The bustling ferry port of Stranraer offers a range of activities for visitors including golf, watersports, curling, birdwatching, visiting castles and gardens or a good base to discover the heart of Galloway.
The local St John’s Castle and Stranraer Museum gives a fascinating insight to the turbulent history of Scotland’s Covenanters. On the edge of the town, the magnificent Castle Kennedy Gardens are among the most famous in Scotland, boasting an impressive and colourful display of rhododendrons. The nearby charming harbour village of Portpatrick has two golf courses and is popular for boat trips, as well as providing the starting point for the long distance pathway, The Southern Upland Way. Further south you can visit the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse, the most southerly in Scotland, and is now a visitor centre with guided tours. The area around the lighthouse is and RSPB reserve and the original lighthouse keeper’s cottages have been transformed to holiday homes. Visitors can catch views of the Isle of Man and Ireland.
Nearby Logan Botanic Garden provides a sub tropical climate for its famous giant leaved cabbage palms and in spring, neighbouring Ardwell Gardens has the most magnificent display of spring daffodils by the thousands, and an impressive assortment of trees, including palms. This south west corner of Scotland is also excellent scenery for bike rides, with a range of hotels, B+Bs and budget accommodation to choose from.