Take an alternative trip to Scotland

People living on the island of Ireland - whether north or south - might like the idea of a trip to Scotland. But getting there by ferry may have just become a much more enticing option.

Budget airline Ryanair has revealed it is slashing its service to Edinburgh Airport, which means getting from the Emerald Isle to the Scottish capital could be a trickier thing to do.

Its boss Michael O'Leary is set to announce the reductions today (February 21st) after a failure of negotiations with the airport over the financial terms of the contract between the two, which was up for renegotiation with the hub's owner BAA.

But this may offer an opportunity to discover the joys of visiting Scotland in a different way, by catching ferries from Belfast to Stranraer.

Being based in the south-west of Scotland, Stranraer is a fair distance from Edinburgh, but that offers a chance to enjoy some of the fine scenery of the Scottish Lowlands en route, or simply enjoy this part of the country instead.

The term lowlands may imply that the area is somehow lacking in hills and while it is true that there is nothing south of Glasgow and Edinburgh that qualifies in the Munro category (a Scottish mountain over 3,000 ft), those wishing to explore the uplands may find many peaks over 2,000 ft, such as Merrick, Tinto, Capel Fell, Andrewinney Hill and Windlestraw Law. 

Of these, the highest is Merrick at 2,766 ft and it is located in the Galloway Forest Park, which offers some remote and enticing scenery.

Indeed, the fact that this location is a long way from large towns gives it a special status. The Galloway Forest Park has official dark sky status as accorded by the International Dark Sky Associoation, with a dark sky rating of 23 out of 24.

It means that at night, there is almost no light pollution - in contrast with the situation in towns - and so those staying in the area who get a clear night to look up at the sky will be able to view the wonders of the cosmos with more clarity than they are ever likely to have seen before.

Posted by Mark Robinson
 

Stromness - Scrabster

1 x Foot Passenger(s) Return

Travelling on:

07/07/2012 - 14/07/2012

£37

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Larne - Troon

Car + 2 Return

Travelling on:

05/06/2012 - 05/06/2012

£158

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St Margarets Hope - Gills Bay

Car + 4 Return

Travelling on:

02/06/2012 - 17/06/2012

£178

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* Prices are "from prices" and are indicative only

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