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RHINS OF GALLOWAY Hotel style Guest Houseoffering B&B AccommodationCairnryan, Nr Stranraer, DG9 8QU, Scotland Telephone 01581 200294 (or +44 1581 200294 outside UK)
Email:_All@RhinsofGalloway.co.uk
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Transport |
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Ferries |
Services connecting South West Scotland to Northern Ireland operate throughout the year from Stranraer and Cairnryan, which are just 5 miles, and five minutes apart by car. P&O operate a ferry service from Cairnryan to Larne. Stena Line currently operate a service from Stranraer to Belfast. Plans to move to an enlarged port with P&O in central Cairnryan were aborted in October 2007, and Stena Line announced in January 2008 that they are now re-investigating the possibility of a move to the North end of Cairnryan at Old House Point. These ferries provide for day trips and short stays to Larne & Belfast. Perfect for a visit to Giants Causeway, or a shopping and sight-seeing day out in Belfast. |
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P&O General website: |
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P&O Travel news: |
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Stena Line General website: |
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Stena Line Travel news: |
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Rail |
Stranraer rail station is just 4 miles away, and provides a direct link to Glasgow. Proposals have recently been made for the reinstatement of a railway connecting Cairnryan with Stranraer. |
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Rail enquiries |
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Road |
The A77 connects Stranraer to Glasgow, being mostly a 60mph road for cars, and taking around 2 hours between the two. The scenery is quite breathtaking along the route, passing Ailsa Craig & the magical coastline around Lendalfoot. | |||
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Bus & Coach enquiries |
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Bus timetables anywhere in Scotland |
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Local bus timetables |
http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/dumgal/Documents.aspx?letter=T&page=9 |
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Road traffic news |
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Air |
The nearest major airports within Scotland are Prestwick & Glasgow. There is a small airfield locally at Castle Kennedy. | |||
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Prestwick International Airport |
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Glasgow International Airport |
http://www.glasgowairport.com/ |
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Castle Kennedy Airfield |
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Weather |
The area is warmed by the Gulf Stream, resulting in some quite amazing winter temperatures, and is rarely subject to frost. | |||
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Stranraer & Cairnryan Weather forecast (next 5 days) |
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Stranraer & Cairnryan High/low tides for next 7 days |
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| Attractions |
The mild climate
has given rise to several
botanic gardens in the area, including Logan House and Gardens, and
Logan Botanic Garden, advertised as Scotland's most exotic garden, both
of which are about 25 minutes drive away.
Castle Kennedy, with its glorious walled gardens and monkey puzzle
avenue is less than 10 minutes away, and the
magnificent Culzean Castle and country park is about a 45 minute drive.
Please be aware that some local gardens are not open during the October
to February period - individual opening dates are usually detailed on
their own websites. With beautiful views the length of the coastline, the area is ideal for walking, bird watching, botany, and general relaxation. True sandy beaches are close to hand at nearby Luce Bay, with the picturesque fishing village of Portpatrick being a fifteen minute drive away. Logan fish pond, a fully restored Victorian Fish Larder, in the site of a blow hole which formed during the last ice age, is around 20 minutes away. Galloway Forest Park, Britains largest forest park at 300 square miles, is only half an hour away. |
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Botanical Gardens |
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Gardens open for charity |
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Logan Botanic Gardens |
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Logan House & Gardens |
http://www.mull-of-galloway.co.uk/attractions/logan_house_gdns_enhance.html |
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Castle Kennedy & Gardens |
http://www.castlekennedygardens.co.uk (fast double click backwards required to exit their website and return to this one, since their website internally reroutes) |
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http://living.scotsman.com/features/Heritage-schemes.3937984.jp |
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Ardwell Gardens |
http://www.mull-of-galloway.co.uk/attractions/ardwell_gardens.html |
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Glenwhan Gardens |
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Dunskey Gardens |
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Castle of St John, Stranraer |
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http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~leighann/articles/history/castle.html |
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Stranaer museum |
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Logan Fish Pond |
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Mull of Galloway |
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Ailsa Craig trips |
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National Trust |
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Culzean Castle & Country Park |
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Galloway Forest Park |
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Crossraguel Abbey |
http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/majorsites/crossraguel.html |
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Bladnoch Distillery |
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List of South Ayrshire historic buildings |
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Attractions in the wider Dumfries & Galloway area |
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Dumfries & Galloway: Summary of places of interest |
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VisitScotland list of visitor attractions in Dumfries & Galloway |
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| Activities |
Angling and deep sea fishing is available on Loch Ryan, and for golfers, there are courses at nearby Stranraer and Portpatrick . The world famous Turnberry is just 30 minutes towards Ayr. Just 10 minutes away, Green Valley Golf Academy provides a relaxed atmosphere for the entire family, has a landscaped 6 hole practice course, and 25 bay driving range, and can provide lessons for beginners to scratch players. Stranraer Leisure Centre provides a wealth of activities for old and young alike. |
