You cannot get any furthest south in Scotland than the Rhins of Galloway. This remote headland's southernmost extremity, The Mull, has so much to offer visitors.
Scotland has so much dramatic scenery and sometimes the more isolated areas are neglected by tourists and local people alike. This is not the case with the Mull of Galloway though and a whole raft of tourist attractions await visitors down there in Scotland’s deep south.. The extreme terminus of the headland has a high heather heath that was once used as raw material for brewing traditional heather ale. The last chieftain to hold the secret recipe for that brew is said to have jumped to his death off the cliffs here. He went to his death rather than give away the key to making his ale to a party of invading sea raiders.
Breathtaking views and birdwatching
The whole Mull is still ringed with huge cliffs to this day and at the top of the Gallie Craig there is a cliff top restaurant with great views. What better than to look out over the sea to panoramic vistas of the Isle of Man and Ireland while you are sipping a welcome cup of tea or coffee in the turf roofed Gallie Craig Coffee House. In summer the cliffs around here abound with huge flocks of seabirds and the area is a bird reserve protected and manned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Gannets nest on the Scare Rocks six miles out in Luce Bay and these large plunge diving birds can be seen from telescopes on the reserve. Wardens are on the reserve throughout the summer and they will be able to tell visitors what can be seen here and there are usually guillemots, black guillemots, fulmars and kittiwakes on the cliffs and open sea and there might also be a few puffins and rock pipits. Birds of prey like the peregrine falcons, merlins and kestrels also hunt on the RSPB reserve.
Old tales and history
It is said that an old witch woman managed to weave the nine tides that meet here at the Mull of Galloway to drown an unwary sailor.She was unable to untangle the currents again before morning came and they have remained a hazard to this day There is a lighthouse that was established here by the famous Stevenson family. Robert Louis Stevenson’s grandfather Robert was the chief engineer. The tower is 26 metres high and has 114 steps leading to the light chamber. The light beam can be seen 28 miles a way and it is open to visitors in summer. The guide at the lighthouse says that five kingdoms can be seen from the top of the tower. They are Scotland, England, Ireland, Man and the kingdom of heaven. On a fine day the Mull of Galloway is certainly a heavenly place to visit.
For more information, visit the Mull of Galloway visitor's site.
