Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; gd, An t-Sròn Reamhar ), also known as The Toon, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. It is located in the historical parish of Inch in the historic county of

Wigtownshire Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown (, ) is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Wigtownshire was an administrative county used for local government. Since 1975 the area has f ...

. It lies on the shores of Loch Ryan, on the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland. Stranraer is Dumfries and Galloway's second-largest town, with a population including the immediate surrounding area of nearly 13,000 inhabitants. Stranraer is an administrative centre for the West Galloway

area of Dumfries and Galloway. It was formerly a ferry port, connecting Scotland with

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

and

Larne Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight roll-on roll-off port. Larne is administered by Mid a ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

; the last service was transferred to nearby

Cairnryan Cairnryan ( sco, The Cairn;
gd, Machair an Sgithich) is a vi ...

in November 2011. It lies by road southwest of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

, miles southwest of

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population ...

and to the west of Dumfries. The name comes from Scottish Gaelic '' An t-Sròn Reamhar'' meaning "the broad headland" or "the fat nose".

History

The Battle of Loch Ryan was fought near Stranraer on 9/10 February 1307 during the Scottish Wars of Independence. King Robert I of Scotland's invasion of his ancestral lands in Annandale and Carrick began in 1307. The Annandale and Galloway invasion force was led by his brothers

Alexander de Brus Alexander de Brus (c. 1285 – 17 February 1307), Dean of Glasgow, was a younger brother of King Robert I of Scotland, who supported his brother in the struggle for the crown of Scotland. He was captured by forces at Loch Ryan, Galloway, Scotland ...

and Thomas de Brus, Malcolm McQuillan, Lord of Kintyre, an Irish sub-king and Sir Reginald de Crawford. The force consisted of 1,000 men and 18 galleys. They sailed into Loch Ryan and landed near Stranraer. The invasion force was quickly overwhelmed by local forces, led by

Dungal MacDouall Dungal MacDouall (died before 1327/1328) was a fourteenth-century Scottish nobleman, and a member of the MacDouall family. He was a vigorous opponent of Robert I, King of Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence, and was knighted ...

, who was a supporter of the Balliols, Comyns and King Edward I of England, and only two galleys escaped. All the leaders were captured. MacDouall summarily executed the Irish sub-king and Malcolm McQuillan, Lord of Kintyre. Alexander, Thomas and Reginald de Crawford were sent to Carlisle, England, where they were executed. The heads of McQuillan and two Irish chiefs were sent to King Edward I. On 12 November 1595, the "Clashant of Stranrawer" was named part of Ninian Adair's lands of Barony and in 1596 was erected into a

burgh of barony A burgh of barony was a type of Scottish town ( burgh). Burghs of barony were distinct from royal burghs, as the title was granted to a landowner who, as a tenant-in-chief, held his estates directly from the crown. (In some cases, they might also ...

, the Barony of Kinhilt. This is recorded in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland. The partial translation into English is:

At Linlithgow, 12 November 1595, the King confirms and for faithful service again dedicates to Ninian Adair of Kinhilt, and the legitimate male heirs of his body, which failing his nearest legitimate male heirs whosoever bear the name and insignia of Adair various lands....In addition, the King creates the village at Clauchane de Stranraer as a free burgh of the barony with a free port, called the Burgh and Port of Stranraer; and the said Ninian etc shall have the authority to appoint a bailiff, treasurer,
Dean of Guild A Dean of Guild, under Scots law, was one of a group of burgh magistrates who, in later years, had the care of buildings. The leader of the group was known as Lord Dean of Guild. Originally, the post was held by the head of the Guild brethren of ...
, magistrate, burgesses, officials etc; and the burgesses shall have the authority and leave to pack and unpack eaning the selling of bulk merchandise (wholesale trade) allowed by law only by free men in a free burgh to buy and sell lso allowed only in a free burghetc; ..and the said Ninian etc shall have authority to hold the position of governor of the said burgh, ..to hold weekly markets on Saturday, with free (untaxed) market days twice a year, viz Saint Barnabas' day the 11th of June, and at Peter's Imprisonment called Lammas on the 1st of August, ..and the said Ninian etc shall have authority over all the port customs of the said burgh raised by sea or land among the land tenents of the said burgh and support of the said port; and the said Ninian etc shall have authority to receive resignations of lands of the said burgh etc .e. recover his lands from towns people who choose to sell them or give them up from those persons whatsoever who chose to dispose of them; the townspeople may meet three times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

By 1600, Stranraer had become the market town for western

. Around this time, Stranraer was reached by a military road built from Dumfries to allow easier access to Portpatrick for transportation of people to Ireland for the Plantation of Ulster. Stranraer became a

royal burgh A royal burgh () was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs. Most royal burghs were either created by ...

