of building leases in 1819, led to the development of the village as a fishing station. Notable structures include Dunure House, built in 1800, Dunure Mill, and Dunure Castle at which the Commendator of Crossraguel Abbey was roasted.

STRAITON

Straiton is neatly placed a hundred yards above a sweeping bend of the winding Water of Girvan. Probably the first feature to impress the visitor is the width of the village street with its attractive stone-built cottages. The outline of Craigengower (the Hill of the Goats in Gaelic) forms a backdrop to the settlement itself. On the skyline stands the obelisk erected to the memory of Lt Col James Hunter Blair, killed at the battle of Inkerman in 1854.