A Charmed Locale
Buffeted by winds and strong storms, yet well-situated for defence and favoured with scenery beyond compare, this spot on the Sunshine Coast is one of the planet’s chosen places. So varied and so forceful, these natural elements of land and climate are material characters in the story of Turnberry that have often influenced the outcomes of military clashes and sporting contests. It is a mysterious place, where one can easily imagine myths springing up and thriving. Though not as populous as other regions, it is here that many Scottish luminaries were born and inspired. For those who wonder about the singular nature of Turnberry, time spent there provides perspective, if not answers.
A fatherland of legends
This land breeds something special in the people who rise from it. Robert the Bruce, the celebrated medieval king who led Scotland in its greatest victory over the British, is thought to have been born at Turnberry Castle. Perched low on the edge of the sea, ruins are all that remain of this stronghold, once taken by the British, and then destroyed by Bruce himself rather than risk a second occupation. Robert Burns, apt enough at expressing the character of Scotland to remain the national poet 250 years after his birth, was a native of nearby Alloway. His verses depict a mercurial Ayr landscape that is now gay, now foreboding. Many other illustrious Scots—from Johnnie Walker, the distiller, to Alexander Fleming, the biologist who discovered penicillin—hail from elsewhere in Ayrshire.
A capricious climate
The weather at Turnberry changes with its mood, changes by the hour. Some say there is more than one Turnberry: fair and foul, warm and cold, gracious and brutal. Whatever the conditions, there is a quality in the air that imbues those who breathe it with health and vigour. Sun brings a clear light that captures the terrain's every detail in sharp focus. When the elements are calm, a stillness comes over the countryside that is so intense, it is itself a presence. Other times, fog steals over the land, shrouding cliffs and buildings in mist. Thick clouds can bring rain or be driven to and fro by gentle puffs or powerful gusts. Nature can be pitiless to those who walk or play the links here, but in a way, that is what people come for: to rise to the challenges of Ayrshire as they rise to others in life, and to succeed or fail on their own efforts.
A place of portents
One moment, the isle of Ailsa Craig, 11 miles offshore, looks close enough to touch, and the next, it looks incalculably distant. Seconds later, it could disappear completely. Once a visitor has seen a squall gather quickly from across the water or explored the craggy coastal outcroppings that could hide an intruder or a shade, he understands at once how the mythology of this part of the world has had its demons, has had its legends, has believed in ghosts. Even today, tents are whisked into the waves without warning and 80-kilometre-an-hour winds cut around hills like knives, evidence of mysteries just beyond comprehension—and part of a raw, untamed atmosphere that is both humbling and inspiring.