We passed through Maybole on our trip to Ayrshire. I missed its War Memorial (but subsequently found it is here, just outside the town)

However in the town centre there was this Great War Centenary Figure and installation:-

Since we were in the area we thought we’d have a look at Burns’s Cottage again – only this time we would go inside.

Cottage from road:-

Tam O’Shanter planter outside Burns’s Cottage, Alloway:-

Cottage from rear:-

Burn’s Cottage sign on Poet’s Path:-

This information board says how Burns’s father planned to develop the field beyond:-

In the field is this wicker sculpture of Burns’s most famous character, Tam O’Shanter, on his mare, Meg:-

Silhouettes in wall of field:-

I suddenly realised today that I hadn’t posted the photo of Alloway War Memorial that I took in early August. It’s set into the wall of the Public Hall more or less opposite Burns’s cottage. The upper area commemorates the Great War. The smaller plaque below is for World War 2.

Just to the side is a seat. I like the fact it is inscribed “Lest We Forget.”

After Culzean we came back via Alloway and of course came across this:-

Familiar not only from shortbread tins but tea towels, mugs, plates, memorabilia of all sorts.

And this is the rather more elaborate memorial to Scotland’s greatest poet than the house he was born in.

It was late when we got there and the memorial and the rather nice looking gardens surrounding it were both shut for the day. Between Burns’s Cottage and the Memorial there is a so-called Poet’s Path leading past a sports ground and every so often there are silhouettes like this in painted metal showing scenes from Burns’s poem Tam O’ Shanter.

The path leads down to opposite Auld Alloway Kirk. The building was derelict even when Robert Burns was a boy, reputed to be the haunt of ghoulies and ghosties and so became the inspiration for Tam O’ Shanter.

Burns’s father is buried there.*

With a Burns verse to him on the stone’s rear.

*Edited to add:- The grave is also that of Burns’s mother, here commemorated, in that old Scottish tradition, under her maiden name, Agnes Brown.

On the way to Culzean I’d noticed a few War Memorials in the various towns/villages we passed through.

On the way back I stopped to take photographs.

The one in Darvel is restrained and cenotaph-like. This is it seen from the right.

And here’s the other side.

The memorial in Newmilns is very dignified.

We took a day trip over to Ayrshire a couple of weeks ago as we had never before been to Culzean Castle.

The castle is very imposing as you cross over a bridge on the walk from the car park.

This is not how it was originally. It was built as a square tower – typical of the defensive arrangements needed for such buildings in the Middle Ages and to the right here – and has been added to over the years.

The interiors are very impressive. Robert Adam was given the commission to design them in the late 18^th century. He had a passion for symmetry.

Like most National Trust properties no photos are allowed inside. We took the guided tour.

I was surprised the guide expressed puzzlement as to the origin of the unusual pronunciation of Culzean (Cull-ain.) I suggested to him it was most likely due to the old Scottish letter yogh, which looked a bit like the number 3 and fell out of use when printing arrived as the English alphabet didn’t have it; z was used as the nearest approximation, hence Culzean, McFadzean, Menzies, Dalziel etc. The surname MacKenzie would have been pronounced MacKen-yie way back then; the town of Lenzie similarly.

General (later President) Dwight D Eisenhower was given a suite of rooms in Culzean for his lifetime as a gift from a grateful UK government. He visited once when President of the US, so Culzean became a temporary White House. These rooms are not on the tour. They’re now used as a hotel.

This clocktower building is directly opposite the entrance to the Castle proper. It’s substantial enough on its own.

Culzean’s grounds are enormous. We had a long walk to the Swan Pond (there were no swans) came back by a different route and barely touched the acres available.

This building in the grounds close to the castle had a sort of deco look; especially to the windows.