There are different things to do at each location, but the collection as a whole is composed of Scottish naval, coastal, and commercial vessels. Ships that are featured include:

The MS Kyles

A coastal cargo vessel built by John Fullarton & Co in 1872, the Kyles performed numerous roles during its time in service. The Kyles was a fishing tender, trade vessel, and sand dredger, before being converted from steam to diesel propulsion serving as a sludge tanker in 1953. Its last occupation was a coaster vessel before being donated to the museum where guided tours allow visitors to explore its decks.

The Puffer Spartan

The ship was launched by Hay’s of Kirkintilloch in 1942 to render its services with the admiralty, until it met its post war use as a steam powered trade ship. The term puffer originated from its steam fueled engine, where the funnels would release its exhaust making a distinctive puffing noise. It has since switched to more modern mechanics but its historical reference stayed with the ship’s characteristics.

The ASR-10

A rare find from the museum’s collection, the ASR-10 was an air and sea rescue ship built during World War II in 1942. The vessel was constructed by Carrier Engineering, its purpose being used as a refugee craft when airman of the Royal Flying Corps found themselves shot down over the British coast. The ASR-10 was equipped with radios and bunk beds, making an airman’s stay as comfortable as possible before being retrieved.

There are many other ships to visit; the ones listed above can be found at the museum’s maritime Irvine site. Ships are not the only exhibits the museum has to offer. Other attractions include virtual trips recreating harbor voyages, stocked gift shops, mini-ship building activities where you get to test your boat in indoor ponds, and multi media presentations of Scotland’s shipbuilding known for its award winning audio/visual documentaries.

So many things you can see at Eglington Castle. From its’ ruined structure set on the grassy lands of Scotland, view the almost vast gardens that decorate the landscape beside it, then over to the small hovel to where The Earl once showed his slave girls how to do their domestic duties.

Walking through the grounds of Eglington Castle, one can get a sense of history on this land that was once forgotten. Surrounded by 1346 acres of land and gardens, this must have been a massive undertaking to sustain within its self. Its stables baring marks of the Masons, and old pictures of huge rooms that housed Armor and stag antlers showed the prestige of the owners that dwelled inside its halls.

If you search you may find the entrance to the tunnel of Ley. Hidden, and some say is rumored to come from Kilwinning Abbey, beneath the Bean Yaird’, somewhere below the ‘Easter Chaumer. Still has anyone been able to find it but a hint of the entrance is hidden within the burial vault of the Montgomeries. This place is there, but the opening still remains a mystery.

The Owners have long since vanished from this sight. The roof dismantled, and sold in the year 1226. The time when William Wallace had placed English soldiers in the Ardrossan castle dungeon.

You may be able to see where a training army from World War 2 had desecrated the structure completely. The grassy land still sparkles with an emerald shine, showing of Earth’s best green. So much to let your imagination get lost too to think of what once was.

This land stands as park now; a historical landmark testifying of a life that once was. If your quiet you may be able to hear in the winds the jousting tournament that ultimately bankrupted the owners.

The Battle Cries that mustered the Scots to drive the English out. No matter what you hear in those winds, your heart must be humbled by the humanity stains that have touched every plant and soil there at Eglington Castle.

Photo Credit: Scotia

Under the current Earl of Glasgow with his wife Isabela, Kelburn Castle has turned into a public tourist attraction, enabling visitors worldwide to enjoy its surrounding glens, gardens, guided tours, and private parties. The family opened it in 1977 for public viewing, a plan that was decided due to the maintenance costs they endured. In 2007 architects advised that the concrete facing needed to be replaced to prevent any damage to Kelburn’s walls, prompting an invite for the world’s best graffiti artists to paint over its surface. The family decided it would provide a popular attraction since the facing was temporary, incorporating a creative back drop during the repair. The project was featured on the BBC’s “The Culture Show” in 2007 as well as its financial troubles televised in the documentary, “Crisis At The Castle”.

