Wigtownshire

Scotland > South of Scotland > Wigtownshire

This south-western tip of Scotland is one of three counties (the others being Kirkcudbright and Dumfries) that make up modern Dumfries & Galloway local authority area.

However, together with its neighbour Kirkcudbright, this is ancient Galloway with Wigtown being the old county town.

The county can be broken down into three areas; firstly the Rhinns of Galloway, almost an island on its own but with a 6 mile connection to the mainland between Luce Bay to the south and Loch Ryan to the north. Here, Stranraer is a busy and popular ferry port offering vehicle ferry connections to Northern Ireland. The Rhinns also have the most southerly point in Scotland, the Mull of Galloway, Portpatrick (with Dunskey Castle) and Port Logan, a small fishing village with what is known as a "tidal fish pond" with very tame fish!

The second area, south of a line between Glenluce and Newton Stewart is called the machers - a highly fertile peninsula jutting out into the Solway Firth. Here the "book town" of Whithorn is situated along with the county town of Wigtown and on its west coast, Port William. Whithorn and the Isle of Whithorn to the south are both associated with St Ninian and the chapel bearing his name was frequently visited by James IV.

To the north of the Glenluce/Newton Stewart line lies the third area called the Moors. Well named, this hilly but good farming country borders Ayrshire to the north.