Even the Romans appreciated the protected position of Loch Ryan and anchored their ships in the bay off Stranraer (pop. 11,300). The harbor is now used by ferries for Northern Ireland and, in the summer, for the Isle of Man.
About 3mi/5km from the harbor at Stranraer take a detour off the A75 to the bewitching Castle Kennedy Garden. It is well known for its collection of old trees and colorful rhododendrons, magnolias and azaleas.
The garden also ha a two-acre lily pond, a walled garden and an avenue of interesting Monkey Puzzle trees.
Pretty Glenwhan Garden near Dunragit was opened in 1979. Species cultivated here include hollies, eucalyptus, hydrangeas, rhododendron and other subtropical plants.
The tower house at Castle St John (ca. 1500) was once the home of the infamous persecutor of Covenanters, John Graham of Claverhouse, and later served as a prison. The small museum focuses on the history of justice from the Middle Ages to the present day.
The A75 from Newton Stewart to Stranraer runs close to Glenluce and the picturesque ruins of Roland of Galloway's monastery (1192) It was the sixth Cistercian abbey on Scottish soil and was later taken over by the monks of Dundrennan Abbey. In the 13th century the wizard Michael Scott is said to have attempted to rid the abbey of the plague by imprisoning it in a dungeon and leaving it to starve to death. Part of the southern transept of the abbey remains, as does the ribbed vaulting in the chapterhouse (1470). Entry to the chapterhouse is via a decorative round arch, which was probably renovated during the early 16th century.
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Dunragit, Scotland
