Kilmarnock: East Ayrshire Town Where Burns First Published and Johnnie Walker Started
Kilmarnock has two claims that anyone in Scotland would recognise. Robert Burns published his first collection of poems here in 1786, the Kilmarnock Edition, at a printer on Star Inn Close. And Johnnie Walker started blending whisky at a grocer's shop on King Street in 1820, growing it into the world's best-selling Scotch. The town sits in East Ayrshire, about 23 miles southwest of Glasgow, with a population of around 47,000. It lost its football club, Kilmarnock FC, briefly to administration fears before the club stabilised, and Rugby Park on the edge of town still fills on match days. The town centre has had mixed fortunes. The Burns Mall shopping centre replaced an older precinct, and the Galleon Leisure Centre handles the swimming and gym trade.
The railway station is on the Glasgow South Western Line, putting Glasgow Central about 35 minutes away. The A77 runs south toward Ayr and onward to Stranraer for the Northern Ireland ferries. Kilmarnock's economy has shifted from heavy engineering and carpet manufacturing (BMK carpets was a major employer until it closed) toward distribution, food production, and public sector work. The Dick Institute on Elmbank Avenue is a free museum and gallery with a surprisingly good collection. For those considering adult companionship in East Ayrshire, Kilmarnock's rail link to Glasgow and road connections to Ayr make it a well-connected starting point in the southwest.
Show more
Kilmarnock has two claims that anyone in Scotland would recognise. Robert Burns published his first collection of poems here in 1786, the Kilmarnock Edition, at a printer on Star Inn Close. And Johnnie Walker started blending whisky at a grocer's shop on King Street in 1820, growing it into the world's best-selling Scotch. The town sits in East Ayrshire, about 23 miles southwest of Glasgow, with a population of around 47,000. It lost its football club, Kilmarnock FC, briefly to administration fears before the club stabilised, and Rugby Park on the edge of town still fills on match days. The town centre has had mixed fortunes. The Burns Mall shopping centre replaced an older precinct, and the Galleon Leisure Centre handles the swimming and gym trade.
The railway station is on the Glasgow South Western Line, putting Glasgow Central about 35 minutes away. The A77 runs south toward Ayr and onward to Stranraer for the Northern Ireland ferries. Kilmarnock's economy has shifted from heavy engineering and carpet manufacturing (BMK carpets was a major employer until it closed) toward distribution, food production, and public sector work. The Dick Institute on Elmbank Avenue is a free museum and gallery with a surprisingly good collection. For those considering adult companionship in East Ayrshire, Kilmarnock's rail link to Glasgow and road connections to Ayr make it a well-connected starting point in the southwest.
Country selected
Region selected
City selected
