Portpatrick
Encyclopedia
Portpatrick is a village hanging on to the extreme south-westerly tip of mainland Scotland
, cut into a cleft in steep cliffs.
Dating back historically some 500 years, and built adjacent to the ruins of nearby Dunskey Castle
, its position on the Rhins of Galloway
affords visitors views of the Northern Irish coast to the west, with clifftop walks and beaches both north and south. The Gulf Stream
, flowing in from the north, gives the coastline a pleasant climate, in which subtropical plant life can flourish.
Industrially, the village was founded on fishing origins, with construction of the crescent shaped harbour that remains the focal point of the village today.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Portpatrick was important as a ferry port for passengers, postal mail and freight between Ireland and Scotland. During this period (1759–1826) Portpatrick was described as the Gretna Green for Ireland. There was a daily packet boat from Donaghadee
, and marriages for couples from Ireland were conducted by the Church of Scotland minister in Portpatrick, although according to Brack (1997) he often overlooked the rules about the publication of banns or the required period of residence.
However, in the late 19th century, when shipping became a considerably larger feature of industry, the village's vulnerability to strong westerly winds made it unviable for larger ships, and thus most of the profitable trading routes were diverted to nearby Stranraer
, despite the longer voyage out of the northerly-facing Loch Ryan
.
To the extreme north on the clifftop where the village's 100 year old Portpatrick Hotel stands, begins the scenic Southern Upland Way
to Cockburnspath
on the east coast.
.
is still stationed in Portpatrick. There are bowls
clubs, a very active golf
club (Dunskey), many guesthouses and hotels, and rustic public house
s.
The village is also home to a mini putting green which often fosters great competition between those who decide to play on it (if open).
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, cut into a cleft in steep cliffs.
Dating back historically some 500 years, and built adjacent to the ruins of nearby Dunskey Castle
Dunskey Castle
Dunskey Castle is a ruined, early 16th century tower house, located south of the village of Portpatrick, Dumfries and Galloway, on the south-west coast of Scotland....
, its position on the Rhins of Galloway
Rhins of Galloway
The Rhins of Galloway is a hammer-head peninsula in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland...
affords visitors views of the Northern Irish coast to the west, with clifftop walks and beaches both north and south. The Gulf Stream
Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean...
, flowing in from the north, gives the coastline a pleasant climate, in which subtropical plant life can flourish.
Industrially, the village was founded on fishing origins, with construction of the crescent shaped harbour that remains the focal point of the village today.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Portpatrick was important as a ferry port for passengers, postal mail and freight between Ireland and Scotland. During this period (1759–1826) Portpatrick was described as the Gretna Green for Ireland. There was a daily packet boat from Donaghadee
Donaghadee
Donaghadee is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the northeast coast of the Ards Peninsula, about east of Belfast and about six miles south east of Bangor. It had a population of 6,470 people in the 2001 Census...
, and marriages for couples from Ireland were conducted by the Church of Scotland minister in Portpatrick, although according to Brack (1997) he often overlooked the rules about the publication of banns or the required period of residence.
However, in the late 19th century, when shipping became a considerably larger feature of industry, the village's vulnerability to strong westerly winds made it unviable for larger ships, and thus most of the profitable trading routes were diverted to nearby Stranraer
Stranraer
Stranraer is a town in the southwest of Scotland. It lies in the west of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire.Stranraer lies on the shores of Loch Ryan on the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland...
, despite the longer voyage out of the northerly-facing Loch Ryan
Loch Ryan
Loch Ryan is a Scottish sea loch that acts as an important natural harbour for shipping, providing calm waters for ferries operating between Scotland and Northern Ireland...
.
To the extreme north on the clifftop where the village's 100 year old Portpatrick Hotel stands, begins the scenic Southern Upland Way
Southern Upland Way
Opened in 1984, the Southern Upland Way is a coast to coast walk in Scotland between Portpatrick in the west and Cockburnspath in the east....
to Cockburnspath
Cockburnspath
Cockburnspath is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It lies near the North Sea coast between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh. It is at the eastern extremity of the Southern Upland Way, a long-distance footpath from the west to east coast of Scotland, and it is also the terminus...
on the east coast.
Railway
The Portpatrick railway station was the original terminus of the Portpatrick RailwayPortpatrick Railway
The Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway, often known as the Port Road, was a railway in south-west Scotland, which linked Dumfries, via Castle Douglas, with the port towns of Portpatrick and Stranraer...
.
Today
The village retains a fleet of fishing craft, and a lifeboatLifeboat (rescue)
A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crewmen and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine...
is still stationed in Portpatrick. There are bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
clubs, a very active golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
club (Dunskey), many guesthouses and hotels, and rustic public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s.
The village is also home to a mini putting green which often fosters great competition between those who decide to play on it (if open).