Portpatrick

Until the mid-19th century it was the main departure point for Northern Ireland but is now a peaceful little holiday resort and a good base from which to explore the southern part of the peninsula. Portpatrick is also the starting point for the Southern Upland Way, the 212-mile coast-to-coast route which ends at Cockburnspath on the Berwickshire coast . The whole route may be beyond most mortals, but you can walk the first section to Stranraer (nine miles), or continue for a further four miles to Castle Kennedy Gardens and return to Portpatrick by bus, via Stranraer. You can arrange sea fishing trips from Portpatrick. These cost £8 for half a day, Tel 810468.

Phone code: +44 (0)1776

South of Portpatrick

From Portpatrick the road runs south to the Mull of Galloway through lush, green farmland which receives high average rainfall. The Rhinns are also warmed by the Gulf Stream which gives the peninsula the mildest climate in Scotland and means it's almost frost-free. This is beautifully demonstrated at Logan Botanic Garden, an outpost of Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden, about a mile north of the tiny village of Port Logan. The garden boasts a vast array of exotic, subtropical flora from the southern hemisphere, including tree ferns and cabbage palms. Info: Mar-Oct daily 0930-1800. £3, £2.50 concession. Tel 860231. Bus No 407 from Stranraer passes through Port Logan on its way to Drummore, a fishing village on the east coast of the Rhinns. Five miles further south is the Mull of Galloway, a dramatic, storm-lashed headland and Scotland's most southerly point, only 25 miles from Ireland and the Isle of Man. The narrow isthmus is an RSPB nature reserve and the home of thousands of seabirds such as guillemots, razorbills and puffins. There's a small information centre. Info: Late May-Aug. Tel 01671-402861.