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Quick Details
Join Us for a Day in the Life of Robert Burns!
Come with us and enjoy this unique encounter with Scotland’s favorite son, Robert Burns. Experience the famous sites in Alloway, where Burns lived and was inspired to write his most famous work.
Tour Highlights
- Dunure – A picturesque fishing village with beautiful views over the Firth of Clyde
- The Burns Cottage – The cosy three-bedroom cottage where Burns was born and lived until he was 7 years old
- The Burns monument and gardens – Designed by Sir Thomas Hamilton
- The Brig O’ Doon – Follow in Tam o’Shanter’s footsteps across the cobblestone bridge over the River Doon.
- Alloway Auld Kirk – Visit the graves of Burns’ father and sister in this 16th-century church ruin, ‘where ghaists and houlets nightly cry.’
- The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum – Listen to his words, handle objects connected to the man, play games that unravel his mysteries, and enjoy visual artworks.
Tour Details
- Departs from your accommodation at 8 a.m.
- Returns at 4:30 p.m. approximately
- Bring waterproof clothing and walking shoes.
- Transportation and air conditioning as standard
- The stories and services of an English-speaking driver-guide
- Tour exclusions – Entry fees to visitor attractions
- Estimated cash needed for lunch and visitor attractions would be £30
Itinerary
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- We set off down towards the beautiful Ayrshire coastline and visit our first location of the day by the tiny fishing village of Dunure. Here we can explore the ancient castle of Dunure and enjoy the views over the Firth of Clyde towards the Isle of Arran.
- We then continue the road to Alloway where Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, was born. Here we visit many places mentioned in his poems like the Brig o’ Doon and the Alloway Old Kirk. The Burns museum tells you everything you need to know about this great man, with many of the poet’s manuscripts on display. We then take a walk through the famous Burns gardens, where you can find a 70-foot high Grecian-style temple, designed by Sir Thomas Hamilton, complete with nine pillars representing muses from Greek mythology built in memory of Burns less than 20 years after his death.
- We then have lunch at the Brig o’ Doon House Hotel before visiting the 15th-century bridge where Burns was influenced to write one of his most famous poems, Tam o’ Shanter. It’s the bridge which Tam o’ Shanter crossed on horseback, fleeing from the witches and warlocks on his tail who were unable to follow him across the water.
- Just a short walk across the way and we are on the grounds of the Auld Kirk, where we visit the graves of Burns’ father and sister. This 16th-century church was already a ruin during Burns’ lifetime and used for the spot where Tam spies on the witches and warlocks who gave him chase.
- We then visit the famous Burns cottage where he and his family lived. The walls of the cottage have been artfully painted with fragments of his verse and a braw selection of Scots words, such as ‘hawkie’ and ‘crambo-jingle.’
- From here, we finish our Burns experience and take you back to your ship.