Vacations In Stranraer, Scotland

The country of Scotland is a fantastic destination in which to take a short vacation. Scotland is perfect for a copious list of varied vacations, featuring large areas of pretty countryside with abundant amounts of sites of outstanding natural beauty (perfect for mountain climbers, hikers, hill-walkers, ramblers and the likes). Scotland also features some of the most excellent tourist attractions, including, some of the most fascinating galleries and museums in the whole of Britain, awesome sites, castles, historical buildings, fortified houses and stately homes plus a great deal more. Below I discuss the town of Stranraer.

The town of Stranraer is located in the district of Dumfries & Galloway in southerly Scotland, the town is renowned for it being the place where it is possible to catch a ferry to Belfast in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately nearly all visitors do not get to see the local attractions in the surrounding countryside and Stranraer itself. This is a little bit of a puzzle, if you arrive at the town, and reserve a room in a Stranraer bed & breakfast, a day or two early you can visit a couple of the local attractions prior to catching your ferry to the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland.

There are a number of places to visit in Stranraer including the medieval tower house of the Castle of St John found in the centre of Stranraer. The Castle of St John was built in the year 1510 as a residence for Ninian Adair of Kilhurst (the Laird of Wigtownshire). The castle was restored, in the years 1988/89, by Wigtown District Council who made it available for public viewing in 1990.

Another visitor attraction near to the town of Stranraer is Castle Kennedy Gardens. Castle Kennedy acts as the centrepiece of the gardens which are locatedon a hill between 2 lochs (sadly access to the ruined castle is not allowed. Castle Kennedy’s landscape Gardens spread across 75 acres. If you would like it is possible to buy plants from the shop which has propagated them from seeds collected from the gardens.

A further pretty attraction worth visiting is Glenluce Abbey, less than 10 miles from Stranraer. Even though Glenluce Abbey is ruined (in truth the most ruined of a trio of monasteries located in this part of Scotland) it features an incredible fifteenth-century Chapter House. Other places worth consideration include, the Machars, Portpatrick, the Mull of Galloway and Port Logan.

If you are considering a Scottish vacation you will be pleased to learn that there are a fair few hotels in Stranraer. Please take a look at our comprehensive list of hotels in Stranraer and guest house accommodation.