Prestwick

Prestwick ; Scottish Gaelic Preastabhaig
	Prestwick Old Town Hall
Coordinates	55 ° 30 ′ N , 4 ° 36 ′ W Coordinates: 55 ° 30 ′ N , 4 ° 36 ′ W
	Prestwick
	Prestwick
Residents	14,901 2011 census
administration
Post town	PRESTWICK
ZIP code section	KA9
prefix	01292
Part of the country	Scotland
Council area	South Ayrshire
British Parliament	Central Ayrshire
Scottish Parliament	Ayr

Prestwick (from Old English : priest "priest" and wic "farm") is a town in South Ayrshire on the southwest coast of Scotland , about 30 miles southwest of Glasgow . It borders the larger city of Ayr , the center of which is approximately three kilometers to the south.

In addition to Prestwick Airport , the city of Prestwick is known as the home of golf .

history

Prestwick has existed for over 1000 years and is the oldest royal town in Scotland. In addition to numerous other kings, James I , King of Scotland, is said to have moved along the coastal path between Prestwick and Troon . Behind St. Ninians Church is the Kingcase Well , the water of which is said to have cured Robert the Bruce of leprosy .

traffic

Aviation

Since the 1930s, Prestwick became a center of the Scottish aviation industry. Although there was a decline in the 1980s and 1990s, the airport is currently growing again and is served by a number of low-cost airlines , including Ryanair and Wizz Air . It's also an important hub for air cargo - Polar Air Cargo is home to a fleet of Boeing 747 cargo planes on its Prestwick base. In addition, BAE Systems , Goodrich Corporation , Spirit AeroSystems and GE Aircraft Engines have maintenance or production facilities next to the airport, Ryanair and Polar Air Cargo also have maintenance hangars for their machines.

Prestwick was also home to a Royal Navy air station. Civil rescue helicopters are also stationed there on behalf of Her Majesty's Coastguard . It was at this airport that Elvis Presley set foot on the territory of the United Kingdom for the first time. In July 2005, the world's leading politicians landed here to attend the G8 summit in Gleneagles .

Prestwick Airport is one of the cornerstones of the UK air traffic control system and controls about 70% of UK airspace. The Oceanic Area Control Center , responsible for air traffic control in the eastern part of the North Atlantic, is also located here .

railroad

Prestwick is on the Ayrsche-Coast route between Glasgow and Ayr, which is served every half hour. The city is approximately 50 minutes by train from Glasgow. The route continues south to Stranraer on the Wigtownshire coast .

Streets

Prestwick is on the A79 , which runs right through town. The city is usually reached via the important A77 between Glasgow and Stranraer or via the A78 (Ayrshire Coast Route).

Golf

The world's first open golf championships ( The Open Championship ) were played on the Old Course at Prestwick in 1860 ; twelve more followed by 1872 (there was no championship in 1871). The city has two other golf courses , the St. Nicholas Course and the St. Cuthberts Course .