Why Buy in Prestwick?
If you ask someone from out with the town, “what is Prestwick famous for?” and their reply would most likely be either, The International Airport or The Open Championship Golf Course.
Situated on the Ayrshire coast, (Yes Prestwick does have a beach) the Town is located adjacent to the larger town of Ayr and is served by a mainline train station (Prestwick Town) servicing the West Coast route from Stranraer to Glasgow including a separate rail station for the airport, known as PIK or Glasgow-Prestwick Airport about 2 minutes travel away. By road, the Airport is less than a mile to the main entrance from the towns’ centre. There is also a regular bus service to the Airport as well to Glasgow accessing the A77(M) around 50km away.
The bus routes that run through Prestwick are usually run by Stagecoach Western including an express service to and from Glasgow known as the "X77".
Attractive Location with Beautiful Scenery on your Doorstep.
The surrounding countryside is made up of rolling hills and these afford great views up and down the Clyde and over to the Isle of Arran, and has mainly visitor attractions like castles, stately homes, garden centres, parks, and gardens. Ayrshire has been dubbed Scotland’s Holiday County, and Prestwick plays a central role.
The beautiful greens of the area feeds ample arable farming as well as grazing land, the most famous exports being Ayrshire tatties and coos (tasty new potatoes and hardy, high producing milk cattle).
Vibrant Town Centre
If you were to drive down the Main Street today, you would see a bustling town with few vacant shop units, Prestwick, seemingly bucking the trend for the “Demise of the High Street” as seen widely elsewhere. It has been nationally recognised and has been crowned Scottish Champion High Street, 2019 in the Great British High Street Awards. {here}
There are many award winning and bespoke retailers trading in the town as well as many of the usual suspects from national chains who share the bustling trade with independent cafes and bars. Ideal for a lunch and libation after shopping.
Hospitality
In the evening (Pre and Hopefully Post Pandemic), the Main Street is equally vibrant with revellers enjoying the wide range of cafes, bars and restaurants on offer which gives Prestwick a unique atmosphere in the Area. There are many fine establishments with great reputations in the area for dining and socialising and the atmosphere in the town of an evening attracts many visitors. The town also caters for those who wish a quieter, more personal evening and there is an impressive range of hotels and B&Bs.
Outdoor Activities
The area lends itself to outdoor sport, especially water sports and golf and there are a range of different clubs and venues in the area. The town hosts a cricket club, 3 bowling clubs, and windsurfers and sailors often fill the bay in and area which seldom lacks wind.
The Golf course is a beautifully presented and follows the coast, affording wonderful views across the bay to Arran. This course was the original home of the British Open from 1860 and is therefore steeped in history. In addition to the Old Course, Prestwick offers two other attractive courses, St Nicholas, and St Cuthbert’s, both attractive and challenging links courses. There are other Golfing greats a short drive away, Turnberry and Royal Troon being the most famous of the nearly 50 in the county.
The town and its neighbours benefit from a host of soccer and rugby clubs catering from kids and the grass roots up to the elite levels. Two bowling clubs in the town offer the chance to enjoy the game as a hobby or as part of a competitive set up.
The town also benefits from numerous play areas and parks.
Indoors
For those who wish to avoid the weather, the town is home to an indoor swimming pool as well as an indoor bowls club.
For families, the ever-popular kids’ play area on the esplanade enjoys ample parking.
For a full list of all the clubs registered with the local authority website here.
Schools and Education
There are 5 primary schools in the area which feed to the towns successful and highly rated Secondary, Prestwick Academy although Heathfield is situated on the border with Ayr. The academy is considered a high achiever and received a good HMIE report most recently.
Further Education
The local campus of the highest ranked young university in Scotland, The University of the West of Scotland, or UWS, is located in Ayr as is the Ayr Campus of the Ayrshire College. More established Universities in Glasgow are easily accessible via a commute by road or train.
Housing
Like most Scottish towns, the town of Prestwick has been built up on established settlements and has undergone great expansions in the 20th century as the population increased. The name means “Priests Farm” and there has been a church at St Ninians since the 12th century, although it is thought settlers first arrived in the 5th or 6th century.
Currently the population is around 15,000 and the housing is of a mix that you would expect as the town grew organically. Prestwick would appear to have a greater proportion of bungalows to other homes ratio than most towns which makes it an ideal place for the more mature home buyer.
There is a good variety of homes to buy, from ex local authority homes to private housing developments and homes of differing ages and sizes. There are few areas left to develop in the town which helps to keep the house resale values high. There is always a strong demand for housing in Prestwick both for private buyers and for investors as the rental market is also robust in the town.
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If you would like to find out more about the processes involved in selling your home, please contact Hoppers Estate Agents and find out about obtaining your homes MOT prior to going to market and find out if your house is “BEACH BOD READY” for the market.
Prestwick is home to a Royal Navy Air Station, also known as HMS Gannet, where Sea King search and rescue helicopters are stationed. In addition, both the Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre (controlling 70% of UK airspace) and Prestwick Oceanic Area Control Centre are located here.