in 1617. The first harbour in Stranraer was built in the mid-18th century, with further port development in the 1820s. The arrival of the railway from Dumfries in 1861 (closed 1965), giving the shortest journey to/from London, finally established Stranraer as the area's main port. In 1862, the line was extended to serve the harbour directly, and a link to Portpatrick was also opened. In 1877, a rail connection north to Girvan and

was also established. Stranraer remained the main Scottish port for the Irish ferries for the next 150 years or so. On 31 January 1953, 133 people died when the '' Princess Victoria'' sank near Belfast Lough after its car deck was swamped by heavy seas. Stranraer and its surrounding area saw a significant amount of activity during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, as it became a focus for anti-U-boat work. Flying boats operated from the area in an attempt to secure the waters of the North Channel and the south western coast of Scotland. Almost all of Britain's shipping imports passed through those two sea areas en route to the Clyde or the Mersey. Indeed, the flying boat '' Supermarine Stranraer'' is named after the town. Winston Churchill himself departed from Stranraer in a Boeing Flying Boat on the night of 25 June 1942, when making his second visit of the war to the United States. Churchill also spent time at nearby Knockinaam Lodge during the war years. Stranraer has an active local history trust, which publishes work on the area's history, commissioned from local authors.

Transport

The A77 runs north towards

, Prestwick and

. The A75 runs east from Stranraer to Gretna, with links to the M6 going to

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...

. The A75 is part of

European route E18 European route E18 runs from Craigavon in Northern Ireland to Saint Petersburg in Russia, passing through Scotland, England, Norway, Sweden and Finland. It is about in length. Although the designation implies the possibility of a thro ...

, but, like all European routes, it is not signposted as such in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. The main national coach providers operate services from Stranraer. National Express offer a service to London, and

Scottish Citylink Scottish Citylink is a long-distance express coach operator in Scotland and Ireland (where it operates as Irish Citylink) and England (where it operates as Stansted Citylink). The company was formed as a subsidiary of Scottish Transport Group in ...

(in association with Ulsterbus) operate services to

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. Local transport in and around the town is provided by Stagecoach Western, and local companies, including McCulloch's Coaches. Stranraer railway station is the southern terminus for one of the branch lines of the Glasgow South Western Line. Trains are provided by ScotRail daily to

, Glasgow Central, and Kilmarnock. From Stranraer connections to the West Coast Main Line, can be made at Glasgow Central, or traveling via

, Kilmarnock, Dumfries to

. Onward trains from either Glasgow Central or Carlisle connect direct to London Euston and other destinations such as Manchester Piccadilly,

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...

and

Birmingham New Street Birmingham New Street is the largest and busiest of the three main railway stations in Birmingham city centre, England, and a central hub of the British railway system. It is a major destination for Avanti West Coast services from , and vi ...

. In November 2011,

Stena Line Stena Line is a Swedish shipping line company and one of the largest ferry operators in the world. It services Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden. Stena Line is a major u ...

relocated its ferry services to a new port at Old House Point, north of

Cairnryan Cairnryan ( sco, The Cairn;
gd, Machair an Sgithich) is a vi ...

, which is a few miles north of Stranraer. The existing port in Stranraer may be redeveloped with the departure of Stena Line; proposals to build a transport hub have been made. Both

Campbeltown Airport Campbeltown Airport ( gd, Port-adhair Cheann Loch Chille Chiarain) is located at Machrihanish, west of Campbeltown, near the tip of the Kintyre peninsula in Argyll and Bute on the west coast of Scotland. The airport was formerly known as R ...

and

Glasgow Prestwick Airport Glasgow Prestwick Airport () is an international airport serving the west of Scotland, situated northeast of the town of Prestwick in South Ayrshire and southwest of Glasgow. It is the less busy of the two airports serving the western part o ...

, at around , are the closest airports in Scotland to Stranraer. Belfast City Airport in Northern Ireland is distant.

Economy

The main industries in the area are the ferry port, with associated industries, tourism and, more traditionally, farming.

Redevelopment

The

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

was partly financing "The Stranraer and Loch Ryan Waterfront Project" to regenerate the area. At an estimated cost of £1.29m, the Castle Square development was the first phase of the redevelopment of Stranraer town centre and significantly changed the flow of traffic, with Castle Street and George Street both being narrowed in a bid to be more pedestrian friendly. By January 2010, work on the streets around the town centre was complete, with the streets around the Castle of St John re-paved and re-profiled. The Castle Square was formally unveiled in March 2011 and has so far hosted a range of activities, including music and family events. Stranraer is currently undergoing redevelopment in the South Central Area (known as Dick's Hill, Ochtrelure and the southern part of Liddesdale Road area into the Gallow Hill).

