CHOOSE ROUTE 77

It’s time to hit the road for shops, culture leisure and food

The A77 is a long stretch of road running from Glasgow to Portpatrick on the Irish Sea and it’s close to a wide range of towns, such as Giffnock, Newton Merarns, Kilmarnock, Prestwick and Aye.

All of these are popular shopping destinations, most with classic high street shops as well as great independent businesses, with the A77 providing the easiest access.

This road is always busy, as it has commuters, tourists and HGVs in abundance, but you can usually avoid the busiest times unless you’re heading for specific ferries out of Stranraer, Cairnryan and Troon or an airport departure in Prestwick. In parts it’s also a wonderfully scenic route, with lovely views over the Firth of Clyde, Irish Sea and Ailsa Craig.

It has its fair share of garden centres and other attractions nearby, which presents a great choice of places to eat at the same time. Most of these have home cooking and baking on offer, as well as the usual tempting goods which make garden centres so popular, as well as practical.

The A77 is the first part of many journeys, with the famous Turnberry Golf Course and Culzean Castle just two of the many landmarks close by which welcome a constant stream of visitors from all directions.

There are clifftop walks throughout the Ayrshire coast, along with ancient buildings and historical sites such as Dunure’s ruined coastal castle.

No trip down – or up – the A77 is complete without referencing Robert Burns, whether visiting his birthplace museum or the Old Kirk in Alloway.