KIRKOSWALD

kirkoswald, where burns spent his seventeenth year, learning land-surveying, lies a little farther west. in the parish churchyard lie "tam o' shanter" (douglas graham) and "souter johnnie" (john davidson). four miles to the west of maybole on the coast is culzean castle, the chief seat of the marquess of ailsa, dating from 1777; it stands on a basaltic cliff, beneath which are the coves of culzean, once the retreat of outlaws and a resort of the fairies. farther south are the ruins of turnberry castle, where robert bruce is said to have been born. a few miles to the north of culzean are the ruins of dunure castle, an ancient stronghold of the kennedys.