Views around Stranraer

[A S Leib]

Is there a better side to sit on for views from the bus from Dumfries to Stranraer and the train from there to Ayr? I've gone as far southwest as Ayr before and can't say I remember a preference between sides.

Is it possible to physically see (Northern) Ireland from anywhere in Stranraer or a short walk from outside it? Looking at the Ordnance Survey map, nowhere on the Rhins of Galloway is much above 150 m above sea level, but it seems to be an hour's walk* from Stranraer to points above 100 m.

*Definitions of a short walk may vary; I'm working with limited time.

 

[NorthOxonian]

Is there a better side to sit on for views from the bus from Dumfries to Stranraer and the train from there to Ayr? I've gone as far southwest as Ayr before and can't say I remember a preference between sides.

Is it possible to physically see (Northern) Ireland from anywhere in Stranraer or a short walk from outside it? Looking at the Ordnance Survey map, nowhere on the Rhins of Galloway is much above 150 m above sea level, but it seems to be an hour's walk* from Stranraer to points above 100 m.

*Definitions of a short walk may vary; I'm working with limited time.

On the bus (usually but not always operated with a coach vehicle), you probably want to sit on the left hand side when going west - this gives the best coastal scenery particularly around Ardwall which I found to be the most scenic section. It is quite a pleasant journey and helpfully you can board the service either at the railway station in Dumfries or at the Whitesands stop in the town centre, whichever is more convenient.

As regards seeing Ireland, I think you'd struggle to do it in limited time. The height above sea level isn't really the issue, rather it's that you need pretty good visibility to see across, and also the terrain tends to be more rolling hills than obvious peaks so you'd need to get fairly close to the west coast. When I attempted this, I got the bus to Portpatrick (which is the shortest point from the east coast at Donaghadee) and went up to the cliff tops there, but sadly it was quite a hazy cloudy day and while I might have seen County Down, my photos are pretty inconclusive! While the journey isn't a very long one, the bus timetable forces a long wait in Portpatrick so this wouldn't be a viable option if you only had limited time.

 

[A S Leib]

Thank you.