Electric Brae

Electric Brae is a famous optical illusion on the A719 Ayr to Culzean road, about eight miles south of Ayr. A stretch of road appears to slope uphill in one direction, but is in fact sloping slightly the other way — when you turn off your engine and release the brakes, the car rolls in the direction that appears to be uphill. The effect is caused by the topography of the surrounding hills, which disguise the true horizon and fool the brain into reading the slope wrongly.

A stone marker on the roadside explains the illusion and indicates the true uphill direction. The spot is popular enough to have a lay-by where visitors park and test the effect — worth a few minutes of amusement. It is most conveniently visited on the way to or from Culzean Castle.

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A story
For much of the 19th and early 20th century, locals believed "Electric Brae" was caused by some magnetic or electrical property in the landscape — cars rolled uphill, streams appeared to flow the wrong way, and ball games took unexpected turns. By the mid-20th century it was established as a purely optical illusion caused by the way the surrounding hills mask the true horizon, but the name stuck. A marker stone explains the illusion and has become a minor pilgrimage site for fans of perceptual trickery.