Most visitors to Girvan walk past Knockcushan Gardens without knowing they are there, which is a pity, because this small green space behind the harbour is the oldest significant spot in the town.
The hill of justice
Knockcushan means 'the hill of justice', and that is exactly what it was. This mound is where Girvan's early courts and councils sat, in the open, in the way that Scottish burgh justice was done before there were courthouses. Tradition holds that in 1328 Robert the Bruce held court here and granted the town its first charter — he was Earl of Carrick as well as king, and this was his own country. A memorial stone in the gardens records it.
It is worth a moment's thought standing there: the ground under the flowerbeds is why there is a town here at all, and it predates the Stumpy Tower courthouse by five hundred years.
What is there now
Formal flowerbeds, mature trees, lawns and plenty of benches, laid out on the slope with views down over the harbour and the boats. There is a small aviary with budgerigars and finches, which is the reason small children stop here, and which has been a fixture for decades.
It is quiet — noticeably quieter than the promenade a few hundred yards away — and it catches the afternoon sun. If the seafront is busy on a summer day, this is where to take a coffee.
Practical notes
Free and open access, off Knockcushan Street behind the harbour. There are no facilities in the gardens themselves, but the harbour car park and toilets are a minute away. Paths are surfaced but the site is on a slope.
It sits on the town heritage trail between the harbour and the High Street, and makes a natural third stop with Stumpy Tower and the McKechnie Institute — all three free, all within ten minutes of each other. See free things to do and the town's other parks.
