Ayr Racecourse
Ayr Racecourse is the only racecourse in Scotland that is rated Grade One. In the surrounding area, you can enjoy the beaches at the Ayrshire coastline and can also have a few rounds on the local golf courses. The area is also known for the Robert Burns pilgrims. While there are events year round for either flat racing or horse jumping, the famous events at Ayr happen during the summer months. The Scottish National in April is the major jump event of its kind; the Scottish Derby in July and the Ayr Gold Cup in September are the key flat racing events in Scotland. For the yearly schedule, May to October has flat racing while the rest of the year has jump racing.
Where To Stay
For the longer events, or for just wanting to make a holiday in Ayr (or Scotland in general), there are at least 14 hotels that are within a mile of the racecourse. The closest to the racecourse is the Western House Hotel, which is 0.3 miles from Ayr. The Victorian style hotel offers not only location, but also 24 hour reception, Internet access and even currency exchange for those coming from other countries. If you want to be close to town, the Swallow Station Hotel in the center of Ayr is your best bet. The oldest hotel in Ayr, it offers 73 rooms and opportunities to pick up gifts for friends and loved ones back home. If a bed and breakfast is more of your style, the Kilkerran Guest House will be suited for you. It is run by a family and offers close location to local airports and personalized Scottish hospitality.
How To Get There
There are several ways to reach the racecourse; by air, land or rail. To reach it by car, the main road that you will need to find and get on is the A77. If you happen to come from the direction of Glasgow, you will need to take the M8, then jump on the A77. If you are heading from the south, you will have more roads to deal with. You first must get on the A74, then later the A70. You will need to get on the A713 before you even can reach the A77. The racecourse is hard to miss and can be reached from a dual carriageway. By rail, just head towards the Ayr rail station and take buses to the racecourse. Glasgow Prestwick airport is not that far from the course (approx 15 minutes), but if you plan to land at the racecourse itself, you can only do it with prior arrangements. Glasgow airport is about 45 minutes away from Ayr.
