Ayr at Dusk – the Auld Brig and the Tam o' Shanter
A few hours, from Ayr station and back.
The route
Ayr's Auld Brig has carried people over the River Ayr for centuries, and Burns gave it a voice in one of his poems.
An evening stroll over it and along the river ends at the Tam o' Shanter, a small thatched pub on the High Street that is said to be the oldest in town. It's a lovely way to see Burns's Ayr as the lights come on, with a dog or without.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Talli House, 20 miles away. Sleeps 4; next free Fri 30 Oct to Sun 1 Nov.
Then Crossbasket Castle, 30 miles away.
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The day
Ayr
A short walk over the old stone bridge and along the river as the light fades, then a drink by the fire in a thatched pub where Burns is never far away.
About two and a half hours
Auld Brig
From Ayr station, walk down through the town to the river and the Auld Brig, the old stone bridge at the foot of the High Street that only people on foot now use. There was a bridge here by 1236, and this one has been patched and rebuilt down the centuries. Burns wrote The Brigs of Ayr as a quarrel between this old bridge and the New Bridge just downstream, with the Auld Brig sure it would outlast its smart young neighbour. A storm brought the New Bridge down in 1879, so the old one had the last word. Cross to the far bank, walk down the riverside to the New Bridge and come back over it, with the old bridge's arches beside you on the water. From October to March the sun sets between about a quarter to four and seven, so the walk falls in the dusk. Keep to the town pavements and the riverside walk after dark.
About 6 min on foot
The Tam o' Shanter, Ayr
A drink
From the New Bridge, walk up the High Street to the Tam o' Shanter at number 230, a small thatched pub with strong Burns connections. It's said to be the oldest pub in Ayr and is the last one left on the High Street. An inglenook fireplace fills the main room, and there's one changing real ale on the bar. It opens at noon every day and stays open until 8pm from Sunday to Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Food is served until 5pm, or 7pm in summer, in the restaurant, where children are welcome. Dogs are welcome too. It's at its liveliest on a Friday, with the open mic night. Ayr station is a short walk back down the High Street.
If it rains
In rain, cross the Auld Brig and go straight up the High Street to the pub: the rest of the evening is indoors.
The Fox & Willow, a restaurant in Ayr.
Narture Sourdough Bakery, a café in Ayr.
Make it a weekend
More days out in Ayr.
Photograph by Derrick James McCall via Google