Mull of Galloway.

Short walks locally as part of my convalescence are fine but can get a little tedious after a while and still not strong enough to venture further by bike it was decided to have a day trip by car. Picking what was rightly forecast to be a lovely sunny day, we drove the 63 miles to the most southerly point of Scotland, The Mull of Galloway a headland at the southern Rhinns of Galloway peninsula in Dumfries and Galloway. 

Not the idea place to visit in bad weather, Its surrounded by sea on two sides and Luce Bay on the third. The offshore tides, even on a good day, are something to behold with eerie swirling and strong currents which would obviously drag you away without any hint of mercy. 

Quite busy but easy to keep our distance as we explored the circular paths that covered the rough ground around the Mull and its attractions. Because of Covid 19 the Lighthouse tower, exhibition and the RSPB visitor centre were closed. 

The Mull has some very sheer cliffs which supports a variety of plant and bird species and is now a nature reserve managed by the RSPB but owned by the Mull of Galloway Community Trust since 2013. 

Sitting above these cliffs is the Gallie Craig Coffee House that was built in 2004 and incorporates a turf roof which allows it to mould into the natural landscape. 

The main attraction is of course the active lighthouse and its surrounding buildings. The lighthouse stands 26 metres high and 99 metres above sea level with range of 28 nautical miles. As are many of the 200 lighthouses maintained by the Northern Lighthouse Board around the coast of Scotland this one was designed and built in 1830 by none other than Robert Stevenson. Costing £9000 to build which in today’s terms would equate to £9 million was automated in 1988. Both the lighthouse and the keeper’s houses are Category A listed buildings. 

As with all other lighthouses in Scotland there is no longer a working fog horn at the Mull of Galloway but it's still in position facing out to the swirling seas. 

While we were there The Northern Lighthouse Board were carrying out there once a year maintenance. As you can see from my photos you need a lot of courage to work at that height!

On the way back we stopped at a beach just outside the busy village of Drummore and had a walk along the shore. A nice end to a very enjoyable day out.