Crossraguel Abbey
South Ayrshire

This is the most complete French Clunaic Abbey left in the UK.

Robert Bruce, King of Scots, was christened here and the monks' loyalty to him meant that the abbey was partly destroyed during the Wars of Independence.

While most other old abbeys are little more than a few stones in the grass marking where the walls were, Crossraguel has many walls standing and several complete rooms with vaulted ceilings and roofs still intact.

Now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland the abbey is open to visitors.

A highlight of any visit is the superb acoustics within the chapter house, one of the still complete rooms.

That's the A77 running alongside the abbey, which is a few miles south of Maybole and not far from Kirkoswald and Turnberry.