Motorhome - Southwest Scotland

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This page will be used as an initial display of some of our favourite photos from motorhoming in Dumfries & Galloway and Ayrshire - almost exclusively whilst ethically and lawfully 'wild camping' (see 'Land Access Code').

Leadhills in the Lowther Hills is just into Lanarkshire from Dumfries & Galloway. Locals claim it to be the highest village in Scotland - but then locals in Dumfries and Galloway's Wanlockhead, make the same claim. The villages are within 3 miles of each other. Both tend to be equally just as cold in winter.
   

Beach at Rockcliffe near Dumfries:

   

Orchardton Roundhouse near Kippford of Scaur, Dumfries & Galloway
    

 

Loch Ken, taken from under the railway aqueduct (Beeching casualty)

   

Viewpoint around the old viaduct near Gatehouse Station, Galloway Hills. Same dismantled railway as above, but further west. For me, a favorite location - even when it rains.

           

One our favorite stops and dog walking spots at Lauriston Forest:
         

Dunkitterick Cottage, and the adjacent burn in the Galloway Hills between Newton Stewart and New Galloway.

   

The remote fells west of Glen Trool Forest in Wigtownshire.

   

Rugged Coastline at Isle of Whithorn round Burrow Head to Auchenmalg on the east side of Luce Bay:
    

 

At Dunragit we have some grand 'dog walks' at the Torrs Warren, and the stunning Glenwhan Gardens (for me they challenge Logan Gardens).
   

On and around the Mull of Galloway..the extreme south of Scotland. Most folk assume that the whole of Scotland lies to the north of England - not so. The Mull of Galloway is actually south of England's Hartlepool to the east, and over 100 miles by road from Gretna on the Scots/English border.

       

Isolated but charming Port Logan, The Rhins, Wigtownshire. Lesser known part of Scotland.
        

Viewpoint from Porpatrick Harbour
         

Viewpoint at Killantringan Lighthouse, near Black Head, The Rhins, Dumfries & Galloway:

   

The above long distance shot is of the present day Stena Line ferry under correct navigation, safely passing Killantringan at a safe distance to the west. No doubt the captain is both professional and almost certainly sober - historically, some crews were not always so.... 

So pardon me for a bit of personal police history about Killantringan Lighthouse....

In 1982 I was a serving village cop at Glenluce near Stranraer. In February of that year the (coastal container ship) Craigantlet   left port on the Northern Irish coast, with the crew setting the autopilot for an initial easterly course - however, it is said that they then (apparently) got drunk and forgot to change the course setting, heading straight for the rocky coast of Scotland. Killantringan Lighthouse to their east was manned at that time but the crew of the vessel seemingly ignored the lighthouse keeper's frantic radio warnings and the vessel just continued due east and ploughed, at cruising speed, onto the rocks below the lighthouse. Happily there was no loss of life and the crew made it ashore.

In the aftermath there were containers and other cargo debris (some hazardous) strewed all over the rocks and beach area, and the police were asked to mount surveillance from the lighthouse to ensure locals didn't steal too much of the cargo and strip the ship - until

proper enquiry and arrangements were put in place. Politically they wanted to avoid another 'Whiskey Galore'... (I do however recall some locals disappearing with some very useful bits of timber resulting in a few extra garden sheds in the Portpatrick area).

Enter the local village cops, We took it in turn to spend 8 hours (supposedly) watching over the wreck and debris from the comfort of the lighthouse. I spent about a week of shifts on watch - time to study for the up and coming inspectors exam and to take a few photos.

The vessel had broken it's back on the rocks and wasn't worth salvage recovery. Over the years it has continued to break up in-situ, although, stubornly remnants of the wreckage can still be seen today, nearly 35 years later.

So the photos to the right were reproduced from views I took at the time using a 35mm SLR. I think the ones of the Craigantlet are probably unique from the vantage of the top of the then manned and working lighthouse (now a private property).....

Another Lighthouse this time at Corsewall on the extreme north tip of the Rhins.   

The Rhins 'peninsular' is the 'hammerhead like' feature that can be seen on maps on the east side of the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland. Inland of the more northerly part of the Rhins is our very own Loch Ryan, with Cairnryan on the east side of the sea loch.We have a number of shots of this area, which is no real suprise as we live in the village.

           

A walk on the quietside in the fields just above our cottage. The P&O and Stena Line ferries sail from Cairnryan to Northern Ireland, which is fine.... but a pity about the ferry traffic which makes the A77 road briefly very busy every four hours or so.... and despite the busy road the Roe Deer like to pinch our apples in the back garden.

   

 

Finnarts Bay, about 3 miles north of Cairnryan, on the east side of Loch Ryan. The A77 rises out of Dumfries & Galloway via Glen App into South Ayrshire.

        

Heading north into Ayrshire we tend to avoid urban areas, but there is a pleasant suprise just north of West Kilbride - the Glen Burn glen overlooking the 'Fairlie Roads' and the Little and Great Cumbrae Islands on the Firth of Clyde.

       

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