Stranraer's Museum and Castle, then Portpatrick
A day.
The route
Stranraer keeps two free places for children a few steps apart: the museum in the old Town Hall, with trails to follow, and the Castle of St John, once a garrison and the town jail.
Then it's over to Portpatrick for lunch by the harbour and an hour on its little beach. Most of the morning is under a roof, so it's a good family day whatever the weather.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The day
Stranraer
A morning of trails and towers in Stranraer, then lunch on the harbour front at Portpatrick and time on its beach.
About five hoursAbout 0.5 miles on foot
Stranraer Museum
An attraction
Stranraer Museum is in the white Old Town Hall of 1776 on George Street, in the middle of the town; park in one of the town-centre car parks, where the signs show how long you can park. It's free, and open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm, closing for lunch from 12.30pm to 1pm. The story of old Wigtownshire has been newly set out, with new audiovisual displays and children's trails to follow round the cases, and the ground floor has level access.
3 min on foot
Castle of St John
An attraction
The Castle of St John is a 3-minute walk away on Charlotte Street, a tall stone tower house built around 1500 by the Adairs of Kilhilt, one of the great families of Wigtownshire. In the 1670s it held government troops, and in Victorian times it was the town jail; the exhibitions inside tell its story and that of its many inhabitants. It's free, and open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm, from 20 May to 31 October. Only the ground floor is level: everything above it is up the original steep spiral stair, so hold small hands. There are no toilets in the castle.
15 min by car
The Port Pantry, Portpatrick
Lunch
Portpatrick is 15 minutes' drive south-west, and parking by the harbour is free. Lunch is at the Port Pantry on Main Street, a blue-and-white coffee shop, eatery and deli on the harbour front, with breakfasts, lunches, homemade cakes and scones. It usually opens every day from 9.30am to 4pm: ring 01776 810655 to check before you set off. If it's full, the Harbour House Hotel along the front serves lunch every day in its sea-facing conservatory.
Portpatrick
An attraction
After lunch the harbour is yours: a curve of painted houses round a small harbour cut into the rock, and a little beach of sand and shingle where children can dig and paddle. For many years this was the mail port for Ireland, and on a clear day the Antrim coast shows across the water. The Southern Upland Way starts by the inner harbour and climbs steep steps onto the cliffs, so keep that for older legs, and keep little ones back from the harbour edge. Portpatrick has public toilets.
If it rains
The museum, the castle and the café are all under a roof: on a wet day only the harbour and its beach are cut short.
Harbour House Hotel, a restaurant in Stranraer.
Fig and Olive, a café in Stranraer.