Kelburn Castle provides many activities and attractions boasting it to be a children’s paradise. It offers a play barn, adventure path, stockade forts, along with natural habitats to include the surrounding Kelburn Glen where waterfalls, garden trails, and a petting zoo are part of the experience. The Castle is open to guided tours, rent space for special events, and the most popular point of interest, one thousand year old yew and weeping Larch trees said to be Scotland’s national treasures.

Historians suggest it was primarily made of timber, before stone was applied to its curtain wall in the 1230’s. Chronicled in The Saga of Haakon Haakonsson, the Norwegian Norsemen Gillespec MacDougall was given the task of re-taking the Isle of Bute for his king, Hakon IV of Norway. The military siege lasted for three days, when the Norse army had penetrated the stone wall using brute force, almost successfully taking the castle if not for a fleet of Scottish naval vessels forcing them to retreat. This was not a period of rest for the castle, for it was taken again by the King Hakon IV himself in 1263. The castle remained strained from warfare, when Alexander III defeated the Norwegian king at the Battle of Largs, where in September of 1263, Hakon IV died having to retreat from Bute Isle and abandoned Rothesay castle. The Norwegian claims would cease, surrendering the castle to the Scottish Crown under the diplomatic Treaty of Perth.

Rothesay Castle was retained by the Stewart line before it was handed over to Robert the II in 1327 followed by his son, Robert the III in 1406 until it became the property of James the IV where it under went re-construction. The expansions included a larger great room, an extension of the gate house, and the only surviving structure still retaining an original shape, the Chapel of St.Michael located in the main court yard. The adaptations would survive further occupations and damage by wars and rebellions before its eventual ruin. In 1816 the 2nd Marquess of Bute lead a excavation and reconstruction of Rothesay Castle, where its reddish tint color is now visible, created in order to compare the historical stone from the newly installed masonry. The final stewardship of the castle now rests under with Historic Scotland being used not only as a tourist attraction, but also backgrounds for weddings, re-enactments, musical festivals and local celebrations. Interested travelers can tour the castle’s interior sections to include a survey of the courtyards and outer ruins.

Set on 200 beautiful acres, the history of the castle has its roots back to 1290 and the murders of several Scottish nobles in Ayr by the English. Sir Robert Boyd was among those that were hung. Due to this, his son became an active participant in the Scottish resistance against the English by joining with Scottish patriots, in particular William Wallace, until Wallace’s 1305 execution. At that point, Boyd became a staunch and trusted supporter of Robert the Bruce. In return for Boyd’s loyalty, in 1316 Robert the Bruce gifted Boyd with the Lordship of Kilmarnock. Captured in 1333, Boyd’s death saw his son Thomas take over the Lordship. Thomas built the original keep around 1350 and the Boyd family resided at Dean Castle until a devastating fire gutted it in 1735.

Although the castle was sold many times from 1746, it languished in ruins for a couple of centuries. Undertaking a massive restoration of the castle in 1908, the 8th Lord Howard de Walden completed this labor of love in 1946. In 1935 he added a gatehouse that had not existed previously and was careful to ensure that it was architecturally true to 16th century construction. The 9th Lord Howard de Walden donated this beautiful estate and the family’s incredible collections of weaponry, tapestries, and historical musical instruments to the people of Kilmarnock in 1975.

Opened to the public in 1976, Dean Castle Country Park has expanded and improved upon continually. There is a Pet Corner that is home to a wide variety of birds from ducks and geese to cockatiels. An assortment of animals, including sheep, guinea pigs, pygmy goats, rabbits, a Clydesdale horse, donkeys, and cows, call this home. Up close and personal encounters with the menagerie have delighted many a child. Also for the children is Adventure Playground. This is a place where a child’s imagination can run rampant and they will have the time of their life.

Dean Castle Country Park’s woodland walks are a favorite activity and five trails cover much of the acreage. The flora and fauna will enthrall you as you follow the trails that weave through the estate, taking advantage of the river, fields and woodlands. Each season brings with it ever changing plants and birds that you may spy along the trails.

Spending the day, or several days, at Dean Castle Country Park will heighten your appreciation of the area as well as stretch your budget to go further. An added benefit, if you have young children, is that they will have a great day out and be contented and exhausted at day’s end.