Focus on... Prestwick
HE may have left his fans all shook up when he landed at Prestwick but Elvis’s visit is not the sole claim to fame that the town can boast.
Hundreds of years before the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll touched down at Prestwick Airport, right, the King of Scots, Robert the Bruce, refreshed himself at what is now known as Bruce’s Well.
Prestwick is Scotland’s oldest baronial burgh, dating back over 1000 years, and today is a bustling centre of shops, restaurants bars and leisure activities.
Located on Ayrshire’s beautiful coast, the town offers dramatic views of Arran and Ailsa Craig and has plenty to offer day trippers and holidaymakers. There is a full range of indoor and outdoor leisure facilities including an indoor swimming pool and one of the largest indoor bowling stadiums in Europe as well as an excellent tennis and leisure club which has indoor and outdoor courts. Prestwick Tennis and Fitness is, in fact, the only indoor tennis facility in the south of Scotland and offers badminton, table tennis, a fitness suite and fitness studio as well as tennis. Prestwick bay is popular with dinghy sailors and windsurfers while the beach can be enjoyed safely by families with young chil- dren. Prestwick, in common with the other towns dotted along the coast, is also well known for its golf courses and indeed is a place of pilgrimage for many of the game’s aficionados who want to play at Old Prestwick where the first British Golf Open Championship was held in 1860.
Prestwick St Nicholas and Prestwick St Cuthbert are also highly rated and it is now possible to enjoy all three at a greatly discounted rate through the Prestwick Golf Pass. COURSE OF ACTION In addition, a new high quality 18-hole putting green was opened adjacent to Prestwick Promenade in 2014 and, with its stunning views over the Firth of Clyde, has proved to be very popular. The inaugural Scottish Open Putting Championship was held here in 2015 and, following its success, was staged again in 2016.
In town, the high street is full of boutique-style shops that can’t be found elsewhere. It is the perfect place to buy a stylish outfit or unusual gift. There is also an excellent choice of restaurants, bars and bistros along with a very popular nightclub – there is so much choice in fact that the town is gaining a good reputation for a lively nightlife.
Elvis may only have touched down at Prestwick on his way home to the States after finishing his military service in Germany but visitors planning a longer stay will not be disappointed.
Getting there is easy too; along with the airport there is a railway station in the centre of town with regular connections to Glasgow and dual carriage way links to the A77.