Best things to do in Strathaven

New Lanark World Heritage Site was originally a cotton mill village founded in 1786, and today you can see most of the buildings as they would have looked in the 18th century as a result of restoration work. In the visitor center, learn about the rich history of the village and the life of the mill manager and social pioneer, Robert Owen. Wander the historic streets and imagine how people lived and worked in Owen’s time. Take the Annie McLeod experience ride, where the ‘ghost’ of a mill girl takes you on a journey. Head up to the Roof Garden and enjoy views of the village and the surrounding scenery. Have a bite to eat at the cafe or make use of one the many picnic spots around the village.

Dumfries House (Scottish Gaelic: Taigh Dhùn Phris) is a Palladian country house located in the town of Cumnock in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It is within a large estate, around two miles (3 km) west of Cumnock. Noted for being one of the few such houses with much of its original 18th-century furniture still present, including specially commissioned Thomas Chippendale pieces, the house and estate is now owned by The Prince's Foundation, a charity which maintains it as a visitor attraction and hospitality and wedding venue. Both the house and the gardens are listed as significant aspects of Scottish heritage.

The estate and an earlier house were originally called Lefnoreis or Lochnorris, owned by a branch of the Craufurds of Loudoun. The present house was built in the 1750s for William Dalrymple, 5th Earl of Dumfries, by John Adam and Robert Adam. Having been inherited by the 2nd Marquess of Bute in 1814, it remained in his family until 2007 when the 7th Marquess sold it, after three years of uncertainty, due to the cost of upkeep.
Due to its significance and the risk of the furniture collection being distributed and auctioned in 2007 the estate and its entire contents was purchased for £45m for the country by a consortium headed by the Prince of Wales (later King Charles III) including a £20m loan from the Prince's charitable trust. The intention was to renovate the estate to become self-sufficient, both to preserve it and regenerate the local economy. As well as donors and sponsorship, funding was also intended to come from constructing the nearby housing development of Knockroon, a planned community along the lines of the Prince's similar venture, Poundbury in Dorset.

The house duly reopened in 2008, equipped for public tours. Since then various other parts of the estate have been reopened for various uses, to provide both education and employment, as well as funding the trust's running costs. The then Prince of Wales was in residence at the estate on 8 September 2022, when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, became gravely ill; he was transported by helicopter to Balmoral Castle, where she died later the same day.

The Falls of Clyde is the collective name of four linn on the River Clyde near New Lanark, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The Falls of Clyde comprise the upper falls of Bonnington Linn, Corra Linn, Dundaff Linn, and the lower falls of Stonebyres Linn. Corra Linn is the highest, with a fall of 84 feet. Bonnington Linn, Corra Linn and Dundaff Linn are above New Lanark and located within the Falls of Clyde Reserve managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, a national nature conservation charity. Stonebyres Linn is located several miles downstream from the reserve and New Lanark.HistoryThe area has long been a popular destination for visitors. The Wordsworths, Coleridge and Sir Walter Scott all visited the Falls. In 1802, William Wordsworth immortalised Corra Linn, the largest of the waterfalls, in verse. Corra Linn has also been painted by a number of artists, including J. M. W. Turner. The name comes from the Gaelic 'currach', a marshy place. A legend gives 'Cora' as a daughter of King Malcolm II, who leapt to her death here whilst trying to escape imagined danger.Near Corra Linn is the Pavilion, built by Sir John Carmichael of Bonnington, probably in 1708. The Pavilion had mirrors on its back wall, and when the doors were opened visitors had the illusion of standing beneath the falls. The 15th-century Corra Castle is next to Corra Linn. It is now home to a family of rare bats. Corra is Gaelic for "weir", and as Corra Castle's early history is vague, some historians believe it was an early possession of the Weirs, the principle landowning family in the County after the dukes of Hamilton from the 13th to 19th centuries. Corehouse, built in 1844, the home of the Cranstoun family, is nearby. At Stonebyres Linn the ruins of 15th-century Stonebyres Castle may be seen.

Live like royalty with a visit to Drumlanrig Castle, a 17th-century Renaissance castle and home of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry. Built from distinctive pink sandstone (hence its nickname, the Pink Palace), the structure supports 120 rooms, 17 turrets, and four towers. Situated in the expansive rolling green countryside, the grounds feature impeccably manicured landscaping and gardens. Aside from its royal inhabitants, the castle is also home to an impressive collection of paintings, tapestries, and part of the Buccleuch art collection--featuring works by Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt.

Dean Castle Country Park is a fantastic free day out for all the family in the heart of Kilmarnock. The Country Park is a unique urban fringe habitat of over 80 hectares with a farm & the amazing 14th century Dean Castle.

Craignethan Castle is a ruined castle in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located above the River Nethan, a tributary of the River Clyde, at NS816464. The castle is two miles west of the village of Crossford, and 4.5 miles north-west of Lanark. Built in the first half of the 16th century, Craignethan is recognised as an excellent early example of a sophisticated artillery fortification, although its defences were never fully tested.