Failford is a hamlet in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west of Mauchline, where the Water of Fail flows into the River Ayr. The nearby Ayr Gorge Woodlands nature reserve is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, notable for its ancient woodland of oak, ash and beech.[1] The betrothal of the poet Robert Burns and "Highland Mary" (Mary Campbell) is said to have taken place here in 1786.[2] In 1921, local Freemasons erected a memorial stone to commemorate this event.[3]