Drummore
Drummore is a name of Gaelic origin that means 'big ridge' and the big ridge in question is thought to that upon which High Drummore sits. Drummore is the most Southerly village in Scotland and a fact that it boasts about. It is almost as far South as Penrith in England. Drummore's harbour has had a varied history beginning in the early 1800s when it was used for importing lime. Much later the harbour changed hands to the Ministry of Defence who used it in conjunction with West Freugh and the Luce Bay bombing range. The MoD sold the harbour to the Drummore Harbour Trust Ltd in 2004. Drummore looks like a village that has been unchanged for centuries but in the 1960s there was a mudslide that blocked the main road into Drummore and the route through the town had to changed. The old main road ran from the Clashwhannon (you should notice the pub on the left as you enter the village) and is now a footpath down towards Shore Street. Shore Street includes some victorian buildings, including the Ship Inn. Drummore once had a castle, which, like the Castle of St John and Dunskey Castle, was owned by the Adairs of Kinhilt.
Out into Luce Bay, just a few miles offshore you may spot some rocky islands jutting out of the sea - these are the Scar(e)s. The islands host colonies of Gannets in the breeding season and are managed by the RSPB. Unfortunately there are no regular trips out to them.
Don't Miss This in Drummore...
- Drummore Bay - Drummore has a pleasant sandy beach which is regularly raked and kept clean. It also boasts views across Luce Bay.
- Remains of HMS Pagham - Once a 'Ham' class inshore minesweeper built for the Royal Navy in 1955, it was then used for training by the sea cadets in 1978, before being left to rust in Drummore harbour in 2008, after reclaimable parts were stripped from it.
Nearby Places to Visit...
- Mull of Galloway - if Drummore is the most Southerly village in Scotland, then that makes the Mull of Galloway the most Southerly point in Scotland. The thing that hits you first when you get to the Mull is the views; providing you come on a clear day, you will see Ireland, the Isle of Man and Cumbria, as well as across to the Machars. The sheer 85 metre cliffs provide habitat for an amazing array of birds, including peregrine falcons, razorbills, shags, guillemots, fulmars, kittiwakes, gulls and the occasional puffin or three! The cliff tops themselves host twites, linnets, stonechats, pipits, wheatears as well as various rare butterflies and moths. Please take care with what you do here as it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as well as an RSPB protected reserve. Offshore, you may be lucky enough to spot shearwaters, auks and skuas, as well as marine mammals such as seals, dolphins and whales. Basking sharks and the odd turtle can also sometimes be spotted. If you're more of an armchair wildlife lover, you can sit in the visitor centre which has video streamed straight from cameras set in the middle of nesting sites on the Mull of Galloway cliffs. Alternatively, you could sit in the grass-roofed Gallie Craig cafe and have a bite to eat whilst admiring the views. The lighthouse at the Mull of Galloway, designed by lighthouse engineer Robert Stephenson, has been in use since 1830. There is a walk down to the fog horn with spectacular views of the breeding seabird colony.
- Kirkmaiden - 1638 kirk with stone sculpture of a lighthouse in the graveyard. Kirkmaiden is mentioned in Robert Burn's 'Frae Maidenkirk to Johnny Groats'.
- St. Medan's Cave and Chapel - just south of Kirkmaiden's ruined old church and North of the Mull of Galloway (you would have to park at the Mull to visit) is St Medan's Cave and Chapel. This interesting site consists of a chapel built into a cave in the cliffside.
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