It sits at the mouth of the River Ayr and has a history as old as the hills. Established as a Royal Burgh in 1205, Ayr is the largest town in South Ayrshire and home to a fabulous beach.
Anyone fancy a dip? Well go right ahead. Ayr beach has been awarded a Seaside Award from Keep Scotland Beautiful.
Shopping is lots of fun here, too. In addition to the High Street, there is retail therapy to be enjoyed at Ayr Central Shopping Centre, the Kyle Centre and Heathfield Retail Park.
After hitting the shops, the town’s Newmarket Street has a wealth of bars and restaurants for a pit-stop.
Enjoy a cocktail at the swish Waterfront Bar on South Harbour Street or some top Italian cuisine at Vito’s.
Alternatively, the family-run Chestnuts Hotel Restaurant, just off the seafront, has an excellent reputation and specialises in local produce.
For residents and many visitors there’s plenty to do. Heads of Ayr Farm Park is a great day out for younger families, while the Citadel Leisure Centre is a much-loved community sports venue.
Ayr Racecourse, which has played host to the Scottish Grand National since 1965, is a popular attraction for those with a new hat to show off.
Another local legend is the recently refurbished Gaiety Theatre.
The town is well-served by transport links with Prestwick airport on the doorstep and the ports of Troon and Cairnryan providing an easy sail to Ireland.
While many of the 50,000 residents work locally, many commute to Glasgow, only 35 miles north. The M77 takes drivers into the heart of the city and there are frequent express coaches to Buchanan Bus Station as well as a regular train service.
The average property price in South Ayrshire is currently £153,705, which is lower than the Scottish average of £166,624.
This means, if you’re keen to get on the property ladder, Ayr offers some fabulous buys.
Currently on the market are three and even four-bedroomed flats from around £40,000 and three-bedroomed terraced homes from £65,000.
At the top end of the market, the swish suburb of Alloway, best known as the birthplace of Rabbie Burns, has incredibly handsome stone-built detached homes that command up to £750,000 for a four-bedroomed villa in an acre of gardens.
If this isn’t incentive enough to move to Ayr, new plans to regenerate the centre are causing great excitement.
Designs by renowned American architect Charles Jencks show a dramatic, riverside cultural quarter which, if granted planning, will offer new homes, shops, restaurants and offices.
There’s never been a better time to buy in Ayr.