Ayrshire and Arran, mainland and island, are old-established holiday areas. The wide Firth of Clyde is the foreground to the westward views to the distinctive profile of the island of Arran. Looking eastwards, Ayrshire's coastal strip, with its vivid green pastures and characteristic hawthorn hedges, is crossed by wooded river valleys and backed by moors and tranquil uplands.

Arran is sometimes called 'Scotland in Miniature' because it has both Highland and Lowland landscapes. It also has had a special pace in the affections of generations of holidaymakers. The keenest and fittest explore the granite ridges of the Goat Fell range, while the majority enjoy the wide range of activity options the island offers.

Ayrshire is noted as a golfing centre, with a superb choice of twenty coastal links courses in particular.

The old county town of Ayr is associated with Scotland's national poet Robert Burns and is a starting point for the many places associated with him, first the Burns National Heritage Park at his Alloway birthplace.

Ayrshire has many historic castles, the most famous of which is Culzean Castle. The National Trust for Scotland's most popular property in Scotland stands on an imposing cliff-top site and is surrounded by a country park. Arran, too, offers scope for castle visiting. Brodick Castle is noted not only for its furniture and painting collection, but also its gardens and famous rhododendrons.

The Clyde coast offers a good choice of family attractions. These include the Big Idea at lrvine, which takes invention and discoveries as its theme. Also in the town is the Scottish Maritime Museum. Kelburn Castle and Country Centre by Fairlie and the Heads of Ayr Farm Park, with its animal collection and extensive play areas, are also popular with young children. Other heritage attractions include the Isle of Arran Heritage Museum near Brodick and, in the south of Ayrshire, the Dunaskin Heritage Centre, near Dalmellington, said to be Europe's best preserved Victorian ironworks, now a visitor centre.

As well as extensive golfing choice in Ayrshire (at least 38 on the mainland) and on Arran, there are lots of other activities. The broad waters of the Firth are a popular cruising ground for serious yachting enthusiasts - but the estuary also supports a good range of other water-based activities, including dinghy sailing, windsurfing and boat hire. Ashore, you can hire a bike in Brodick on Arran for a different view of the island - or go pony trekking from one of a number of centres. Similarly, the SuperScotland National Centre at Largs in Ayrshire offers a good choice of bookable sports and activity sessions (from badminton to fly-fishing). And if you want an island experience without too much travel, then take the ferry to Great Cumbrae, where the relaxed pace and sea breezes of Millport are a holiday tonic.