After having spent most of the morning at a cosy coffee shop to upload some retouching work it was time for some exploring! My first stop: Portpatrick – a colourfull coastal village.
A crescent-shaped harbour is the centre of the village which spans along the coastal line with stunning views of the Irish coast only about 34 kilometres far.
In the 18th and 19th century Portpatrick served as a kind of Gretna Green for Ireland, when the daily mail boat also brought over couples wanting to get married.
Fishing is still important in Portpatrick and there is also a small lifeboat museum nearby. There are quite a few pubs and restaurants located around the harbour inviting you to take a break and enjoy the views.
This ruined church, dating from 1629, may itself stand on the ruins of an earlier church, known as St Patrick’s Chapel. The circular tower may date from the 1520s, and originally stood on its own. Its unusual shape (for Scotland) may mean that it was either a lighthouse for the harbour, or heavily influenced by Irish architecture.
The old (ruined) St. Patricks Church dating from 1629 standing on an even older chapel.
