Mull of Galloway - Port Logan - Glenwhan Gardens


 It was my birthday last week (goodness knows how I've made it this far), and Ishbel treated me to a couple of nights away, staying in a shepherd's hut in the glorious Glenwhan Gardens. Being so early in the season, and with only a shepherd's hut and a lodge available to rent, we had the whole place to ourselves. Early spring is a time for yellow flowers. This is no accident. Yellow (and white) flowers reflect more of the precious sunlight onto the leaves, giving them the edge over darker flowers. They are also highly visible at a distance which helps to attract pollinators, particularly bees.


The gardens lie just about at the gateway of a peninsula called The Rhins of Galloway, at the bottom of which is a lighthouse. This is the southernmost point in Scotland. On the way in, we observed a few roe deer, who paused in their grazing to observe us. Up on the headland itself we were accompanied by a host of birds and...

... what appeared to be a wild haggis. (it turned out to be a decoy haggis, obviously put there by the lighthouse keepers to attract the wild ones). The conical nature of the headland is perfect habitat for the haggis which, as everybody knows, have shorter legs on one side of their bodies, so that they can run around hills faster. :) 




From furry animals to slimy ones. On our way down the peninsula we called in at Port Logan. A Dustbin-lid Jelly had been washed up on the beach, but only a small one. They are the largest jellyfish in UK waters and can reach human size. Despite this, they are only mildly venomous and pose little risk. Up on the lighthouse steps, I spotted a cellar slug. Slugs aren't everyone's favourite, I know, but this one had lovely markings and was well worth a photograph.



The highlight of the day was the little marine centre, also at Port Logan. Originally this was constructed out of a natural tidal pool in the late 19th century by the local laird as a fish larder. He also had the keepers' cottage built plus a bathing pool for his lady, complete with changing hut. They did things in style in the Victorian era! Sitting and watching fish in the warm spring sunshine is positively Zenlike, and you get the chance to se your fish before they're coated in breadcrumbs or batter and deep fried. 


photo from the Glenwhan website  https://www.glenwhangardens.co.uk/ 

And so, back to the hut for an evening barbecue amidst the birdsong. The hut was stuffed with interesting items of vintage crockery which drove Ishbel to exasperation, as I kept turning things over to examine the potters' marks on the base. A glorious couple of days which I'd highly recommend.

Just a reminder that the 80th anniversary of V E Day is less than a month away (May 8th), and if you're looking for inspiration, or period items for your street party, we have plenty available in our Mid-century section at SVCwithEtsy.




All the best,

Steve Daniels

Location: Dunragit, Stranraer DG9 8PL, UK

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