Burns National Heritage Park, Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland (© Alister Firth/Alamy)
In the charming village of Alloway, just south of Ayr in Ayrshire, Burns National Heritage Park brings to life the world of Robert Burns, Scotland's beloved national poet. At its heart lies the thatched cottage, where Burns was born in 1759, in a clay-built home constructed by his father—now fully restored as part of the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.
The nearby museum houses more than 5,000 artefacts, including original handwritten manuscripts, offering rare insights into his life and work. While here you can also take a stroll to the Brig o' Doon, a graceful 15th-century stone bridge immortalised in his poem 'Tam o' Shanter,' and the Auld Kirk, a haunting old church that inspired the same tale. Altogether, these landmarks don't just mark history; they let you step inside Burns's world, where poetry meets place.