The abandoned science centre in North Ayrshire...
Take a look around The Big idea with Abandoned Scotland
More from Lost Scotland - bbc.co.uk/lostscotland
East Ayrshire's - Undiscovered Gems
East Ayrshire is full of undiscovered gems hiding in the many nooks and crannies of the region.
Explore Ness Glen and Loch Doon, just east of Dalmellington, for picturesque walks, stunning views, and peaceful landscapes, all topped off with afternoon tea in the Roundhouse Café at Loch Doon Dam. You can also discover Fort Carrick, a base for outdoor activities, and even call in at the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory on your way for spectacular views of the starry night sky.
Dunlop Dairy in Stewarton turn their farm produce milk into a range of delicious award-winning cheese which are sold through specialist wholesalers as well as in their farm shop. You can also purchase other local produces, such as free range eggs, milk and jam from the shop as well.
Just east of Kilmarnock, find your spirit at the Spirit of Scotland Sculpture on Loudoun Hill for a gentle walk along an abandoned railway line followed by an ascent of the hill for stunning views over the River Irvine and surrounding landscapes.
In Kilmarnock, enjoy a family day out at Dean Castle and Country Park for beautiful woodland walks, an educational History Trail, or head to the Palace to see world-class artefacts. Nearby, you’ll find the Dick Institute with exhibitions and permanent displays to browse. Enjoy the ultimate cooking experience at The Cook School, a 5 star venue that provides a fun and informal environment where you can learn to create effortless dishes. Rowallan Castle boasts winding streams, impressive woodlands, and even a Bronze Age settlement amongst the rolling greens of the world class golf course.
In Mauchline, learn about Scotland’s Bard at the Burns House Museum, where Burns’ once lived, and witness collections of rare, original objects and documents, as well as exploring the onsite library. Nearby you’ll find the Catrine House Coffee Shop & Ice Cream Parlour where you can enjoy award-winning ice-cream made from milk and cream courtesy of their very own herd of pedigree Ayrshire cows. There is a play park for the little ones and a farm shop so you can take delicious local produce home with you.
Come and explore the undiscovered gems of Scotland’s East Ayrshire!
Loch Doon -
Ness Glen -
Scottish Dark Sky Observatory -
Spirit of Scotland Sculpture, Loudoun Hill -
Burns House Museum, Mauchline -
Dick Institute, Kilmarnock -
Dean Castle and Country Park, Kilmarnock -
Dunlop Dairy, Stewarton -
Catrine House Ice Cream Parlour, Mauchline -
Cook School, Kilmarnock -
Rowallan Golf Course, Kilmarnock -
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Old Photographs Kilbirnie Ayrshire Scotland
Tour Scotland wee video of old photographs of Kilbirnie a small town situated in the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is located around 20 miles south west of Glasgow and approximately 10 miles from Paisley and Irvine respectively. Historically, the town built up around the flax and weaving industries before iron and steelmaking took over in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1740 there were only three houses; the population grew to 959 people by 1801. In 1851 Kilbirnie contained 5,484 people, due to the Industrial Revolution, hastened by the locality of the Ayr and Glasgow railways. During this time the town was a hub of industrial activity with 2 flax spinning mills, linen thread mills, wincey factories, 5 fishing net factories, 2 rope works, engineering works, mines and ironworks. The steelworks opened in 1841 and quickly became the main industry in the area causing an inpouring of people and during the early to mid 20th Century the town grew to its height of around 10,000 people. However, the industry entered a decline and was eventually closed. The Decoy Bride a film starring David Tennant and Kelly Macdonald was partially filmed in Kilbirnie. The suburb of Kilbirnie in the New Zealand capital of Wellington is named after the town. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day.
Scotland Patna village video
A village in scotland known as Patna
Epigram On Rough Roads - Holmston Road Cycle Lane
Robert Burns once wrote in 1786
I'm now arrived-thanks to the gods!-
Thro' pathways rough and muddy,
A certain sign that makin roads
Is no this people's study:
Altho' Im not wi' Scripture cram'd,
I'm sure the Bible says
That heedless sinners shall be damn'd,
Unless they mend their ways.
Not a reflection on the Holmston Road cycle lane, as while not perfect, it wasn't bad - and more a reflection on the decision to remove this lane.
The surface was the old road surface and generally a poor heavy surface, some lines hadn't been removed and the blue paint was thick in places and may have been applied liberally as a filler. There was some autumnal debris in it.
The priority at junctions was good and clear, the geometry at those junctions looked to prevent sweeping turns from the main carriageway.
The lane got narrow in a couple of places and could have done with some of the bollards removed.
The lane at the Ayr end was narrowed to allow parking, but there wasn't a buffer and open doors impinged into the lane.
The entrance to the lane at the Coylton end was difficult to enter from the road - though it may have had a shared use pavement entrance.
Holmston Road has lots of traffic and quite a few HGVs, and the lane did it's job. You can see in the video there was no evidence of any problems at approx 1pm (I rode up and down it 3 times). At no time did I see anything other than free-flowing traffic in the main carriageway.
At the Coylton end I think the path is shared use, but there's no indication of this at the traffic lights, so I stayed on the road, crossed the bypass roundabout to Coylton and then joined the shared use path.
The cycle lane makes sense in that it joined a shared use path to Coylton that runs nearly all the way to it, the bit nearest Ayr (but beyond the bypass) is of marginal quality, but after the garden centre gets much better.
However it stops short of Coylton itself (I guess another section was planned).
The traffic on the A70 is fast & heavy, and has lots of HGVs, and there are significant hills. I would find cycling along it very unpleasant and to be honest, wouldn't entertain it.
So I can see was was being tried, and actually I think a pretty good job was done so far.
What will happen when it's gone and back to painted lanes, well you see that in my video at 2:04 it'll be parked in and blocked, and the general unpleasantness of cycling along the road will deter all but the most hardy. There is talk about moving it along next to the river, but I imagine that would deter users (longer, and personal safety if traveling in the dark).
You've got to wonder about this and Bears Way. To my mind both are relatively straightforward (wide straight roads) compared to lots of sites, if these are victims of 'bikelash' then what hope for other more ambitious schemes?
Wonder if the rowing machine will be tried in the painted lanes once they're reinstated ?
Video shot on 6/10/2016 @ approx 1pm - on the day that South Ayrshire Council voted 19:11 to have the segregated lane removed, and the road returned to its previous layout (bi-directional painted lanes).
Skye Open top bus Driver's Eye View tour 1.1 : Portree - Sligachan
First part of skye open top bus tour. The first part heads south from Portree to Sligachan towards the foot of the cuillin mountains, dominant in the background, before heading round in a circle north to Dunvegan in the second part and back to Portree in the third part