Welcome to
EAST AYRSHIRE 2017 E FRE E GUleIaD se P one take
An Ayrshire Media Services Publication
ELCOM
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very warm welcome to our annual guide to the best in shopping, dining out, entertainment and culture in the towns and villages throughout East Ayrshire.
From our two largest towns – Kilmarnock and Cumnock – to some of the quieter reaches of the area we have travelled far to bring you a flavour of life in our little corner of the world. Two of Scotland’s most prestigious cultural events – The Cumnock Tryst and the Boswell Book Festival – take place within our borders. Read about them on And there are leisure and relaxation facilities to suit all ages at places such as the Galleon and Palace Theatre in Kilmarnock. Add to that the historical and cultural sites that abound in our towns and countryside and you have to agree that East Ayrshire is well worth the visit. We hope you enjoy your time with us.
Charlie Ranstead, Ayrshire Media Services
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n Ayrshire Media Services publishes a series of Welcome to.. booklets throughout the spring and summer months, highlighting the attractions of East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, Troon, Ayr & Prestwick and Carrick. To advertise in the next issue of any of these publications, please call us on 01292 319391 or email us at info@ayrshiremedia.com Ayrshire Media Services, 3 Dukes Road, Troon, Ayrshire KA10 6QR. www.ayrshiremedia.com
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Cultural Kilmarnock Kilmarnock with Kay Park and Burns Monument Centre in foreground. Above: Global Market. Below: Shona Kinloch sculpture
Global markets, theatre, museums, beautiful
architecture: Kilmarnock has it all.. and more
KILMARNOCK is the largest town and the main shopping hub of East Ayrshire, with excellent road, rail and bus links from Glasgow and the coast.
its beautiful red Ballochmyle sandstone buildings. Bank Street is a narrow cobbled street with a medieval layout which has the New Laigh Kirk as its main feature. The church has a compelling history as Edgar Allan Poe was sent here to copy inscriptions from gravestones as part of his schooling. Kilmarnock is home to several amusing and pertinent artworks by the award winning Scottish sculptor Shona Kinloch. These remarkable pieces make any stroll round
Noted for its beautiful Victorian sandstone buildings, the historic quarter sits alongside a modern shopping thoroughfare in Kilmarnock’s bustling town centre. Shopping in the town offers a mix of high street names together with an extensive range of independent retailers
providing a huge variety of bespoke products and services, complemented by an increasingly good choice of cafés, bars and restaurants to suit all palates and pockets. Kilmarnock is steeped in history. Johnnie Walker, one of the most recognised names in the world, started his business in Kilmarnock – he first marketed his ‘Walker’s Kilmarnock Whisky’ which then became ‘Johnnie Walker’. He is commemorated by a statue close to the Laigh Kirk in the town centre. Nearby in
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Strand Street is the fully restored former Johnnie Walker Bond warehouse, a beautiful historic building brought back to use as office space. At The Cross in the town centre is a statue of Robert Burns and the printer John Wilson, commemorating the publication of the first edition of Burns’ poems close to that site in 1786. The historic quarter centres around John Finnie Street and Bank Street. John Finnie Street is one of the finest examples in Scotland of Victorian street-planning with
Bank Street, The Cross, Foregate Square and King Street all the more memorable for their presence. The Dick Institute is Kilmarnock’s cultural centre, combining art galleries, a library and museum in one splendid setting. There are both permanent and temporary exhibitions of fine art, contemporary art and exhibitions depicting local and industrial history and natural sciences. The Palace Theatre hosts shows, concerts and theatrical performances.
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Meanwhile over at the Burns Monument Centre in Kay Park, a thriving marriage / function suite is complemented by an extensive Burns archive and centre for genealogical research. The town centre has a monthly farmers’ market, a huge global market twice a year and a programme of special events throughout the year, including the 10K running event ‘Roon the Toon’ in June. Check out www.eastayrshire.gov.uk to make sure you don’t miss out.
A town with a fascinating past, a bustling present and a vision for the future CUMNOCK, the second largest town in East Ayrshire, sits where the waters of the Glaisnock and Lugar meet.
