The best running trails around Riccarton

Tucked away off King Street in Sandbed Street.

Commemorated Kilmarnock Equitable Societies jubilee in 1910

Demure and forlorn, the lady in red clutching a black parasol painted by local artist Tom Lightbody has intrigued and delighted many since it was put in place. But not many people know the truly tragic tale behind the new larger than life installation. Celebrate Kilmarnock, who commissioned Tom to carry out the work, say the woman is an interpretation of the Countess of Kilmarnock — Lady Anne Livingston Boyd. Lady Boyd was married to William Boyd, the 4th Earl of Kilmarnock. The couple lived in Kilmarnock House, now St Marnock Street car park, a stone's throw away from the mural site. In 1746, the Earl and Countess had extensive gardens — now the Howard Park — to the south of Kilmarnock House. St. Marnock Street did not exist then. The Earl of Kilmarnock sided with Bonnie Prince Charlie during the Jacobite Rebellion, and as colonel in the Horse Grenadiers, he was indebted to his wife during the battle of Falkirk Muir (17/1/1746) for deliberately delaying the opposition general at a lunch, therefore ensuring he was late for the conflict and unable to gain victory for the government. Three months later the battle at Culloden took place with disastrous consequences for the Jacobite cause. The earl of Kilmarnock was captured and taken to the Tower of London and beheaded. During the Earl’s imprisonment, execution and thereafter, the Countess would take long grief-stricken walks in her garden — now the Howard Park. Sadly, Lady Boyd died broken-hearted less than a year later. This is the origin of 'The Lady’s Walk' in The Howard Park, and many claim to have witnessed her sorrowful, ghostly traipses through the centuries. The painting also pays homage to the lace-making industry, which was flourishing in East Ayrshire in the 19th century.

The Burns Monument in Kay Park, Kilmarnock, Scotland, commemorates the poet Robert Burns (1759–1796). It is located at an elevated position within Kay Park, to the east of Kilmarnock Town Centre. The monument was opened in 1879, and is a category B listed building. In 2004, following years of neglect by the local council, fire destroyed most of the building. What was left of the monument was incorporated into the new Burns Monument Centre which opened in 2009. In 2010 the centre was shortlisted for the Carbuncle Cup award run by Building Design. The Burns Monument Centre provides registration services and here you can carry out local and family history research in its family history centre and local history library. It also still contains part of the McKie Collection of Bursiana that the centre was originally purchased by the council to house after it purchased James McKie's collection.

The money for its purchase was bequeathed to the town of Kilmarnock by former native insurance broker Alexander Kay who died in Glasgow in 1866, after whom it is named. The park opened on 9th August 1879. A product of the Victorian appetite for recreational green spaces amidst growing industrialisation, it was formerly the home of a miniature golf course, a few drinking fountains, pubs, boating in the pond and a band stand on the site. It is also home to a Burns Centre and a statue of the poet.

Take in the beautiful Fenwick Water river as you run through vibrant green woodland.

The Burns Monument in Kay Park, commemorates the poet Robert Burns (1759–1796). The monument was opened in 1879, but a fire destroyed part of the site In 2004. The building was restored and reopened as the Burns Monument Centre in 2009. Kilmarnock has many links with Burns; the first edition of his work was printed here in 1786. The park is also a nice spot to rest and take a break.