Stranraer

This article is about the town in Scotland. For the village in Canada, see Stranraer, Saskatchewan. For the aircraft, see Supermarine Stranraer.

Stranraer
Town and sea port
Stranraer looking west from the castle tower, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
Stranraer is located in Dumfries and Galloway
Stranraer
Stranraer
Location within Dumfries and Galloway
Population10,110 (2022)[3]
OS grid referenceNX059606
• Edinburgh102 mi (164 km)
• London310 mi (499 km)
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSTRANRAER
Postcode districtDG9
Dialling code01776
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
54°54′07″N 5°01′37″W / 54.902°N 5.027°W / 54.902; -5.027

Stranraer (UK: /strænˈrɑːr/ stran-RAR,[4] in Scotland also /strənˈ-/ strən-;[citation needed] Scottish Gaelic: An t-Sròn Reamhar [ən̪ˠˌt̪ʰɾɔːn ˈɾãũ.əɾ]), also known as The Toon, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on Loch Ryan and the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland. Stranraer is Dumfries and Galloway's second-largest town, with a population of 10,593.[5]

Stranraer is the administrative centre for the Wigtownshire area of Dumfries and Galloway. It was formerly a ferry port, connecting Scotland with Belfast and Larne in Northern Ireland; the service was transferred to nearby Cairnryan in 2011.[6] It lies 87 miles (140 km) southwest of Glasgow, 52 miles (84 km) miles southwest of Ayr and 72 miles (116 km) west of Dumfries.

The name comes from Scottish Gaelic An t-Sròn Reamhar meaning "the broad headland" or "the fat nose".[7]

  1. ^ Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba ~ Gaelic Place-names of Scotland
  2. ^ Scots Language Centre: Scottish Place Names in Scots
  3. ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Stranraer". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Ward 1 - Stranraer and the Rhins". Dumfries and Galloway Council. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Stranraer harbour bids farewell to ferries". BBC News. 18 November 2011.
  7. ^ "Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland database". Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba. Retrieved 22 April 2017.