FOR…LOCATION, LOCATION

Ayr, Ayrshire

This pretty resort on the west coast of Scotland comes up as one the cheapest seaside towns in the UK, yet it would be hard to better the location. In the heart of Burns country (the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum is one of its attractions), the medieval harbour town straddles the River Ayr on the shores of the

Firth of Clyde. The area is famous for its fertile farmland, its golf courses (Troon and Turnberry among others), romantic castles and long, sandy beaches. Home to the Scottish Grand National, it offers leafy streets of sandstone villas and, as Ayrshire’s county town, good local shops and amenities (a hospital, for example). With a station on ScotRail’s Stranraer line, it has good transport links too: the airport at Prestwick is just 15 minutes’ away while Glasgow is 40 minutes by road or rail.

• Average house price: £149,746.