River Garden Auchincruive

River Garden Auchincruive 'Changing Lives, Growing People, Reducing Stigma’

The Bothy Café is open Wednesday to Sunday from 9.30 am until 4.00 pm. We look forward to welcoming you.

Doggies welcome 🐕

Did you know we have our very own pétanque piste at River Garden? In one of this week's rare sunny spells, members of Tr...
13/06/2026

Did you know we have our very own pétanque piste at River Garden? In one of this week's rare sunny spells, members of Troon pétanque club came to test our piste, and pronounced it open! Handily situated on the terrace just along from the Bothy Café, where you can borrow all the kit you'll need to give it a go with your family and friends for free! Now we just need some more of that sunshine, so we can let the good times roll...🌞🤾🤾‍♂️🌰🏐

Here's hoping the power of social media can find Elaine who was possibly visiting our cafe or gardens today. We have fo...
11/06/2026

Here's hoping the power of social media can find Elaine who was possibly visiting our cafe or gardens today. We have found a letter / envelope ✉️ with your name on it. Please can you DM us. 😊

11/06/2026

🌺🌸🌼Cookery Class Update🌼🌸🌺

We've now started planning for July, and would like your help in deciding what classes to hold next!

We could repeat some of our previous classes - chocolate, bread, thai green curry, put a new spin on them - say caramels, focaccia, or pad thai / massaman curry, or we could hold some entirely new classes!

We'd love if you could give us some input on what you would like us to hold below, and we'll be looking to send out a class schedule for July at the end of the month. 🙂

Inspirational things happening at River Garden!On Friday, the RG team had the absolute pleasure of bringing together two...
06/06/2026

Inspirational things happening at River Garden!

On Friday, the RG team had the absolute pleasure of bringing together two powerhouse leaders in the recovery community: Tracey McFall (Scottish Recovery Consortium) and our very own Elena Whitham (Women and Families Development Lead at River Garden).

These two incredible women are collaborating to build something truly vital—a model of care and support designed by women, for women. Tailored, gender-responsive support is a game-changer in recovery, and watching this vision take shape right here at River Garden is inspiring.

To add to a brilliant day, Tracey delivered an incredibly insightful training session, diving into the latest research on women in recovery. It was a fantastic opportunity for the team to ensure our evolving model is firmly rooted in evidence, empathy, and deep understanding.

A massive thank you to Elena, and Tracey for their dedication, leadership, and vision. Together, we are building a stronger, more inclusive community. 💜🌱

On Thursday the 2nd of July - we have a special treat in store!We're delighted to be joined by Maya who will be supporti...
06/06/2026

On Thursday the 2nd of July - we have a special treat in store!

We're delighted to be joined by Maya who will be supporting Jo Mango for a special musical evening at the Bothy.

Describing Maya’s music is easy: it’s like a warm hug for your soul. It’s ethereal, calming, and utterly beautiful. Watching her fingers fly across the strings while producing the most heavenly, soothing sounds is the absolute definition of the "River Garden vibe."

Maya’s music transforms the entire atmosphere into a genuine sanctuary. It’s the kind of music that makes you want to close your eyes, slow down, and just breathe. (Honestly, even our busy island bees seem to buzz a little softer and fly a little slower when she starts playing! 🐝)

Tickets for the evening are only £20 and available at the Cafe or online at Eventbrite https://bit.ly/4t7CAtP

Tree or tulip? Why not both!Nature is putting on a spectacular show at River Garden right now. If you’ve been wandering ...
06/06/2026

Tree or tulip? Why not both!

Nature is putting on a spectacular show at River Garden right now. If you’ve been wandering through our grounds recently, you might have noticed one of our absolute favorite green giants quietly gearing up for its annual moment in the spotlight: our magnificent Tulip Tree!

Right now, it is busy prepping behind the scenes, getting ready to burst into full bloom later this month and carry its gorgeous canopy right through into July. For anyone who hasn't seen it in action before, it is a spectacular sight—the flowers genuinely look like beautiful, exotic tulips cradled high up in the branches. They start forming after around 15 years and are superficially similar to a tulip in shape, hence the tree's name.

It is the absolute perfect excuse to grab a fresh coffee or a traybake from the Bothy Café, head out for a mindful stroll, and do a bit of canopy-spotting. There is something incredibly peaceful about watching the estate change with the seasons, and this summer showstopper is one you definitely don’t want to miss.

Keep your eyes peeled on your next visit, and if you happen to spot the very first blooms breaking through, make sure to snap a picture and tag us! 📸👇

04/06/2026

A very different island life...

We've created a whole new home for our buzzy bees and we now have 8 hives helping to make River Garden the amazing space it is.
In recognition of their hard work we've got some new homes and everyone is named A to H after a Scottish island, of which there are over 700. Can you work out the names of our hives?

They’re currently out scouting the best local wildflowers to bring back the good stuff and all that frantic flying means one very exciting thing for the future: pure, premium Scottish honey, harvested right here on site.

Next time you’re visiting, see if you can spot our mini island kingdoms from a safe distance. Just remember to give them a polite wave and let them do their thing.

IT’S A SIGN!!!After what feels like a lifetime of paperwork, endless emails, and a legendary test of human patience... o...
03/06/2026

IT’S A SIGN!!!

After what feels like a lifetime of paperwork, endless emails, and a legendary test of human patience... our official brown tourist signs are finally UP on the road!

We always knew the Bothy Café was a destination worth finding, but now it’s legally official. And honestly? They are absolutely massive. Rumour has it you can see them from space, well Mossblown!, You definitely won’t be missing the turnoff now.

No more accidental detours: You can now follow the giant brown arrows straight to your caffeine and cake fix.

So, there are officially no more excuses about "missing the turn" or getting lost. Put the GPS away, follow the giant brown monoliths, and come celebrate with a fresh brew and a traybake this week.

See you soon!

It is with great excitement we bring you our first crop of strawberries this year. These are no ordinary strawberries. T...
03/06/2026

It is with great excitement we bring you our first crop of strawberries this year. These are no ordinary strawberries. This variety is called Symphony and was developed here at River Garden when it was West Scotland’s Horticultural and Agricultural College. We thought the varieties were lost. However , after some research we managed to source Symphony and Red Gauntlet. Symphony is a prolific fruiter so come down to The Bothy Cafe and taste test these juicy beauties
The Garden Team 🌱

🌺🌼🌸 Today was the last cookery class of our World cup series and we'd like to thank you for taking the time to join us. ...
01/06/2026

🌺🌼🌸 Today was the last cookery class of our World cup series and we'd like to thank you for taking the time to join us. Over the past 3 weeks each class has been slightly different with a mix of old and new members joining us each week, and we've all learned something new about foods from different cultures. Today we raised a whopping £142 for River Garden - thank you so much.

We will be taking a break during July as Danny is off on a jaunt to France (I know, how dare he 🤣) then we'll be resuming classes back in July.

Below are some snaps from our Morocco v Scotland and Brazil v Scotland classes for you to enjoy! 🌸🌼🌺

Address

The Bothy Office
Ayr
KA65AE

Opening Hours

Wednesday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Sunday 9:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+441292521164

Website

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