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Golf |
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Golf courses |
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Golf driving range & tutoring |
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Bird watching |
http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/website/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=80&Itemid=99 |
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http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/m/mullofgalloway/index.asp |
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http://www.fatbirder.com/links_geo/europe/scotland_dumfries_and_galloway.html |
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http://www.the-soc.zenwebhosting.com/docs/dumfries-and-galloway.pdf |
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Walking |
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Leisure Centre |
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Camera Club |
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| Local Events |
Cairnryan lies at the very edge of Dumfries & Galloway, just outside
South Ayrshire. Events in both counties are listed below. Events are shown in order throughout the entire year. Where dates have yet to be announced, the previous year details show. |
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Scottish Snowdrop Festival Sundays starting 3rd February 2008
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http://www.rbge.org.uk/about-us/news/stories/scottish-snowdrop-festival (Logan) https://vault2.secured-url.com/stair/ckg/events.htm (Castle Kennedy) |
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Dumfries & Galloway Wildlife Festival 21st March-13th April 2008 |
http://www.wildlifefestival.org.uk/
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Galloway Garden Festival May 2008 |
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Wigtown Book Festival: Spring (held 5th-6th May 2007) Autumn (held 28th Sept - 7th Oct 2007) |
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Newton Stewart Walking Festival 9th -15th May 2008 |
http://www.newtonstewartwalkfest.com/
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Castle Kennedy Scottish Model Air Show: 17th,18th May 2008 |
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Stranraer Half Marathon plus Junior Runs 7th June 2008 |
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Stranraer show 30th July 2008 |
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Ayr Flower Show 8th,9th & 10th August 2008 |
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Portpatrick Folk Festival (held 31st August - 2nd September 2007) |
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Galloway Golf Classic: (held 10th-11th Sept and 13th-14th Sept 2007) |
http://www.gallowaygolfclassic.co.uk/
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Stranraer 10k road race (held 3rd November 2007) |
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Stranraer & area events |
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List of events in Dumfries & Galloway |
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List of events in South Ayrshire |
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| Local Sport | ||||
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Football |
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| Shops & businesses | Shopping is available just 5 minutes drive away in Stranraer, with major centres of Ayr and Glasgow being about one and two hours away respectively. A small local store nestles in front of the Homestead Guest House in Cairnryan, opposite the ferry terminal. | |||
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Shops, businesses & services |
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| Local news | ||||
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Stranraer Free Press |
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Galloway Gazette |
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Galloway News |
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Dumfries & Galloway Standard |
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Stranraer current & historical news |
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Belfast Telegraph |
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/article3245412.ece (this article reports Stena 2008 business increase)
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| Local development |
Stena
Line had planned to relocate their services from Stranraer, joining P&O at Cairnryan.
A Harbour Empowerment Order was originally sought in December 2005, and following inquiries, the decision to allow this was finally rubber-stamped in May 2007. However, it was announced in October 2007 that the move to Cairnryan would NOT be taking place after all - see BBC link below.
January 2008 saw Stena Line announce that they are now re-investigating the possibility of moving their operations to Old House Point (shown by red circle ● on map) The move from Stranraer would have resulted (and may still result, if Stena Line relocate further up Loch Ryan) in vacation of a vast area, for which there are multi-million pound proposals for a waterfront development. Funding for a £1.2 million breakwater to protect the harbour has already been agreed, and work was begun in early 2007. There are suggestions for a Maritime Museum & Heritage Centre at the current Stranraer berthing dock for Stena Line. Stranraer has also entered itself in a bid for one of the 16 casino licenses to be issued. On 22nd January 2008, Whitehall sources signalled that eight large and eight medium-sized casinos would go ahead. To cater for enhanced ferry traffic flow in the area, there are proposals for road widening in several areas along the A77 & A75. |
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Cairnryan Port |
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7056213.stm (October 22nd 2007 news regarding plans no longer going ahead) |
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http://www.contractjournal.com/Articles/2007/05/16/54919/hochtief-ties-up-scots-ports-deal.html |
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6709213.stm |
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Stranraer Waterfront |
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http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/....stranraerwaterfront.htm |
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7136194.stm(11/12/2007 - 50 berth marina go-ahead) |
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Stranraer Maritime Museum & Heritage Centre |
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Casino proposal
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=509836&in_page_id=1770&ICO=NEWS&ICL=TOPART (January 2008 news) |
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6294950.stm (July 2007 news) |
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| http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6505781.stm (March 2007 news) | ||||
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http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/dumgal/documents.aspx?id=19512 (Jan 2007 news) |
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