News and Articles - Stranraer and the Rhins

Smith Scott Mullan Architects Draw up Masterplan for Stranraer's Waterfront

noreply@blogger.com (visittherhins) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:35:00 +0000

Some new sketchy drawings have been released showing what Stranraer could look like, should it get the financial injection required. There appears to be a few more green spaces along the front which should make it more attractive, however a significant proportion of the waterfront is expected to handed over to exclusive developments such as private apartments and an extension to the marina (already a fenced off no-go area for locals and tourist alike) with exclusive parking for members.
Parking is another issue - look carefully at the drawings and you will see nowhere for tourists and locals to park their cars - is this an oversight?

Read the full article on Urban Realm.

New Woodland for Stranraer on Gallow Hill!

noreply@blogger.com (visittherhins) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:14:00 +0000

Volunteers are being asked to participate in a tree planting event on Gallow Hill near Stranraer on Saturday 7th July. This is the start of a new woodland project. Read more on the BBC site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_scotland/10528989.stm

Stranraer Town Centre Regeneration Begins

noreply@blogger.com (visittherhins) — Tue, 25 May 2010 17:12:00 +0000

Anyone who has passed through Stranraer's town centre over the past week will have noticed a lot of action around the Castle of St John. This is is the start of the regeneration of the town centre, involving new paving, granite kerb stones and artwork. The work was meant to begin in February but is now fully under way and it is hoped that it will not put off this year's tourists.

Anyone wanting more information on the project should look at this pdf leaflet published by Dumfries and Galloway Council: Stranraer Town Centre Regeneration Leaflet

New Holiday Chalets Given Go Ahead in South Rhins

noreply@blogger.com (visittherhins) — Sun, 16 May 2010 10:15:00 +0000

A development by Grennan Plantation, near Drummore has been given the all clear to build twenty-five new holiday chalets with very little opposition. This will provide a stunning new location for tourist to come and stay whilst visiting the Rhins of Galloway area.

A Piece of Maritime History Lost

noreply@blogger.com (visittherhins) — Sun, 16 May 2010 10:02:00 +0000

Remnants of the Mulberry Harbour - floating roadways used during the World War II Normandy Landings - had to be dismantled this week after attempts to rescue them failed. The WWII relics are on part of the site at Old House Point, near Cairnryan, being developed on by Stena Line to construct their new ferry port. Stena had agreed with D&G Council that they would save at least one of the 6 floating roadways, but after trying to move one with two huge diggers (overseen by council officials) they conceded that they would have to dismantle all six.

This is a huge blow for the area's plans to promote the history of Loch Ryan and the Mulberry harbour would surely feature in the proposed maritime museum.

Bikers Due to Hit the Region

noreply@blogger.com (visittherhins) — Wed, 12 May 2010 14:43:00 +0000

Motorists and local residents are being warned of a large number of motorcyclists travelling to and from the Northwest 200 biking event in Northern Ireland on the 15th of May. This means that there could be increased traffic on the two main roads, the A75 and A77, to the ferry ports of Stranraer and Cairnryan.

Portpatrick Harbour Development Rejected

noreply@blogger.com (visittherhins) — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:10:00 +0000

For the second time, plans to build up a marina complex at Portpatrick have been rejected by local councillors, Portpatrick Community Council and the Portpatrick Trust. The development was proposed by planning officials after being rejected 3 years ago. Understandably, local people and councillors were concerned that it would ruin the character of Portpatrick that makes it so popular as well as the fact that the harbour is listed and needs protection.

This is also good news for the Stranraer development, as it means that boat owners won't be tempted away from the developing marina in Stranraer.

Steam Train Tourism Aims to Boost Local Economy

noreply@blogger.com (visittherhins) — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:52:00 +0000

On Saturday 10th April, Stranraer, in South West Scotland, witnessed the historic event of a steam locomotive returning to the town – the first time a steam-powered train has run on the Stranraer to Ayr section of line since 1967. The double-headed steam train was powered by two Stanier Black Fives, as part of the Railway Touring Company’s 9 day tour of the UK, under the name of “Great Britain III.” It is hoped that this could become a regular event in this largely forgotten part of Dumfries and Galloway, boosting tourism in the area.

Because of the tourism potential, the Stranraer to Ayr Line Support Association (SAYLSA) organised a welcoming party of Wigtownshire based businesses, including the Whithorn Trust, Stena Line and Cream o’ Galloway. There were also two pipers on hand to greet tourists. Whilst the train was stationary, SAYLSA distributed leaflets on local attractions such as Castle Kennedy Gardens, the Dark Skies Park, Wigtown Book Festival, Bladnoch Distillery and the Whithorn Story to passengers on the train carriages.

Also supporting this initiative are the Wigtownshire Chambers of Commerce, who have plans to lay on coach trips from the station in Stranraer to visitor attractions and scenic areas of the region if railway tourism proved to be a success in the area. A similar scheme in Yorkshire attracts thousands of people to the area each year.

Steam returning to Stranraer was only a dream for SAYLSA 3 years ago, when Managing Director of the Railway Touring Company (RTC), Nigel Dobbing said he would consider the option. Fast forward to 2010 and that dream became a reality with the RTC extending the tour by a day in order to include the Stranraer to Ayr section of line.

On this glorious sunny day, around a thousand people gathered at Stranraer station to watch Stanier Black Fives 44871 and 45407 pull in 11 carriages. The atmosphere was buzzing. Every bridge, level crossing and station in the area was crowded with hundreds more spectators. A significant number gathered at Dunragit where the staff of West Coast Railways had to perform a shunting manoeuvre to move one the engines to the back. From Ayr onwards, the train was pulled by both Stanier Blacks in order to tackle two steep climbs between Girvan and Barrhill. Whilst in Stranraer, the engines took on water and carried out some more shunting, to move both engines to the front again for the steep climb on the return journey.

It is hoped that the success of this event will be replicated when steam trains return to the Stranraer line on October 2nd – this time using engines 70013 (Oliver Cromwell) and 45305 (Black Five). This new boost in tourism may be short lived though if plans by D&G Council and SWSTRANS go ahead. As part of Stranraer’s regeneration, the existing station is due to be demolished and rebuilt as a modern interchange a few hundred yards away, unable to accommodate steam trains. By proving that the tourist trains can provide a boost the local economy, local businesses hope to be able to stop this action and continue enjoying the benefits of steam railway tourism for many years to come.

Check out our events page!

noreply@blogger.com (visittherhins) — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:25:00 +0000

If you haven't already done so, please check out our events page for up to the minute information on what's going on in the region.

Welcome to Our News and Articles Area

noreply@blogger.com (visittherhins) — Sun, 02 May 2010 11:44:00 +0000

This is a new area of the Visit Stranraer & the Rhins website that aims to provide the tourists and community of the area with information about local developments and events. It was also provide an insight into how this might affect you, the local economy, and our surroundings.