📌 Rhins of Galloway, Dumfries & Galloway
★★★
Superb coastal scenery extends in both directions from the popular resort of Portpatrick. A short stroll south along the cliffs soon leads to Dunskey Castle, a ruined 16th century tower house overlying an even older defensive site. Rock doves have long since taken over the crumbling vaults and passageways, but views across the North Channel of the Irish Sea remain unchanged. The trackbed of a disused railway provides a more direct line back to the start via a deep cutting, running so close to the elevated cliff path that the outward route (which has handrails) can feel a bit like a mountain ridge at times!
📷 Chronological photo guide
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at car park on South Crescent, 5-min walk south of Portpatrick village centre
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NW 999539
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 54.840187,-5.117550
🚌 Bus to Portpatrick
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
▶ 2 km / 1 mi | ▲ 60 m | ⌛ 45 min
Features: 🏠 Portpatrick ★★★; 🏰 Dunskey Castle
⬤ Easy | Clear paths with lots of steps near start.
Download file for GPS➡️ Anticlockwise circuit: start – Dunskey Castle via coast path – Portpatrick via old railway line – start
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Adder basking on the path near the castle, fulmars and other seabirds around the cliffs, fish in Portpatrick harbour.
Weather: Breezy with temperature in mid teens but feeling warmer under cloudless skies.
August 2016
