Garlieston Harbour is the base for a few small fishing vessels with several pleasure craft also mooring in the harbour area. Occasionally small coasters visit the harbour and the historic vessels Waverley and Balmoral have previously operated excursions to the Isle of Man.
The Harbour is on the west side of Garlieston quays and is protected from southerly sea winds.
Wigtown is the home of the annual Wigtown Book Festival and the town has a wide range of independent bookshops. There are plenty of places to eat out within the town. Situated seven miles south of Newton Stewart, Wigtown is well placed for exploring the Machars peninsula.
Learn more here: https://www.visitscotland.com/info/towns-villages/wigtown-p239291
Discover how Bladnoch and Pure Scot whisky is crafted first hand with a tour through the key sites of the 202 year old distillery. Tour includes a tasting of three of our favourite releases from the Bladnoch and Pure Scot range.
Visit the website here: https://bladnoch.com/visit-bladnoch/
Newton Stewart was named after its founder William Stewart, son of the Earl of Galloway.
It thrived on its cotton and carpet industries, but is now more famous for its salmon and trout fishing on the River Cree.
Discover a remarkable collection of unusual and beautiful plants. A pleasure for all the family, Logan is an exotic paradise. Walk through groves of eucalyptus and palm trees or stand in the shade of awesome giant rhubarb-like gunnera.
Visit website here: https://www.rbge.org.uk/
The Lighthouse is perched on the edge of a 260 ft. high cliff at Scotland’s most Southerly Point. The light, which stands 99 m above sea level, was first lit on the 26th March 1830. The light remains operational today.
Visit the website here: http://www.mull-of-galloway.co.uk/
Ardwell Gardens, a naturally unspoilt and idyllic location, around 10 miles south of Stranraer, surrounding a private 18th century country estate house.
Visit the website here: https://www.gardenvisit.com/gardens/ardwell_gardens
This 18 hole parkland course sits on the edge of the Galloway Forest Park with spectacular views towards mountainous Cairnsmore and across scenic Wigtown Bay.The course is an enjoyable test for visitors of all golfing abilities, including beginners, and the club is very welcoming of visitors with a range of golf packages available.
Visit website here: http://www.newtonstewartgolfclub.com/
Our modern distillery is positioned on an enviable, elevated position with spectacular views across the hills and forests of Galloway. Enjoy a tour of our distillery, and learn how we make our very own spirit from scratch and the process for making our gin. After the tour you will enjoy a perfect serve of our Hills & Harbour Gin.
Visit the website here: https://craftydistillery.com/
Offering a truly a memorable day out, a visit to the Creetown Gem Rock Museum is definitely an experience you'll treasure forever.Crystals and minerals are some of nature's most outstanding creations and the collection demonstrates this with many beautiful specimens of world-class standard on display in both their natural and crafted forms.
Visit the website here: https://www.gemrock.net/
75 acres of spectacularly designed loch-side landscape, create a romantic garden paradise with quite literally something for everyone to enjoy – regardless of age. Dogs are welcome too!
Visit website here:
http://castlekennedygardens.com/
Portpatrick is nearly as far west as you can go in Southern Scotland, and nearly as far south as you can go in Western Scotland. So reaching it can involve a lot of travelling. But don't let that put you off. Portpatrick is a stunningly attractive village wrapped around a fascinating harbour, and well worth the trip wherever you are coming from.
The Southern Upland Way is a long distance footpath for walkers starting from Portpatrick and crossing Southern Scotland to finish at Cockburnspath.
Visit the website here: https://www.southernuplandway.gov.uk/
The very pleasant sandy Port Logan beach with long gullies can be found in the small village of Port Logan some 12 miles south of Stranraer. With picturesque and marvellous views, the beach is an interesting destination for family’s days out and leisurely walks or swims.
Stranraer has a long history as a ferry port and the town is situated at the head of Loch Ryan.
Stranraer is the gateway to the Rhinns of Galloway and for more than a century was a busy ferry port for services between south-west Scotland and Northern Ireland. The town has many shops and there are plenty of places to dine out too.
The magnificent ruins of Dunskey Castle are picturesquely perched on a rocky outcrop jutting out into the Irish Sea.The massive towerhouse was built in the mid-16th century for the Adairs of Kinhilt - the same family that owned the Castle of St John in Stranraer - and the long wing to the north was added in the 1620's. By 1700 the whole building was derelict.
More info here: https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/dunskey-castle-p255821
The museum features one of Scotland's oldest ploughs, while you can also look at Victorian Wigtownshire in 3D photographs and follow in the footsteps of Stranraer's own polar explorers.
There are displays on archaeology, local history, farming and dairying. An exciting temporary exhibition programme also runs throughout the year.
Words flourish in few places as they do in Scotland’s National Book Town. So much of the culture and history of this beautiful part of south-west Scotland is written in its landscape, a central theme of 2019.
More info here: https://www.wigtownbookfestival.com/
Marking the start of the native oyster harvesting season, Stranraer Development Trust is bringing top chefs, inspiring speakers, amazing entertainers and some of the world’s leading oyster experts together for Stranraer Oyster Festival, a seafood celebration on the shores of Loch Ryan.
11th - 13th September 2020
More info here: https://www.stranraeroysterfestival.com/
The Cinema is a Community resource and is run by a voluntary Board of Directors on a not for profit basis and relies on audience support for all our events.We are normally open from Wednesday to Sunday showing films . We also have a fully equipped stage for live events.
More info here:
http://nscinema.co.uk/
Scenic Glentrool has three trail types - the moderate blue trail, the easy riding green trails for novices and families and the forest road Big Country route whcih offers a touring experience rather than the mountain biking experience many will have come to expect.
More info here: https://forestryandland.gov.scot/visit/activities/mountain-biking/7stanes
