Tradespeople in Barr, South Ayrshire

Barr is a small village in the Stinchar valley, set where the River Stinchar meets the Water of Gregg about eight miles east of Girvan and deep in the hill country of south Carrick. For much of its history it was regarded as one of the most isolated communities in south-west Scotland and it retains a remote, self-contained character that sets it apart from the coastal settlements of Ayrshire.

The parish of Barr was created in 1653, carved out of the surrounding parishes of Dailly, Girvan and Colmonell. The village's origins are older - local tradition holds that it was established partly by smugglers who valued its seclusion and its access to the secluded bays of the Carrick coast via the hill tracks. The Stinchar valley was Covenanting country and several men from the parish are buried in the village churchyard.

Barr holds a remarkable distinction in Scottish cultural history: it is said to have been the last place in the Scottish Lowlands where Gaelic was spoken as a community language, reflecting the depth of its Celtic heritage and the degree to which the Carrick hills preserved older patterns of life long after they had disappeared elsewhere.

Today Barr is a picturesque and peaceful village popular with walkers exploring the hills and river valleys of south Carrick. The surrounding countryside is part of the Galloway and South Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, one of the largest and most significant in the UK. The village has a pub, a village hall and a small resident community with a strong sense of local identity.

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South Ayrshire is a council area in south-west Scotland, stretching from the coast at Troon south along the Firth of Clyde to Girvan and Ballantrae and inland across the hills of Carrick to the fringes of Galloway.

Ayr is the administrative centre and largest town, a traditional county town on the River Ayr with a long sandy beach, a racecourse and a busy high street. Prestwick, immediately to the north, is home to Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Troon is known for its championship golf links and harbour, while Girvan and Maybole serve the quieter southern half of the area.

The area is closely associated with Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet, who was born at Alloway on the outskirts of Ayr in 1759. Burns Cottage, the Burns Monument and the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum make Alloway one of Scotland's most visited literary landmarks. The Burns connection extends across the wider area through the villages and farms he knew and wrote about.

South Ayrshire's coastline is one of its greatest assets. Long sandy beaches stretch from Troon to Ayr, the views across the Firth of Clyde take in Arran, Ailsa Craig and the Kintyre peninsula and the Carrick coast south of Girvan is rugged and dramatic. Inland, the landscape rises to rolling farmland and the moorland hills that border Dumfries and Galloway.

Transport links are strong along the coast. The A77 connects Ayr and Prestwick to Glasgow, the Ayrshire Coast railway line runs regular services to Glasgow Central and Glasgow Prestwick Airport provides flights to European destinations. The A77 continues south through Girvan toward Stranraer and the ferry port for Northern Ireland.