Loch Ryan

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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Ryan, Loch (the Rerigonius Sinus of Ptolemy), a sealoch striking from the S side of the entrance of the Firth of Clyde, nearly opposite the Mull of Kintyre. It projects partly between Ayrshire and Wigtownshire, but chiefly into the interior of the latter county, forming the eastern boundary of the northern part of the Rhinns of Galloway. It extends 8¼ miles nearly due South-by-eastward; and, measuring from 1³/₈ mile to 2⁷/₈ miles in breadth, is narrowest immediately within the entrance, widest within 2¼ miles of the head, being narrower over all the lower half than in the mean of the upper half.

A sandbank called the Scar runs 2⁵/₈ miles diagonally or South-South-eastward from the middle of its W side; and it is indented on the E side, opposite the lower end of the Scar, by Cairn Point projecting from a neighbouring eminence 640 feet high. It is overlooked on the E side of the entrance by rocky shores, and at two parts of its W side by eminences 324 and 314 feet high; has almost everywhere, except at these places and at Cairn Point, low, flat, sandy shores; is left dry, at low water, over most of the Scar, over a belt nearly ½ mile broad around its head, and over a slender belt round most of its upper half; contains excellent anchoring ground over most of its extent, but especially in the South-eastern vicinity of Cairn Point, at Portmore, and in the baylets of Wig, Soleburn, and Dalmennock; forms, on the whole, a safe, commodious, natural harbour, of easy access, and so capacious as to afford ample anchorage for the largest fleets; is adjoined in the western part of its head by the town, seaport, and railway station of Stranraer; and serves, from that place, as the line of the most facile communication by steamers between Scotland and the N of Ireland. Loch Ryan lighthouse, erected on Cairn Point in 1847 at a cost of £4241, shows a fixed light visible at a distance of 12 nautical miles. The Queen has passed four nights on board the royal yacht in Loch Ryan in 1847 and 1849; and she describes it as 'very fine, the Hills and glens lovely, the loch very large, and the hills very high and wooded.'-Ord. Sur., shs. 7, 3, 1863-56.

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available, or use the map tab to the right of this page.

Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer