Portpatrick

Portpatrick is nearly as far west as you can go in Southern Scotland, and nearly as far south as you can go in Western Scotland. So reaching it can involve a lot of travelling. But don't let that put you off. Portpatrick is a stunningly attractive village wrapped around a fascinating harbour, and well worth the trip wherever you are coming from. The south end of the village provides one of a number of car parks for visitors, and gives some of the best views. Here you find the Lighthouse Pottery, plus the small brick-built harbour lighthouse. Stand on the harbour wall nearby and you see the length of the village stretching away to your right, and ahead of you the inner harbour, sheltered by its rocky islet. What makes Portpatrick so nice is the sense of an amphitheatre: the low level view is complemented by a line of attractive buildings stretching along the skyline. A "must see" view is gained from the north end of the inner harbour. Here is the marker of the start of the 212 mile Southern Upland Way long distance footpath. Behind it steps lead up the cliff. From the cliffside near the garden gate you get excellent views south over the whole village, as shown in the header