The town has fascinating historical connections stretching back to the time of the Covenanters in the 1600s to the strong socialist heritage and its role as a mining centre. The founder of the Labour Party, James Keir Hardie, lived in the town for a large part of his life. Cumnock makes the most of its small-town charm, offering a refreshingly different range of shops which are unique in their individuality and personal service, all enhanced by a robust town centre regeneration programme. Whether you are looking for a new outfit, the perfect birthday present, home electronics or weekly groceries, the shops in Cumnock offer friendly service, professional advice and excellent value. Refreshments are in plentiful supply around the town centre, whether you are looking for a mid-morning coffee or sumptuous dinner. You will discover delicious home-baking and light lunches at a fine choice of cafes and hotels. The Baird Institute Museum
has a fascinating local history exhibition together with a rolling programme, so there is always something new to enjoy. It’s open Thursday - Saturday although closed on public holidays. Admission is free. Dumfries House www. dumfries-house.org.uk which lies just outside Cumnock, is open to visitors from April until October with the grounds and cafe open throughout the year. Several events take place at the beautifully restored mansion, including the wonderful Cumnock Tryst Music Festival every October, which brings world class musicians to the town. The Boswell Book Festival www.boswellbookfestival. co.uk is in May, which regularly attracts A-list personalities over its threeday run. There is also an excellent restaurant and an airy coffee house in the grounds of this impressively restored building. The Green Flag-winning Woodroad Park with its ancient woodland, nature trails and children’s play park, is a fantastic family facility, while Visions Leisure Centre offers superb facilities from a swimming and fitness suite to a wide range of aerobic classes.
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With a range of individual shops first class leisure facilities and some fascinating historical links, Cumnock offers an absorbing and rewarding destination for visitors.
Pictured left: Cumnock Town Hall with its bust of Keir Hardie; bottom left the impressive Cumnock Old Church at The Square; bottom right: the Dumfries Arms Hotel
Historic Cumnock
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WORDS HOOD M OTO R S & music How one small town became home to two major Scottish events
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TWO of Scotland’s premier cultural celebrations take place in and around Cumnock every year.
The Boswell Book Festival of Biography and Memoir is the only festival of its kind in the world and was launched at Auchinleck House in the grounds of the estate of James Bowell, the travelling companion and biographer of Samuel Johnson, who created the first dictionary of the English language. The Cumnock Tryst is an annual festival of classical music founded by Sir James MacMillan which takes place in venues around the town where MacMillan spent his formative years. 2017’s Boswell Book Festival will attract thousands of visitors over the weekend of Friday May 12 to Sunday 14 to the magnificently refurbished Dumfries House, which has been home to the festival for the past three years. The festival has in the past brought celebrities and writers such as Joanna Lumley, John Sessions, Gregor Fisher, Bill Paterson, John Byrne, Sally Magnusson, Kirsty Wark, James Naughtie, Kate Adie and Tam Dalyell. This year’s roster is no less stellar, featuring much-loved actor Nigel Havers, gritty Glaswegian character actor Alex Norton former Private Eye editor and Grumpy Old Man Richard Ingrams among many others. Running alongside the main festival is the
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Boswell Children’s Festival which brings some of the UK’s top children’s authors to the festival as well as several fun events to keep young visitors entertained. There is also The Royal Drawing School events running on the Saturday and Sunday with classes on drawing the clothed figure, drawing the head and sketching around the festival. Among the special events is The Lost Songs of St Kilda, played by Sir James MacMillan, a series of eight songs which have been reimagined, reinterpreted and remixed by contemporary composers including Sir James. The event is being organized in conjunction with the award-winning Cumnock Tryst, which this year takes place from September 27 to October 1. In March, the Tryst collected the Placemaking Award, a prestigious Arts and Business
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Scotland Award. Since its inception just three years ago, the Cumnock Tryst has brought some of the world’s greatest musicians to Ayrshire and encouraged community involvement through various church and hall venues. Schoolchildren and local musicians have been a central part of the festival from the beginning. Sir James declared as he launched the event: “There has been much talk and action on the issue of regeneration in Cumnock and the surrounding area in recent years. The world of politics and economics can seem very distant from the concerns and priorities of artists and musicians. We hope to build something beautiful here. It is a joy for me to bring The Tryst to Cumnock.” FOR MORE DETAILS: Visit boswellbook festival.co.uk and thecumnocktryst.com
