Dumfries & Galloway
- Allan & Helen
- Oct 27, 2024
- 5 min read
After a fantastic week in Wales, it was time to head North for a long weekend travelling from Dumfries & Galloway down the Cumbrian coast and finally down the Lancashire coast. This trip would see us complete 12 visits.
We started heading up the road after work on Thursday stopping at Lancaster overnight. On Friday morning we continued our drive North arriving eventually at our Friday afternoon adventure. Helen is a huge fan of Highland Cows. She thinks they are a myth as she has rarely seen one. Hopefully the tour of the farm we had arrived at would prove to her that, just like Haggis, Highland cows are real.
The weather was windy and wet but we ventured out onto the hills and enjoyed a very informative and relaxed tour seeing the herd and learning about each individual on the farm. We were then treated to a sheepdog demonstration followed by the most delicious homemade afternoon tea. If you ever find yourself in the Stranraer area please book on one of the many tour options available at Kitchen Coos and Ewes, details below:
Portpatrick Lifeboat Station
On Thursday night after our Highland Cow tour we stayed in a lovely hotel overlooking the Portpatrick harbour and coastline. The weather was rough, we could see the lifeboat station in the harbour and the sea was crashing over the rocks. We both hoped that the pagers would not be sounding overnight for the crew.
On Saturday morning we woke to beautiful calm blue skies. A totally different view from the hotel window. After breakfast we headed down to the harbour and the Lifeboat station. The stunning 1877 boathouse building, which now houses the shop, was extended in 1993 to provide improved crew areas and operations room. We parked up and first headed to a memorial to the “MV Princess Victoria” disaster. The vessel was one of the first roll on-roll off ferries and served the Stranraer to Larne route. On 31st January 1953 the ship sank just off the Portpatrick coast with the loss of 135 lives. Among other ships, the Portpatrick Lifeboat battled in storm force winds to save the passengers.
Here we were met by several members of the team including Tyler the Dog. After a welcome cup of tea, a good look around the station and a long chat we ventured down to the Shannon lifeboat moored in the harbour. Everyone joined us for a photo on the back of Shannon 13-21, Brianne Aldington which is a relief boat. Portpatrick’s assigned Shannon is Stella and Humfrey Berkeley (13-25) and was away in Scotland for some maintenance. There is also a Boarding boat, a small inflatable similar to a D-Class, which is used to access the Shannon should it have to be moored away from the pontoon in the harbour during bad weather.
Stranraer Lifeboat Station
Just a short 5 mile hop across the Galloway Peninsula lies Stranraer. At the head of Loch Ryan, Stranraer was once the main Scotland to Ireland ferry port before that service was moved along the coast to Cairnryan in 2011. The views down the Loch on the clear day were stunning and we could see two ferries awaiting departure on the opposite shoreline.
Stranraer Lifeboat Station lies just west of the Marina and was established in 1974 for an Inshore Lifeboat to cover the busy Loch and surrounding area. The boathouse was rebuilt in 1994 and their current D-Class, Sheila MacDonald (D-833) and its launch vehicle now travel to several launch locations in the area. We were unable to meet anyone at the unmanned station and so we took our photos and headed along the coast to our next stop.
Along the way we stopped at a delightful little café for a bite of lunch. We had stopped there on the way to the Highland Cow farm and the owners were so friendly and interested in what we were doing. They posted on their socials that we had been in and so it felt only right that we pop back and thank them as well as enjoy their lunches again. If you are passing along the A75 try and pop in and see the friendly team at OakHill Café & Deli. The service and food are fantastic.
Kirkcudbright Lifeboat Station
On this journey we have had some challenging times learning the names of the towns and villages we have visited. Kirkcudbright is just one of those places where you don’t want to say what you see! It is actually pronounced {ker ku bri}. Kirkcudbright is a lovely 15th Century town on the river Dee estuary around 4 miles from the Irish Sea.
The lifeboat station was established in 1862 and is located in the town. Up until 1892 the lifeboat was launched from the quay in the town but was then relocated out of town. At the crew assembly building, built in 1998, we met Christine and John who gave us a tour. John then kindly took us in the Landrover to the Boathouse about 3 miles south of the town and along a very rough track into woodland. It was such a peaceful spot and a remote location for the boat.
There are plans to redevelop and extend the boathouse and a significant amount of local fundraising has enabled this project to go ahead. The current setup is very basic to say the least, with virtually no space for crew to get kitted up in their Dry Suits. Their Atlantic 85, Sheila Stenhouse (B-814) fills the boathouse. It is launched on a unique carriage on tracks down a slipway into the mouth of the River Dee.
After some photos of the boathouse, the boat and the amazing views we headed back with John up the bumpy track to the Crew building in town. What an amazing place and unique setup.
Kippford Lifeboat Station
Our final visit of the day was to Kippford. About a 40 minute drive on the coast road and we arrived at the lovely little town. The lifeboat station is easy to miss as you drive along the front. The station was established in 1966 and their D-Class lifeboat was housed in a small garage. In 2001 a residential property became available and was converted to much improved crew facilities and boathouse. The fascinating building looks just like a shop with a garage next to it. We met Gareth and Linda who showed us around. The D-Class they had at the time of our visit was a relief boat, D-875, The Gentle JEK M. Their assigned boat is D-854, Ronnie Sinclair and was away at the ILC in Cowes for a spruce up.
The boat is launched via tractor along the road to the public slipway. The boat had only just returned from a shout to a stricken yacht which required a tow back up the river.
Another interesting visit to end the day before we headed to our accommodation near Silloth, Cumbria.
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