The Rhins of Galloway: a remote and little-visited corner of Scotland
Dunskey Castle, Rhins of Galloway, Scotland
The Rhins of Galloway is another place we’d never heard of before starting to plan a visit there. Which is a good thing, given our core goal of exploring off the beaten track!
Where are the Rhins of Galloway?
Our visit to the Rhins of Galloway took place over the New Year 2025-6. We’d been at home for a couple of months and were starting to get cabin fever, which was exacerbated by Christmas and the associated time spent cooped up indoors. We wanted to get away: to see the sea, to feel the wind in our faces, to explore somewhere new, and to do some coastal walking. And to escape the excesses of Christmas, although to be honest, we took them with us, so that was a fail.
The Mull of Galloway is Scotland’s most southerly point.
We had come across this article about the Rhins of Galloway in The Guardian Travel section and were immediately intrigued: a coastal path we’d never heard of, around a place we’d never heard of, and we’d be in Scotland over New Year. In addition, we learned that the Rhins of Galloway earned UNESCO Biosphere status in 2023, meaning that the area reconciles biodiversity conservation with sustainable human use, and fosters community-driven, non-regulatory approaches to environmental management. Definitely something to support!
We managed to find a great PLU house exchange and, without further ado, put plans in place. Not that we needed many plans – a simple 3 hours’ drive up the M6 and we’d be there. Except we wouldn’t be, because it’s another 2-3 hours’ drive west after you’ve turned left at Gretna Green. So we piled Luna, huge amounts of leftover pulled pork, mince pies, Christmas cake and wine into the car and set off.
Port Logan
The Rhins of Galloway villages
Our house exchange was in the small village of Drummore, in a stunning position on the headland overlooking the bay. We immediately took Luna down for a run along the seaweed-strewn beach where countless Oystercatchers, Redshanks and Ruddy Turnstones pecked around for their dinner. We then headed into the Ship Inn for a pint, as it was already getting dark at 3pm. The Ship is a great community pub – roaring fire, friendly locals, excellent beer and also, apparently, good food. The ‘apparently’ being because the kitchen was closed for the duration of our stay 😭 – just as well we had a carful of leftover food!
Mull of Galloway
Whilst the Rhins of Galloway lack the splendour and drama of the Scottish Highlands, it does have its own, more subtle charms. Away from the coast, it basically consists of flat and rolling farmland, which in the middle of winter lay rather bleak, muddy and forlorn. The Rhins is blissfully devoid of humans – the only settlements are a few whitewashed traditional fishing villages that can’t have changed much for centuries, and some isolated farms. This must change in summer, though, because there were several campsites and holiday parks – we would definitely recommend visiting out of peak season if you can! Port Logan and Drummore were especially cute villages and incredibly peaceful – perfect after the preceding Christmas festivities.
However, we definitely don't recommend the Mariners Coffee Shop in Drummore – whilst the food was OK, we have never been anywhere so filthy. We left with heaving stomachs and dearly wishing we’d read its Google reviews more closely. It might be OK if you can sit outside. And don't need the loo!
The coastal path was both spectacular and elemental - I don’t think we saw anyone else in 6 days
The Mull of Galloway
We’d heard that a highlight of the Rhins is the Mull of Galloway, which is Scotland’s southernmost point. The Mull is very close to Drummore - indeed we could have walked there in a couple of hours, but decided to drive because the Gallie Craig coffee house at the Mull was closed for the winter and we didn't think we could manage without a warm up, given that the temperature was close to 0ºC, with a biting wind.
The wind reached whole new levels once we arrived at the Mull – we could barely stand up, and it was absolutely bitter. But we staunchly set off, hoping to follow a figure of eight route around the Mull coastline – our progress was however so slow (due to the wind and not being able to find the path) that we failed completely. That said, the Mull of Galloway is stunning, with a beautiful white lighthouse perched on high rocky cliffs above the stormy, swirling sea, with seabirds swooping and soaring around (it is a RSPB reserve and Razorbills, Guillemots, and Puffins nest there in spring/summer)
The Rhins of Galloway Coast Path
We walked a few short stretches of the Rhins coastal path during our week’s stay - much less than we hoped because we were restricted by short daylight hours, and also by the weather. But the wind was exhilarating- it was joyful to face the elements and to look down on the crashing swirling sea. The coastal path is very much a work in progress - we’d forgotten about the Scottish right to roam and spent a long time searching for paths that don’t exist. We struggled along extremely narrow sheep paths and clambered over huge boulders. All this took forever and our progress was immensely slow. But the coastal path was also both spectacular and elemental - I don’t think we saw anyone else in 6 days’ of walking and there were so many sea birds including 3 curlews one afternoon. No seals unfortunately, but both they and dolphins are regularly seen in warmer months.
Our best day was our final day when it had snowed overnight, but the sun shone brightly (if lowly!) in a cloudless sky. We walked the stretch of coastal path north of Portpatrick to Dunskey Castle and beyond to Morroch Bay - it was absolutely stunning. We sat on a cold rock in the bright but weak sunshine to have some lunch, gazing over the Irish Sea to the snowy peaks of Northern Ireland, laying clear on the horizon. We sipped our favourite Slovene porcini mushroom soup from a flask and mopped it up with an ‘award-winning’ potato scone from John Gillespie & Sons in Portpatrick. It honestly couldn’t have been better.
After our walk we stopped for a pint in the Crown Hotel In Portpatrick and ate bowlfuls of steaming and delicious homemade Cullen Skink in front of the blazing fire, before braving the cold again to watch the sun set over the Portpatrick harbour. Truly magical and a fitting end to our holiday.
Is The Rhins of Galloway worth visiting?
Yes, absolutely.
The coastal walking/hiking is excellent, with great wildlife.
There are interesting castles, lighthouses and gardens to visit, and traditional pubs and fishing villages.
But go outside peak season if you can!
More walking/hiking blogs
The Rhins of Galloway is a remote and little-visited corner of Scotland with a brand new coast path.