Historic and notable buildings

The Castle of St John is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

tower house, built around 1500 by the Adairs of Kilhilt. It has been used as a home, a court, a prison, and a military garrison, the last during the Killing Time in the 1680s. The

Old Town Hall Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

, built in 1776, now houses the Stranraer Museum with its displays of Victorian Wigtownshire and the town's polar explorers, Sir John Ross and his nephew James Clark Ross. The town is also home to the

North West Castle North West Castle is a 19th-century four star country house hotel in Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, in the south west of Scotland. It is noteworthy for being the home of Sir John Ross, a famous Scottish rear admiral and Arctic explorer. Ro ...

, built in 1820 and the first hotel in the world with its own indoor curling ice rink.

Tourist attractions

Other local tourist attractions include: * Ardwell Gardens – landscape gardens * Castle Kennedy Gardens – a garden between two lochs, noted for its rhododendrons, azaleas and embothriums in the grounds of Lochinch Castle, the seat of the Earls of Stair. *

Glenluce Abbey Glenluce Abbey, near to Glenluce, Scotland, was a Cistercian monastery called also ''Abbey of Luce'' or ''Vallis Lucis'' and founded around 1190 by Rolland or Lochlann, Lord of Galloway and Constable of Scotland. Following the Scottish Reforma ...

– a 12th century Cistercian monastery. *Glenwhan Gardens – a garden near

Dunragit Dunragit ( gd, Dùn Reicheit) is a village on the A75, between Stranraer and Glenluce in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. Dunragit is within the parish of Old Luce, in the traditional county of Wigtownshire. The modern village grew ...

. * Logan Botanic Garden, near

Port Logan Port Logan, formerly Port Nessock, is a small village in the parish of Kirkmaiden in the Rhins of Galloway in Wigtownshire. The Gaelic name is Port Neasaig. Port Nessock Bay is now all that remains of the western end of a strait that in post- ...

village – one of the four sites of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. * Mull of Galloway – the most southerly point of Scotland, with a lighthouse, visitor centre and RSPB bird reserve. * Portpatrick – small fishing town *The Robert the Bruce Trail begins at Loch Ryan, near Stranraer. * Southern Upland Way – a coast-to-coast path between Portpatrick and

Cockburnspath Cockburnspath ( ; sco, Co’path) is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It lies near the North Sea coast between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh. It is at the eastern extremity of the Southern Upland Way a long-distance footp ...

. * Whithorn – with its relics of St Ninian. * Wigtown – Scotland's national book town.

Education

The town of Stranraer has five

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

s: Belmont, Park, Rephad, Sheuchan and St. Joseph's R.C., while villages in the local area usually have their own local school or nursery. The secondary school,

Stranraer Academy Stranraer Academy is a secondary school in Stranraer in south west Scotland. It serves the area of Stranraer, the Rhins, and parts of the Machars. The original Stranraer Academy was opened in 1845 on the site of the present Stranraer Campus o ...

, is a comprehensive school consisting of one modern building (New Building Phase 2 completed in 2010). The school has around 1,200 pupils, 90 members of staff and serves the area of Stranraer, the Rhins, and parts of the Machars, Wigtownshire. Stranraer Academy has another seven associated primary schools from areas outwith Stranraer:

Glenluce Glenluce ( gd, Clachan Ghlinn Lus) is a small village in the parish of Old Luce in Wigtownshire, Scotland. It contains a village shop,a caravan park and a town hall, as well as the parish church. Location Glenluce on the A75 road between Stranra ...

, Castle Kennedy, Drummore,

Kirkcolm Kirkcolm ( sco, Kirkcoam) is a village and civil parish on the northern tip of the Rhinns of Galloway peninsula, south-west Scotland. It is in Dumfries and Galloway, and is part of the former county of Wigtownshire. The parish is bounded on th ...

Leswalt Leswalt ( gd, Lios Uillt) is a village and civil parish in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It lies between Portpatrick and Stranraer in the Rhins of Galloway, part of the traditional county of Wigtownshire. The parish covers around . ...

, Sandhead and Portpatrick. The original

was opened in 1845 on the site of the present Stranraer Campus of Dumfries and Galloway College. In 1965, a new Academy (B Block) was built alongside a new High School (A Block) and in 1970 the schools amalgamated. Dumfries and Galloway College has a campus in the town. In 1990, the John Niven Further Education College was built on Academy Street in the town; it has since been absorbed into the Dumfries and Galloway College.

