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The Yacht Havens Group owns and manages marinas around the British Isles, - Scotland, Wales, and on the South Coast of England. Our customers enjoy the same high standards of facilities regardless of which of our marinas they're in. Yacht Havens Group We choose our staff carefully for their local knowledge and helpful friendly manner. Yacht Havens Group All our marinas have fully serviced pontoons, toilets, showers, 24 hour security, waste disposal, water, fuel and gas. Yacht Havens Group The group philosophy is to develop and manage the type of facilities the Directors, or any other visiting yachtsmen would wish to stay in time after time.

Since building Lymington Yacht Haven in 1972 when the British marina industry was in its infancy, the company has grown from strength to strength acquiring sites in the most desirable locations. The Yacht Havens effective management style has been successfully replicated in two other marinas Hafan Pwhelli in North Wales and Portimao in the Algarve. Yacht Havens Group The management team have been consulted on other projects in Portugal, Holland and Oman. Yacht Havens Group Ltd is a member of the The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA), and the British Marine Industries Federation (BMIF).

The Island of Arran can be reached in just over two hours and boasts sheltered anchorage's and spectacular scenery, Tarbert, Cambeltown and Rothesay are all just a few hours away from Troon. By land we are only 35 minutes from Glasgow by car (45 by train), and access from the south is also as easy.

Prestwick Airport is just 10 minutes from the marina and scheduled low cost flights to London, Belfast and Dublin are available. The Sea Cat fast ferry operates between Troon and Belfast allowing boat owners from Ireland to leave their boat at Troon and take advantage of inexpensive fares.

Troon Yacht Haven is accessible at all states of the tide, with the advantage of a large outer harbour to drop sails & secure fenders and warps prior to entering the marina.

Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain

Scotland is famous the world over for its spectacular scenery and beautiful islands; its long history and rich heritage; as the home of golf, and of whisky. But there are around 30,000 square miles of Scotland, including some 790 islands, literally thousands of castles, monuments and other historic sites, hundreds of golf courses and an equal profusion of distilleries. Seeing it all wouldn't just be the holiday of a lifetime, it would be the holiday that lasts a lifetime. Luckily, our location provides an exciting area to base your holiday in Scotland.

Take a tour in and around Ayrshire & the Isle of Arran, andyou will find everything that makes Scotland what it is, and all in a compact, easy to get to - and to get around - area. Ancient standing stones and state of the art visitor attractions; mountain grandeur and pastoral splendour; lonely glens and bustling seaside towns and harbours; shady woodland and glorious unspoiled coastline; Scotland's newest malt whisky distillery and many of its oldest and greatest castles; Championship golf courses and, of course, the heritage of Robert Burns: it's all here in Ayrshire & the Isle of Arran.

We are proud of our attractions, both natural and man-made. But even more than that, we're proud of our reputation for hospitality. The warmth and friendliness you will encounter everywhere you go is impossible to capture in words or pictures. Add to that the comprehensive range of high quality accommodation an excellent transport network and superb restaurants and, like us, you'll come to the conclusion that if you want to see Scotland, you'll want to see Ayrshire & the Isle of Arran.

A wealth of history, birthplace of a dynasty and an intriguing Arthurian connection make travelling through South Ayrshire a voyage of discovery.

Wherever you travel along the South Ayrshire coast, the views out to sea are dominated by an enormous, impregnable-seeming rock that rears vertical cliffs straight out of the sea. Ailsa Craig is the 'plug' of a long-extinct volcano. The principal reason to visit is the huge gannet colony that nests there: boat trips sail regularly from Girvan harbour to take the ornithologically-minded. But it was once in the possession of Crossraguel Abbey, whose ruins stand midway between Kirkoswald and Maybole on the A77. Crossraguel Abbey was founded in the 13th century, one of the very few Cluniac monasteries in Scotland, and remains one of the most outstanding pieces of medieval architecture in Scotland.

