Alloway tourist information

The village of Alloway is known throughout the world as the birthplace of Robert Burns, arguably Scotland's best-loved poet and an iconic national figure.

Now a attractive suburb of the larger town of Ayr, Alloway houses the Burns National Heritage Park. This is a grouping of historic landmarks, including a neoclassical monument in an attractive garden, the new National Trust Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, and several village locations used in his famous poem Tam o' Shanter such as the Old Kirk and the lovely medieval bridge of Brig o' Doon.

The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum itself is a small cottage where he was born on 25 January 1759 and raised in rural poverty as a farm labourer. Largely home schooled, Burns wrote his first poem at the age of 15 and lead a colourful but not always successful life, and died prematurely at the age of 37. However, his poetry and writings in Scots and English remain hugely influential in literary and cultural terms, and Burns clubs and Burns nights sustain his legacy across the globe.

Alloway is also home to the Rozelle House Galleries, which include a series of paintings inspired by Tam o' Shanter by the artist Alexander Goudie, and the Maclaurin Art Galleries containing works mainly from the 20th century.