Sport

The town is the home of

Stranraer F.C. Stranraer Football Club is a Scottish semi-professional football club based in the town of Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway. The club was founded in 1870, making it the third-oldest football club in Scotland behind Queen's Park and Kilmarnoc ...

, the local semi-professional football team who play at

Stair Park Stair Park is a public park and football stadium in the town of Stranraer, Scotland and is the home of Stranraer F.C. It is owned by Dumfries and Galloway Council and is situated next to the London Road and the railway line in the town. The park ...

. They currently play in the Scottish League Two. The rugby team Wigtownshire RFC are based in the town, playing at London Road Playing Fields, opposite Stair Park and are currently in West League Division 2. Also at Stair Park are

BMX BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation. History BMX began during the earl ...

and skateboarding ramps, and all-weather tennis and netball courts. The town also has a swimming pool (with flume), fitness suite, gymnasium and large sports hall at the council-run Ryan Centre, as well as other football fields, parks and all-weather multi-purpose pitches. Throughout the years, Stranraer has also been a centre of excellence for Scottish

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns slidi ...

. The town boasts the first hotel in the world with an indoor curling ice rink (

), and was the birthplace of Hammy McMillan, a World Champion curler, and current resident. The town is host to a number of annual curling championships, including the Scottish Ladies Curling Championship and the World Juniors Curling Championship. In 2019 the Scottish Coastal Rowing world championships, Skiffieworld, was held at Stranraer between 7 and 13 July. Over 50 clubs raced St Ayles Skiffs during the week.

Public services

NHS Dumfries and Galloway provides healthcare services in the town. The Galloway Community Hospital opened in 2006 and replaced the Garrick and Dalrymple hospitals of the town. GP services are based in the Waverly Medical Centre, adjacent to the new hospital. The town has several care homes for the elderly, the biggest being Thorneycroft on the edges of the town, run by the CIC company.

Districts

*Ailsa Gait *Ailsa View *Bishopburn *Ochtrelure *Sheuchan Parks / Liddesdale *Stair *Stranraer Town *West End

Outer districts

*Auchtrelure *Blackparks *Culhorn *Gallowhill *Inchparks *Innermessan *Sandmill *Soulseat

Media

Local newspaper the ''

Stranraer and Wigtownshire Free Press The Stranraer and Wigtownshire Free Press is a local weekly newspaper based in Stranraer, Rhins, Wigtownshire Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown (, ) is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the c ...

'' is based and was previously printed in the town's St Andrews Street. The ''Galloway Gazette'' also covers the town and surrounding area. Stranraer falls in the ITV Border television area. The nearest radio station is based in

; however, the nearest local station is based in Dumfries. West Sound FM broadcasts at 96.5 FM in the town.

In popular culture

*The song "Cap in Hand" by The Proclaimers says "I can understand why Stranraer lie so lowly, they could save a lot of points by signing Hibs' goalie", a reference to goalkeeper

Andy Goram Andrew Lewis Goram (13 April 1964 – 2 July 2022) was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Bury, Lancashire, England, he started his career with Oldham Athletic and Hibernian, but he is best remembered for playing for Ran ...

, and to Stranraer FC's poor league position at the time the song was written. *In the fourth episode of the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...

series '' Knowing Me, Knowing You... with Alan Partridge'', one of the guests was the 'Duchess of Stranraer'. No such title exists. *Stranraer has featured in

Peter Kay Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English actor, comedy writer and stand-up comedian. He has written, produced and acted in several television and film projects, and has written three books. Born and brought up in Bolton, Kay studied ...

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

'' Phoenix Nights'' series, albeit only by name. One character, Alan, is said to be stuck in Stranraer with his lorry and not at the club.Phoenix Nights
/ref> *BBC TV series ''2000'' ''Acres of Sky'' (starring Paul Kaye & ex-''Eastenders'' star Michelle Collins was filmed in and around Stranraer (the village used for many exteriors in the show was

, approx. to the south on coast).

Notable people

Vicki Adams Victoria Elizabeth "Vicki" Chalmers (née Adams) (born 16 November 1989) is a Scottish curler who was the long time second for Eve Muirhead. Representing Scotland, they won the 2013 World Championships and the European Championships in 201 ...

, Olympic medalist in

* Richard Arkless, former MP * David Broadfoot, hero of the 1953 ''Princess Victoria'' sinking * Sir James Caird, agricultural writer and politician * Colin Calderwood, football player and manager * James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair, jurist and author of the Institutions of the Laws of Scotland * John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair, sat as MP for the Burgh of Stranraer in the 1689 Convention Parliament * Craig Hamilton, rugby player * Thomas Hamilton, recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

* Ryan Hardie, footballer *

Emma Harper Emma Harper is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. She has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the South Scotland region since the 2016 Scottish Parliament election. Early life Harper was born and raised on a farm near ...