The nearby village of Dunure with its forbidding-looking castle was once a major fishing port. Now a sleepy seaside village, it was once active in what was known as the "Arran Water" trade - whisky smuggling. Indeed, the entire coastline of South Ayrshire, from Ballantrae to Prestwick, was actively involved in this illicit industry.

South Ayrshire abounds in romantic ruins, often bound up with equally romantic tales. Greenan Castle, perched on a clifftop just south of Ayr, was built in the 15th century on the site of an Iron Age fort. It has been put forward by some as a possible setting for Camelot, the legendary castle of King Arthur.

While Greenan may or may not have been the site of Camelot, there is no doubt that Dundonald Castle, a few miles inland from Troon, was the first home of the Stewart Kings, whose dynasty would rule first Scotland then Great Britain for three and a half centuries. The castle was built in the early 14th century and has recently been extensively renovated by Historic Scotland in whose keeping it now rests.

If you're still not castled out, there are many more historic buildings to explore in South Ayrshire. Carleton Castle, south of Girvan, is famed in song as the home of the Baron who pushed 7 wives over the cliff, but was then killed in turn by his eighth wife. Culzean Castle, Robert Adam's inspired mansion house on the cliffs south of Ayr, is one of the greatest examples of 18th century architecture anywhere in Europe. Monkton Church, which was built in the 12th century, is reputedly the place where Scotland's greatest patriot, William Wallace, first dreamed of a free Caledonia.

For the young Robert Burns growing up in South Ayrshire, such tales of ancient Kings and heroes, stirring deeds and foul misdemeanours, were to be as kindling to a fiery mind. Burns knew the towns and villages of South Ayrshire. Find out more about Burns later.

Fans of the macabre will find traces of more grisly goings-on near Ballantrae, where Sawney Bean and his cave-dwelling family had many guests for dinner - literally. The cannibal clan made a habit of feasting on human flesh.

For more peaceful activities, boat trips from the harbours up and down the coast can take the form of sea angling expeditions, bird watching sorties or cruises for simple pleasure. You can combine a little bit of history with a lot of fresh air on board the Waverley, the world's oldest ocean-going paddle steamer.

You can board the Waverley from Ayr, the county's largest town and home to almost 50,000 people. Renowned as one of Scotland's best shopping areas outwith the cities, Ayr is also home to Scotland's Premier Racecourse.

While the beaches and picturesque coastal villages of South Ayrshire have been popular holiday spots for generations, inland areas are less well known. Search out the village of Barr, on the edge of the Carrick Forest, or Straiton on the banks of the Water of Girvan. And if you really want to get away from it all, head for the hills. The Southern Uplands begin in Ayrshire around Loch Doon.

No introduction to South Ayrshire would be complete without mention of one of the area's truly unique attractions. Croy Brae, nine miles south of Ayr on the coast road, is also known as Electric Brae and is the site of a completely inexplicable optical illusion. You may think you're driving downhill, but the car slows down when you take your foot off the accelerator. Turn round and it looks like you're in for a steep climb, but your car will coast all the way to what feels like the top of the hill, but is actually the bottom.

Confused? You won't be the first to be baffled by this entirely illogical phenomenon. And, once you've come to know South Ayrshire, you won't be the first to be seduced by its natural charms.

The past of East Ayrshire brings together everything from stone age to the industrial age in one beautiful package.

A few miles south-east of Kilmarnock, near the pretty village of Mauchline in the River Ayr valley, you may chance across some strangely-marked rocks among the green hills. These marks are examples of some of the oldest art in Britain. Called cup and ring markings they were made between four and five thousand years ago, by a little-known neolithic people who arrived here following the last Ice Age.

Not far away is the Ballochmyle Viaduct, a graceful structure that has carried trains over the River Ayr for almost 150 years. The highest railway bridge with the greatest masonry span in Britain. Near Gatehead lies Laigh Milton Viaduct, the oldest railway bridge in the world, and another reminder of those times, when steam trains were Ayrshire's essential link with the outside world, through the ports that imported raw materials and exported the finished product all over the Empire.

