It has been a long wait for work to get under way on the old building, left boarded up for many years. However, the B-listed building is finally about to get a new lease on life, redeveloped to provide accommodation for offices of several businesses in town.

The renovation program is being run by the Irvine Bay Regeneration Company. They also hope to provide financial support as part of a larger private investment, to renovate the Harbour Bar as well, reviving it as a bar and restaurant as part of a drive to support the development of the entire marina.

Work on the Jack Miller Hotel began on October 26^th, after the Government’s Town Centre Regeneration Fund managed to get almost £1.5 million worth of funds.

The renovation is part of a larger program by the Government of Scotland to fund development projects across the country, having raised a total of £60 million for the same.

Baroness Margaret Ford, Chair of Irvine Bay, stated that “Bringing this building back to life will make a tremendous difference to the look and feel of Ardrossan and I am delighted that we have a contractor in place and are starting work.”

The work is being carried out by McLaughlin Construction of Irvine.

Shona MacFadyen from West Kilbride is all set to rock this year’s Glenfiddich Piping & Fiddle Championships, due to be held on Saturday, 31st October at Blaircastle, Blair Atholl, Perthshire.

The Glenfiddich Piping Championship was established in 1974 to inspire and stimulate the world’s finest individual pipers, and to seek the best overall exponents of ceol mor or piobaireachd (the great music) and ceol beag (the little music). Every year, it sees the world’s finest pipe and fiddle players battle it out for Scottish traditional music’s ultimate accolade. The winners of solo piping and fiddle competitions last year were both won by Scots- and this year, our eyes are on our very own home grown talent Shona MacFayden, 22, to see if she will be the one to keep the trophies in Scotland this time around.

Shona had been invited to the competition for the last three years as well, so she is hardly a newcomer. “This is my fourth year competing in the championships and although I am a little nervous about it at the moment I have my fingers crossed that I will do well on the day,” she said to the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald.

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

This natural barrier also has its dangers, for Horse Isle has historically been a place where many ships ran aground or sank due to its rocky shears and coastal dangers. The local historians believe that the presence of a derelict tower, the only man made land mark on Horse Isle ,was used as a lighthouse because of this threat, located at the south end of the island. A number of ships have been lost over the years including the brigs: Minerva in 1821, the Morning Star in 1871, and the tugboat Brigadier in 1960. The island still possesses the same dangers today although shipping lanes have since changed so that the occurrence of another wreck is highly unlikely. The two smaller islands known as North Islet and East Islet, run across its eastern coast with a number of other outcroppings stretching towards the mainland. A survey was conducted by the Eglinton Estates under John Ainslie in 1788, recording the name ‘Robinson’s Rock’ off the East Islet and ‘Witherow’s Rock’ around its West side. Horse Isle it self is no higher than 13 feet above sea level and one kilometer from the western most point of Ardrossan.

Horse Isle is now a nature reserve ran by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Some of the various species it caters to are: Herrings, Black Backed Sea Gulls, and Eider ducks. The island has been designated with special protections because of sea birds and the assorted waterfowls that use its beaches as breeding, nesting and winter grounds. It is because of this that the island itself is left alone, preventing anything from disturbing or destroying the bird’s habitats.

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.

Around 1140, “Cannon Hill” or Ardrossan castle was built by Simon de Morville. Ardrossan castle and its estate were in the possession of the Barclay family until the 1300s when Godfrey Barclay de Ardrossan passed away without an heir. The castle then went to the Eglinton family.

The historic past of Ardrossan Castle is violent and bloody. The castle was the site of the infamous “Wallace’s Larder”. William Wallace lured the English from the safety of the castle walls, slaughtering them and then tossing the bodies into the dungeon.

Seized by Cromwell in 1648, Ardrossan castle was effectively dismantled so Cromwell could send the stones to be used to build a fort in Ayr. Although the ruins still stand, the site is in a dangerous condition. Tourists often visit and explore the ruins.

Ardrossan became an important port in the 1700s and 1800s with the exporting of pig iron and coal to trading partners in the Americas and Europe. Shipbuilding quickly became an established industry and, as people migrated to this thriving area, the population grew. By 1950, all but one of the shipyards had closed with the last shipyard in Ardrossan closing in the 1980s.

As Ardrossan saw its industries close, it suffered from a recessionary period. In 2006 a regeneration project was begun in the area, with Ardrossan being promoted as “the Gateway to Arran”. This project is ongoing and Ardrossan becoming a destination for tourists. In addition, the town is gaining a reputation of being a great seaside town to live in.

If the intimacy of a B&B is more to your liking, the charming Clyde Crescent Park House offers a magnificent view across the Clyde to Arran. In addition to the overlooking the Ardrossan Harbour, Clyde Crescent Park House offers three large bedrooms of varying sizes, a lounge with a wide screen television, a balcony to enjoy the view from and a front garden for guests to use.

For a small additional fee, Clyde Crescent Park House welcomes well behaved pets. For holiday goers that bring their bicycles, they do have convenient and secure storage. The host is a local artist so his gallery is in the B&B and you may just find that perfect picture to keep your memories of your visit to Ardrossan vivid.

North Aryshire is rife with many opportunities to stay in unique holiday accommodations and Ardrossan is reflective of that. Accommodations run from extremely affordable to very expensive. Let your budget dictate where what accommodations are best suited to your tastes. Whether you stay at a B&B, a hotel, or a country mansion; you will find the people friendly and the sights incredible. There is no lack of activities to occupy you during your stay.