, MSP * Leander Starr Jameson, leader of the Jameson Raid, a precursor of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the So ...

, and Prime Minister of the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with ...

, and editor of the ''Wigtownshire Free Press'' * Robert William Jameson, author, editor of the ''Wigtownshire Free Press'', and father of Leander Starr Jameson * Allan Jenkins, footballer * Sir John Noble Kennedy, army officer, author and colonial governor *

William King William King may refer to: Arts * Willie King (1943–2009), American blues guitarist and singer *William King (author) (born 1959), British science fiction author and game designer, also known as Bill King *William King (artist) (1925–2015), Am ...

, writer of a number of science fiction and fantasy books most notably in Games Workshop's Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 series. * Keith Knox, footballer *

Kevin Kyle Kevin Alastair Kyle (born 7 June 1981) is a Scottish retired footballer and media personality who played as a centre forward. He played for eleven senior clubs in his career. Kyle gained ten full Scotland international caps and scored one goal. ...

, footballer *

Allan Little James Allan Stuart Little (born 11 October 1959) is a former BBC researcher, reporter and, latterly, special correspondent. He left the BBC at the end of 2014, "to pursue other projects". Early life Little was born on 11 October 1959 in Dunragi ...

, BBC foreign correspondent * John Livingstone, minister banished to Rotterdam * John Claudius Loudon, landscape gardener and horticultural writer, who laid out the grounds at Castle Kennedy in 1841 *

Rory Loy Rory James Loy (born 19 March 1988) is a Scottish former professional association footballer, footballer now working as a football commentator on radio and television. He last played for Scottish League One side Dumbarton F.C., Dumbarton. He ha ...

, footballer * Robert McDouall, officer, Napoleonic Wars * William McFadzean, Baron McFadzean, industrialist and President of the Federation of British Industries * Hammy McMillan, World Curling Champion, 1999 *

Shaun McSkimming Shaun McSkimming (born 29 May 1970 in Stranraer) is a Scottish former association football, footballer who played as a left-sided attacking midfielder for Dundee F.C., Dundee, Kilmarnock F.C., Kilmarnock, Motherwell F.C., Motherwell and Peterhea ...

, footballer *

James Mavor James Mavor (December 8, 1854 – October 31, 1925) was a Scottish-Canadian economist. He served as a Professor of Political Economy of the University of Toronto from 1892 to 1923. His influence upon Canadian economic thought is traced to as la ...

, economist, economic historian and Professor of Political Economy and Constitutional History at the University of Toronto * Sir Robert Pringle, Director-General

Army Veterinary Corps The Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC), known as the Army Veterinary Corps (AVC) until it gained the royal prefix on 27 November 1918, is an administrative and operational branch of the British Army responsible for the provision, training and ca ...

1910-1917 * John Rennie, naval architect * Sir John Ross, polar explorer * David Speirs, Australian politician * Dame Leslie Strathie, Chief Executive of

HM Revenue and Customs HM Revenue and Customs (His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, or HMRC) is a non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial Departments of the United Kingdom Government, department of the His Majesty's Government, UK Government responsible fo ...

* Peter Wilson, World Junior Curling champion, 1981 *

Vicky Wright Victoria Wright (born 15 August 1993) is a retired Scottish Curling, curler from Stranraer, and 2022 Olympic Champion in women's curling, playing Third (curling), third on Team Eve Muirhead, Muirhead. Career Before playing for Muirhead, Wright ...

, Olympic curler

Climate

Like most of the United Kingdom, Stranraer has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

( Köppen: ''Cfb''). The nearest weather station to Stranraer is located at RAF West Freugh, around 5 miles (8 km) to the south of Stranraer.

Gallery

Image:Panoramic view of Stranraer, Scotland.jpg, Panoramic view of Stranraer, as viewed from Gallowhill Image:Stranraer from NE.jpg, Stranraer and the shores of Loch Ryan, viewed from north-east end of town. Image:Stranraer Close Up.JPG, Part of the Dick's Hill area taken from the Gallowhill area 2008 File:Stranraer Castle.jpg, Stranraer Castle (Castle of St John). Image:Johnniven.jpg, Dumfries and Galloway College's Stranraer Campus, 2008 File:Stranraer Station - geograph.org.uk - 934303.jpg, Stranraer railway station. File:Innermessan, near Stranraer - geograph.org.uk - 1302313.jpg, Innermessan, near Stranraer.