If you're at all interested in history, East Ayrshire holds many attractions, including many associations with William Wallace, whose life was recently committed to celluloid in Mel Gibson's epic film, Braveheart. Wallace's early years were spent largely at his uncle's farm at Riccarton, then a tiny village but today a suburb of modern Kilmarnock.

Wallace was outlawed by Edward I and spent most of his life in hiding, conducting a kind of guerrilla warfare against the English occupying forces. One of his most successful forays took place at Loudoun Hill, near Darvel, in 1297, the same year as his great victory at Stirling Bridge.

The English forces apparently failed to learn any lessons from Loudoun Hill, because 10 years later Robert the Bruce staged a re-run of the events, and with exactly the same outcome. Bruce, of course, went on to complete the work Wallace had begun at Bannockburn in 1314.

Confirmation that East Ayrshire was often a battleground can be found in the many castles and fortifications throughout the area. The most impressive is Dean Castle in Kilmarnock. Most of the buildings date from the 15th century, but the keep, the square tower at the heart of the complex, dates from around the times of the Wars of Independence.

Perhaps the most beautiful of all East Ayrshire's castles is Sorn Castle, which has overlooked the River Ayr for over 600 years, and enjoys an extraordinarily picturesque setting, surrounded by beautiful woodland.

Loudoun Castle, five miles east of Kilmarnock, was burned down in 1941, and the grounds are now home to a fine country park and an amazing array of attractions including Britains biggest carousel, a 55ft high helter-skelter, and the brand new "Braveheart" ride. The imposing ruins - Loudoun was known as the 'Windsor of Scotland' - never saw a shot fired in anger, but the castle was the site of one important historical event. In 1707, four centuries after Bruce's victory at Loudoun Hill, and just a few miles away, the Act of Union was signed there, uniting Scotland with England and Wales into one country - Great Britain.

The signing of the Act of Union ended a long period of turbulence in British history when various political and religious factions battled it out in the Civil War. In Scotland, the main protagonists were known as Covenanters, whose commitment to Presbyterianism brought them into conflict with both Royalist and Republican forces from England. Many of the Covenanters were martyred, and their gravestones and memorials are found throughout churchyards in Ayrshire. Fenwick Church is a particularly rich site for Covenanting memorabilia.

East Ayrshire was one of the powerhouses of the Industrial Revolution, and you can still hear echoes of that time today at Dunaskin Heritage Centre. At Minnivey, the Scottish Industrial Railway Centre has locomotives and rolling stock spanning a period of eighty years, and on steam days the hiss and chuff of locomotives is music to the ears of railway buffs.

In 1820, a Kilmarnock grocer called Johnnie Walker began blending and bottling his own spirit. His legacy has made Kilmarnock one of Scotland's most important centres of whisky manufacturing. Over 95% of output today is exported, shipped to and sipped in more than 200 countries.

If your definition of culture doesn't include yeast, a visit to Kilmarnock's Dick Institute is equally refreshing. Savour the exhibits on the geology, history, archaeology and natural history of the area for which the Institute is justly famed. The Dick Institute is also a major venue for touring art exhibitions.

Perhaps your idea of fun is more energetic than cerebral, in which case you should take the kids to explore the attractions of the Galleon Centre. A herd of aquatic dinosaurs appears during fun swims in the excellent pool, and there's an ice rink, squash and badminton courts, a sauna and a fitness suite. Or take in all the passion, effort and skill of a football match at Rugby Park, home of Kilmarnock FC, Ayrshire's representatives in the Premier Division.

Outside Kilmarnock there are plenty of quiet corners where you can really get away from it all for a few hours. In the south, towards Loch Doon, the countryside grows grander, with many enticing opportunities for hill walkers. Near New Cumnock, Afton Water flows among the "green braes" that inspired Robert Burns. It's still an inspirational place today, and a great spot for a picnic. Or wander through the woodland at Loudoun Castle, Dean Castle or the private gardens at Carnell near Hurlford.