The ultimate in fitness and leisure KILMARNOCK’S Galleon Centre provides a wide range of activities and facilities to satisfy all user groups: Swimming Pool and Teaching Pool, Ice Rink, Bowling Hall, Games Hall, Squash Courts, Sauna/Steam Room, Fitness Room and Group Exercise Studios. It is available each weekday from 6.30am-11pm, Saturday from 6.45am-8pm and 6.45am-11pm on a Sunday. A Creche is also available and during holiday periods a variety of Kids Clubs are in operation aimed at three different age groups: Turtles Club for 3-5 years old, Pirates Club for 5-8 year olds and Shipmates for 8-15 year olds. The Cordwainer Lounge on the ground floor provides an extensive breakfast and lunch menu or simple snacks and refreshments if preferred. Swimming Pool: Swimming is a fantastic activity which can be enjoyed by almost anyone. If you like a leisurely, relaxing swim or if you swim competitively you can do it in the Galleon Centre. The 25m pool plays host to a wide range of users including competitive Club Swimmers, Sub Aqua Club, Aquatrim, Laned Swimming, Swimming Lessons and Fun Sessions. The Fun Swims on a Friday Night appeal to all ages and with inflatables, slides and floats available you can’t help but have fun. Family Night on a Saturday sees more of the same but if high energy activity is not your thing why not enjoy some laned swimming any weekday between 12 noon and 2pm. The Centre offers a Swimming Lesson programme which caters for all ages and all levels of ability from complete beginners (adult of child) to advanced swimmers who want to achieve the perfect stroke. Fitness Room: Situated on the first floor, the Fitness Room provides a range of equipment to satisfy the ever increasing user needs of today’s market. Cardiovascular Fitness is normally high on everyone’s agenda and the range of
equipment on offer includes Treadmills, Cross Trainers, Cycles, Rowers and a variety of other specialist items. The resistance and free weights area of the Fitness Room has an extensive selection of equipment, bars and dumbbells for all levels of strength and ability. The Functional Fitness area offers the most up to date methods of achieving those fitness goals. Over 80 items of equipment are available in the Fitness Room and, being fully air conditioned and supervised by qualified instructors, it is widely recognised as one of the finest in the area. Don’t worry if you’re new to a fitness routine and feeling slightly daunted by a visit to the gym. We insist that all customers go through an Induction Course prior to using the equipment. It covers all safety aspects and use of equipment to ensure everyone can be comfortable in starting out. Group Exercise: The benefits to be gained through participation in group exercise classes are widely recognised and the Galleon Centre provides more than most. Over 80 classes each week are on offer including high intensity Body Combat, Metafit, Spinning and Circuit Training workouts. If you prefer the ultimate weights workout you’ve got to try Body Pump. There is also a variety of Yoga, Pilates and Body Balance classes which, amongst other things, will vastly improve your Core Strength, Flexibility and provide an inner sense of wellbeing. l For a full list of classes available or for further information on the Galleon Centre please visit www.galleoncentre.com.
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l The Galleon’s ice rink is very much in demand. As well as the usual public skating sessions, the rink is used for both curling and hockey l The Centre also has its own sauna and steam room with a range of sessions for men, women and families
l Youngsters are well catered for at the Galleon. Among the activities available is a six-week Teenfit course for those aged between 13 and 15. And in the summer holidays the Galleon Centre runs its popular ‘Shipmates’ programme for younger children. Kids can enjoy table tennis, pool, football, badminton and arts and crafts.
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It’s all going swimmingly FOLLLOWING decades of decline, Ayrshire’s former mining towns are in the process of redefining themselves.
And nowhere is this more prevalent than in New Cumnock, a once thriving pit town at the southern tip of East Ayrshire. At the heart of the revival has been a very strong community spirit which, together with support from various funding bodies including the Dumfries House Trust, East Ayrshire
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• The newlook Town Hall, far left, and the plans for the lido and assorted developments Coalfield Environment Initiative and East Ayrshire Council, is bringing about a leisure-based transformation of the centre of the village. Once earmarked for demolition, New Cumnock Town Hall has been fully refurbished and is offering facilities that have long
been absent and sorely missed. The building has been given a major facelift outside and in, with a large main hall with balcony seating versatile enough to be used as a meeting place, reception hall and cinema. Smaller rooms inside offer flexible use for a
variety of local clubs and organisations.One room, kitted out with a suite of computers, is being used for a job club. Directly opposite the Town Hall is the site for the village’s second major development – the upgrading of the open-air pool. With Prince Charles scheduled to perform the official opening on June 14, the lido is part of a wider plan to create a multi-purpose community venue with facilities such as a fitness suite and a tearoom.
