{"id":1703,"date":"2020-07-23T10:45:07","date_gmt":"2020-07-23T10:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/travel\/?p=1703"},"modified":"2022-06-16T11:32:40","modified_gmt":"2022-06-16T10:32:40","slug":"the-five-minute-spare-guide-to-prestwick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/travel\/the-five-minute-spare-guide-to-prestwick\/","title":{"rendered":"Prestwick The Five Minute Spare Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Get to Know Prestwick Home Of The Golf Open<\/h1>\n

The South Ayrshire seaside town of Prestwick is a couple of miles or so south of Ayr and its stature as such is relatively recent by Scottish standards, having been more of a village until the trains arrived in August 1839. Still, it has a little bit of early history, a b<\/span>rilliant airport, which isn\u2019t actually inside of town and being on the Glasgow-Ayr train route is now quite a busy place. It is also a bit of a mecca for golf fans, but more on that later.\u00a0 Anyway, let’s start our “get to know you” tour with a little Prestwick history…<\/span><\/p>\n

A Little Bit of Prestwick History<\/h3>\n

Its name is thought to derive from Prest \u2013 meaning Priest in the old tongue, and \u2018Wick \u2013 meaning Farm, and Scottish Nobles from everyone from Robert the Bruce to King James IV are thought to have walked these beaches. We would hasten a guess that the vast majority of people hearing the name would think of the airport or Golf, however, we are here to tell you there is a lot more to Prestwick than these two diverse subjects.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Prestwick

Image: James McDowall\/Shutterstock.com<\/p><\/div>\n

It is possible that Prestwick existed in some form as far back as 983 and there are records indicating it was one of the ancient Burghs of Barony in the late 10th Century. The ruins of the old parish church of\u00a0 St Nicholas (pictured above) are thought to date back to the 12th century, and it is an interesting place to visit, with its links to the Knights Templar, and Robert the Bruce spent some time here in the 13th century contributing to the building of a Well here.<\/p>\n

\"Bruces<\/p>\n

The Great Epidemic<\/h3>\n

In 1499 when the “Great Epidemic” struck the UK there are some records of the village being affected. This combined with the locale being is largely sand dunes with little agricultural value means there is little evidence of Prestwick being much more than a few houses & cottages. This probably lasted through much of the 1600s up until 1760 when the Maryburgh Salt Pan Houses were built to expand on what was until then more of a cottage industry.<\/p>\n

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The Salt Boiling industry came of age in Prestwick when these were built. Rosser1954 \/ CC BY-SA<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The Trains Arrive<\/h3>\n

1839 saw the town take off when the railway arrived offering better freight links and more importantly quicker passenger connections to Glasgow. This allowed the more affluent to colonise the area and many of the impressive victorian houses in the town are down to these people.<\/p>\n

In the 1850s the famous Golf course was built which went on to home the Open Championships for many years, until in 1925 when after problems with spectator overcrowding it was moved to bigger venues.<\/p>\n

In 1912 Prestwick St Ninians Golf Club opened and it lasted for many years, however, problems with the lease ended its tenure in 1958.<\/p>\n

Then in 1931, The Prestwick Lido (Bathing Lake) was opened and an impressive sight it must have been, being able to house 1200 swimmers and a further 3000 spectators.\u00a0 At the time it was Scotlands largest and it served as the venue for many a swimming gala and even hosted several Miss Scotland competitions. Sadly it closed in 1972 and has subsequently been demolished.<\/p>\n

In 1938 The now well-known Airport opened for passengers and the rest is history.<\/p>\n

\"Prestwick

The airport is the best-known thing about the town for non-golf fans anyway.\u00a0
Image: lennystan\/Shutterstock.com<\/p><\/div>\n

All those closures may seem sad but to this day it remains quite lovely, even without all that golf. Speaking of which…<\/span><\/p>\n

Golf Anyone?<\/h2>\n

If there is one thing Prestwick is famous for worldwide \u2013 and that it was known for long before the aeroplane was even invented \u2013 its golf. Prestwick Golf Course is one of the most stunning coastal courses in the world as can be seen below with the view of the Isle of Arran serving as a backdrop to the 2nd and 3rd holes. We would hate to know how many of those balls end up in the sea but guess it must be closing in on a million-plus by now.<\/p>\n

\"Prestwick

Prestwick St. Nicholas Golf Course – Idyllic even on a cloudy day Image: Stefan Bogren\/Shutterstock.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Just to confuse things there are two courses Prestwick St Nicholas Golf Club<\/a> which claims to be the 26th oldest course in the world and Prestwick St Cuthbert Golf Club<\/a> which was designed by JR Stutt in 1963. So if Golf is your game you will love it, and if not well you can still visit the 19th Hole – See below.<\/p>\n

Prestwick Facts:<\/h2>\n

You know we love our trivia here at Five Minutes Spare so here are a few facts about Prestwick which you were just dying to know!<\/p>\n

The first-ever Open Golf Championship was played here in 1860 and won by Willie Park Snr – it was only a 12 hole course then!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prestwick is twinned with\u00a0 Lichtenfels\u00a0 – Bavaria Germany – The Germany basket making capital.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Vandalia – Dayton Ohio USA\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

The historic town of Ariccia Lazio Italy\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elvis Presley’s only visit to Scotland was a refuelling stopover at Prestwick Airport in 1960.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Robert The Bruce<\/a> may have been cured of Leprosy by drinking from a well near Preswick\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Top Attractions in Prestwick<\/h2>\n

So if you are in the area for a few days then what should you do or see in your free time\u2026 We reckon you already know what the first thing is going to be\u2026<\/p>\n

Prestwick Golf Course Club House<\/a><\/h3>\n

If you don’t play golf then skip straight to the 19th hole as the clubhouse is one place you should visit when in town. They have silver service and provide first-class food with a sublime view of the bay for those that are willing to splash out. The building itself is beautiful and overall the restaurant is probably the best place to eat in town. The course itself is a must-play for golfers has remained much the same since inception with the only real changes being extensions to the course.<\/p>\n

Prestwick Beach<\/a><\/h3>\n

Beyond the golf course, you will find the beach. You do need to be careful from the flying balls, but for the most part, it is a great day out in the summer. You can even send the kids off to collect up all the lost golf balls and maybe even sell them on again. Everybody has fun and you make back part of the cost of your trip\u2026<\/p>\n

There are toilets, a picnic area, some of the best views of the isle of Aran in the UK, and some splendiferous sunsets. Plus you can\u2019t miss it\u2026 it\u2019s literally all along one side of town.<\/p>\n

Bruce\u2019s Well<\/a><\/h3>\n

One of the most fascinating things you will find in Prestwick is Bruce\u2019s Well. This is a freshwater well that was used by the community the whole way through the industrial revolution, and even as early as the 15th<\/sup> century. Robert the Bruce is thought to have used this well and to have made generous donations to the nearby St Ninian\u2019s Church\u2026 which sort of brings us to the next item on our list of things to see in Prestwick\u2026<\/p>\n

St Ninian\u2019s Church<\/a><\/h3>\n

One of the very first places to be recorded in this area is St Ninian\u2019s Kirk, now a Scottish Episcopal church. It is still in operation to this day but has been re-built on more than one occasion to avoid the damp reducing it to a mouldy pile of rotted wood. It is right next to Bruce\u2019s Well and legend has it that the Bruce stopped here often. Go there, see the sights that the kings of Scotland once saw, then go to Ayr<\/a> because, frankly, there is more in it.<\/p>\n

Things to do in Prestwick that Don\u2019t Involve Golf!<\/h2>\n

There are some, we promise. We looked out the best of them:<\/p>\n