Stranraer mini-marina

[AngusMcDoon]

Those who regularly tramp up and down the West coast of the UK between Wales and Scotland will be aware that one of the difficulties sometimes is the lack of all-weather all-tide harbours between Holyhead and the Clyde on the UK mainland side. The Manx ones are tide limited, the English ones are a long way east, and the Scottish ones are difficult with wind from the west. Stranraer has always been an option, but until recently it was anchor or mix in with the fishing boats in the harbour. No more. The council have recently opened a small marina, which now makes it an easier option when on passage and somewhere is needed to shelter from grumpy weather (like me today).

It's been open less than a year, and Lesley the HM says that many people don't know about it and publicity is difficult. So I'm going to give it a quick plug here as it's an excellent and useful facility, and a tenner a night for any size, cheap too. There are new port and starboard lights in the harbour entrance, and it's immediately to starboard after those. There's about 3m at LWS, and I reckon the biggest berth could take a 50 footer. Visitors' berths are the first you come too.

It's not the prettiest place, and the ferries come and go next door, but for a passage stop or a place to run to in bad weather, it's just the job.

On the downside, the weather is absolutely ****.

 

[Danny Jo]

Thanks for this. It could be especially useful given that Port Patrick is silting up and is owned by a absentee businessman who seems to have little to gain by dredging it.

With westerly winds, however, I prefer to go North up via one or more of Ardglass, Bangor (NI), Glenarm, Ballycastle and Rathlin.