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Golf & Leisure
Ayrshire has plenty to offer the visitor, from its links with the Scottish Bard, Robert Burns, through to world famous golf and some of the best sailing waters in the United Kingdom. Horse riding, hunting, shooting and fishing can all be arranged for guests in conjunction with nearby estates and increasingly outdoor activities and extreme sports are becoming more available.
Castles and historic trails abound with many famous sites of interest and ruins to be explored and a host of attractions associated with Burns.
On a sporting level, top quality horseracing takes place throughout the year at Ayr Racecourse and Premier League Scottish football can be watched at Kilmarnock Football Club and of course the Open Championship is played every few years in the county with the 2009 event being played over The Ailsa Course at Turnberry.
With the opening of the new M77 motorway the city of Glasgow is now only twenty minutes from much of Ayrshire and that opens up a range of world famous museums and galleries, arguably the best shopping outside of London and top class theatre, concerts and festivals.
For touring, Loch Lomond is less than an hour's drive and the capital city of Edinburgh less than two hours.
Whatever your primary reason for visiting Ayrshire there are plenty of secondary ones to keep you occupied during your stay.
Golf in Ayrshire
Ayrshire is world famous for its golf courses and it boasts three Open Championship courses The Ailsa at Turnberry, Prestwick and Royal Troon . The recent Open Championship at Turnberry showcased the west coast of Scotland better than any brochure ever could
In addition there are a host of quality links courses such as Kilmarnock Barassie, Glasgow Gailes, Western Gailes, Dundonald, Irvine Bogside, West Kilbride, the Turnberry Kintyre and Prestwick St Nicholas.
These course have come together to promote themselves under the banner of Scotland's West Coast Golf Links - the site has all the information you'd ever need on ten of Scotland's finest links courses
In Ayr and Troon you'll find three of the best muncipal courses in the country at Lochgreen and Darley and Belleisle while other inland courses also provide a challenge including the excellent Brunston Castle near Turnberry or Loudoun Gowf Club just outside Kilmarnock. Prestwick also has a third course, the inland layout at St Cuthbert's.
Visitor Attractions
Ayrshire is well placed to offer the visitor plenty of things to do. It has a wide range of visitor attractions 
across the county and Castles and historic trails abound with many famous sites of interest and ruins to be explored and an abundance of family attractions and outdoor sports facilities.
History and heritage loom large with a list including the very splendid Culzean Castle, nearby Dundonald Castle and other country parks and castles at Kelburn and Dean. Robert Burns was born in nearby Alloway and there are now attractions showcasing his life and works and in May every year a festival of the arts, Burns an' a" That, celebrates his influence.
For the Burns enthusiast or even just the casual visitor a trip to the Burns National Heritage Park is a must. You can enjoy the audio-visual interpretation of Tam O'Shanter Experience before strolling along the road to visit Burns Cottage. Continue the experience with a visit to Souter Johnnie's Cottage or the Bachelor's Club.
For the family how about the Heads of Ayr Farm Park, Vikingar, Loudoun Castle Theme Park or experience a bit of industrial heritage at the Scottish Maritime Museum.
Family leisure centres include The Magnum, Galleon Leisure Centre and The Citadel in Ayr. Other outdoor and sporting facilities include the Newmilns Snow Centre which is about fifteen minutes from Kilmarnock and offers dry slope skiing and snowboarding facilities.
Getting to Gailes Hotel Irvine
Gailes Hotel is located on the northern outskirts of Irvine and only a couple of miles from Troon. The other main Ayrshire towns of Ayr and Kilmarnock are both less than fifteeen minutes drive on dual carriageway roads and Glasgow itself is not much more than half an hour by road via the M77.
Road Directions
The Gailes Hotel sits just off the A78 at the Meadowhead Roundabout. If you come off the roundabout the hotel is signposted sitting between North Gailes Driving Range and Glasgow Gailes Golf Club.
The A78 joins onto both the A71 (to Kilmarnock and Glasgow) and the A77 (to Ayr and Stranraer to the south and Glasgow to the north). If coming from Glasgow we would suggest following the signposts for Irvine. The turn off is the Bellfield Interchange on the A77 heading south at Kilmarnock. Take the sliproad from the A77 and take the fourth exit signposted Troon and Irvine. It is also signposted for ferry traffic. Follow the signposts for Irvine joining the A71 until it comes to the A78.
Follow the signs for Prestwick Airport and Ayr on the A78 until exiting at the Meadowhad Roundabout which is signposted Gailes. Within a quarter of a mile you will come to a smaller roundabout which you take the second exit, signposted Gailes. The hotel is two hundred yards on the right hand side.
Prestwick Airport is only ten minutes drive from Gailes Hotel. On leaving the airport car park turn right at the roundabout and follow the A79 until the roundabout. At the roundabout join the A78 on the filter lane and follow to the Meadowhead roundabout. Take the slip road and the first left at the roundabout. Within a few hundred yards you will come to a smaller roundabout which you take the second exit, signposted Gailes. The hotel is two hundred yards on the right hand side.
Glasgow Airport sits to the west of the city itself and whilst it is still possible to use the M8 towards the City itself and then join the M77 it is also possible to take the more direct route from the Aiport to Irvine. On leaving Glasgow Airport follow the signs for the M8 - at the roundabout for the M8, take the 2nd exit onto the A737 ramp to Irvine Merge onto A737 and follow the road til it joins with the A78 at Irvine. Follow the signs for Prestwick Airport and Ayr on the A78 until exiting at the Meadowhad Roundabout which is signposted Gailes. Within a quarter of a mile you will come to a smaller roundabout which you take the second exit, signposted Gailes. The hotel is two hundred yards on the right hand side.
The P&O Ferry Terminal at Troon is only four miles from Gailes Hotel. On leaving the port turn left onto North Shore road and follow the road heading north along the beach road. The road turns to the right at Barassie over the bridge. At the junction turn left onto the A759 until the roundabout and take the first exit at the small roundabaout, do the same at the next small roundabout following the signs for Dundonald Links. On passing Dundonald Links on your left you will then come to the final roundabout. Turn left tkaing the first exit and the hotel is in front of you to the right.
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