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Auchincruive
View towards Arran
Dundonald Castle
river ayr
Y GREAT GRANDPARENTS FROM AYR AND I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET THERE TO RESEARCH MOE ON MY ANCESTRY/ HAVE IN THE PAST ONLY GOTTEN AS FAR AS EDINBURGH. PLEASE TELL ME IF THERE IS A TRAIN THAT WE CAN TAKE FROM AYR TO EDINBURGH. WE PLANE ON MAKING THE TRIP TO SCOTLAND IN MID TO END OF DEC. THIS YR. 2010. ALSO MY HUSBAND WANTS TO VISIT IRELAND-NOT BELFAST AREA EITH CORK OR DUBLIN AND WANT TO KNOW IS THERE A WAY OTHER THAN AIR TO GET TO IRELAND TO PLACES I MENTIONED EITHER BY FERRY OR TRAIN AND HOW DO WE GET TRAIN PASSES IF WE CAN DO ALL THIS BY TRAIN FROM AYR TO EDINBURGH AND ALSO FROM AYR (AREA) TO IRELAND BY TRAIN? WE ARE SO CONFUSED IN HOW TO GO ABOUT THIS ALSO FROM AYR TO EDINBURGH DO YOU KNOW IF THE NATIONAL EXPRESS BUS GOES THERE-THANKS- EMAIL IS jaymel@verizon.net
........& national express are www.nationalexpress.com.
Btw please don't SHOUT: a post all in upper case is very difficult to read.
Trains from Ayr to Glasgow Central are very regular. Probably 2 per hour. Fast train maybe 45 minutes.
There are some services from Central to Edinburgh, but most operate from Glasgow Queen Street. It's a 10 minute walk between stations. Trains to Edinburgh from Queen St are every 15 minutes and journey time is about 45 minutes.
You can take the train from Ayr to Stranraer at the moment, connecting with the Stena ferry to Belfast. You can get the train from Belfast to Dublin (you'd need a taxi from the ferry terminal to the station in Belfast). BUT Stena is going to move its Stranraer terminal and I'm not sure how it will work when that happens.
You do not automatically need train passes.
You need to work out what the cost of your journeys will be, and then investigate the cost of a Britrail pass. Chances are the pass will not be worthwhile.
You can buy cheaper advance tickets, when they are available, up to 6pm the night before travel at stations. Trains do not get full-up unless they are reservation-only and I'm not aware of any which are (other than sleepers).
You already have the link for train times, details and fares. Although the winter timetable will differ somewhat, you can get a rough idea by looking now.
www.nationalexpress.com will give you long-distance bus routes, times and fares.
You can take the ferry to Belfast from Stranraer (assuming the route continues) and then train to Dublin/Cork. You will need euro in the Republic of Ireland, and GBP in Northern Ireland.
www.irishrail.ie will give you train times and fares for Ireland.
Flying to Dublin or Cork with a budget carrier would make sense, but you will need to book well in advance to get best fares. Hold baggage limit is 20kg for most carriers but only 15kg for Ryanair.
www.whichbudget.com lists all European budget carriers and their routes. Timetables and booking are usually available around 6 months in advance of flights.
I've found the Stena website. It should keep you informed about any changes in Stranraer.
http://www.stenaline.co.uk/ferry/
I'm also giving you the website of the Scottish train company - it runs all the services in Scotland you're likely to use, and would also advise of any service changes in Stranraer.
http://www.scotrail.co.uk/
The trip from Ayr to Stranraer is very scenic.
Ruined abbey a couple of miles outside of Maybole on the main A77 road. Its owned by Historic Scotland. Although the Benedictine Abbey was founded in 1244 most of the current remains date from the 1400s. There is a large gatehouse and tower house and also a well preserved dovecote with 240 nestng boxes which used to give the monks a source of food.
Ardrossan has long been known as a place to get a ferry over to the Island of Arran.
However in recent years it has had somewhat of a makeover. The town now boasts a modern marina, surrounded by modern apartments. No doubt shops and restaurants will follow.
An up and coming place for the future?
A former big house and grounds, the house is now a hotel and the grounds open to the public. Its home to a municipal golf course as well as beautiful gardens, plenty woodland areas, a playground, pets corner (with parrots, pigeons, guinea pigs, rabbits etc) and an enclosure with deer and some rather pregnant looking donkeys and shetland ponies. And of course a teashop and a bar! I used to love going there on a sunny day with my aunt when I was younger. This picture was taken in the big greenhouse next to the gardens. Its always been my favourite part of the park.
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