The Smugglers trail

This town enjoyed the strongest reputation as the smuggling centre for the surrounding area. Troon Bar provided shelter from the wind, and the smuggling ships would be run up the sands at Barassie Burn, on the Barassie shore. At low tide the luggers were left high and dry, and could be easily unloaded using horse-drawn carts which moved inland along Dundonald Glen and along the road crossing Clevance Hill.
Contraband came from the Isle of Man until the island was returned to the Crown, and also from other parts of Scotland. Whisky was the cargo for this domestic trade, and was landed at Port Ronald, which was then reached by a road that had been paved specifically for the convenience of the smuggler's carts. If the goods couldn't be run inland immediately, they were stored locally: many of the houses of Troon are reputed to have brandy holes, or concealed rooms for the storage of contraband, and others have double gables for the same reason.
Opposition to smuggling came not only from the customs and excise authorities, but also from the redcoats stationed at Ayr and Irvine. Clashes were frequent, and despite the strength of the opposition, the King's men often came off worse than the smugglers, who armed themselves with loaded whips and 'kents'. These were fearsome oak cudgels, five foot long and weighted with lead.
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