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Bank on a bit of retail therapy BANK Street in the centre of Kilmarnock has a style of its own. Among the quaint shop fronts you can find a diverse range of smaller, independent traders as well as a sprinkling of cafes and bars that make this area well worth a visit whether you fancy a bit of browsing or stopping off for a coffee or a snack.
37 Bank Street Kilmarnock KA1 1ER Telephone: 01563 573063
COVE boutique
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Majical Blooms
SET within the Galloway and South Ayrshire Biosphere is the Scottish Dark Skies Observatory. Sitting on a hilltop near Loch Doon, the observatory includes a 20-inch Corrected Dall Kirkham telescope in a five-metre dome and a 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope for a more hands-on, open air observing experience. There is also an indoor presentation room and a wheelchair-accessible elevated observing deck from which to enjoy naked-eye observing of the night sky. The observatory is open to the public, amateur astronomers, groups, clubs, schools and universities, with the aim of inspiring people of all ages and all backgrounds with the wonder of the universe. The Dark Sky Park – the first of its kind in Europe – is to host the first European Dark Sky Conference in September this year in Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfriesshire. Among the speakers will be Professor John C Brown, the 10th Astronomer General for Scotland. See eudarkskiesconference.com for full information.
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Getting up close and personal with nature OF the many ways to appreciate the beauty of East Ayrshire’s wide open spaces, one of the best is on foot.
Outdoors types are well catered for in our towns and countryside, with a large network of footpaths criss-crossing the area. If you fancy taking a stroller’s view of the local wildlife and ecology, then ayrshirepaths.org.uk is a pretty good place to start. Some of the best walks can be found in the
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Irvine Valley and around New Cumnock, where half a dozen Access Network Routes offer well designated paths through places of interest. The Knockshinnoch Lagoons path passes through a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve overlooking a series of ponds and marshes on the site of an old coalmine. The Irvine Valley Walking Festival takes place on May 12-14 2017.See their Facebook page for details.
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C I S U M s r a e r u to o
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AYRSHIRE and music are inextricably linked, and the towns and villages around East Ayrshire are blessed with fine musicians, great performances and music livers in their hordes. Wherever you are, you are never far from a music festival of some kind. The largest town, Kilmarnock, has plentiful open mic venues as well as places such as the Bellfield Tavern, Fanny By Gaslight, Bakers Night Club and the Grand Hall at the Palace Theatre where local and national stars are known to drop by. The town also has its Dirty Weekender Festival of feisty sounds, while the Irvine Valley has the Darvel Music Company, organisers of the town festival and promoters of regular live music. Find them on Facebook. This year, two new organisations are setting up their own events: Dalrymple’s first Doonfest and Sweet Afton Water Acoustic (SAW), who have set up in the Town Hall and are attracting musicians and fans from far and wide to their monthly sessions. As part of their summer festival over two weekends,
• Duffy’s Cafe Orchestra
• Dalrymple Ukulele Orchestra
SAW are preparing to host the Meadows, a Welsh family group and Kirsty Murphy from the USA as they take their Celtic Journey event around Wales, Scotland and Ireland on Saturday, July 29. The previous Saturday sees a full bill of artistes in the opening concert of the festival with Tap O’ The Hill and Chris Rogers closing the festival on Sunday July 30. Meanwhile, Doonfest takes place from July 7 to 9 in the grounds of Dalrymple Primary School and in Dalrymple Church. It’s shaping up to be a superb event, with some
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top local acts scheduled to appear, among them the wonderful Duffy’s Cafe Orchestra, the Dalrymple Ukulele Orchestra, Simon Atkinson, Chloe Marie, Mike Daly’s Rhythm Kings, The Peas and Michael Edgar. There are MCs on Friday and Saturday night and throughout the festival there will be workshops and kids’ entertainment. There is also (very) wild camping available. See the Doonfest Facebook page for full details.
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