Tradespeople in Maybole, South Ayrshire

Maybole is a small town in Carrick, the southern district of South Ayrshire, lying six miles south of Ayr on the road to Girvan. It has a population of around 4,500 and holds the traditional distinction of being the ancient capital of Carrick - the historic territory that stretches from the Water of Doon southward to the Stinchar.

The town's history is closely tied to the Kennedy family, who dominated Carrick for centuries and were known locally as the Kings of Carrick. Maybole Castle on the High Street, built around 1560 as the town house of the Earls of Cassillis, is the most visible reminder of that dominance. The town is said to have had twenty-eight lairds' houses at its peak in the 17th century - more than any comparable settlement in Scotland. The castle has been restored and is open to the public.

Maybole received a charter as a burgh of regality in 1516 and grew through weaving, boot-making and agricultural trade. A strong shoe-making industry developed in the 19th century and the town was a bustling local centre well into the 20th century. Crossraguel Abbey, a substantial Cluniac monastery founded in 1244 by Duncan, Earl of Carrick, lies a mile to the south-west and is one of the most complete abbey ruins in Scotland.

Today Maybole is a quiet market town serving the surrounding farms and villages of Carrick. It has a railway station on the line between Ayr and Girvan, a secondary school and a compact town centre with local shops. The surrounding countryside offers excellent walking and cycling and the town is a practical base for exploring the coastal villages and hills of south Carrick.

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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.