Cairnryan

Cairnryan
Scottish Gaelic: Càrn Rìoghain
Cairnryan  Cairnryan shown within Dumfries and Galloway
Population	142 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	NX067683
Council area	Dumfries and Galloway
Lieutenancy area	Wigtown
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	STRANRAER
Postcode district	DG9
Dialling code	01776
Police	Dumfries and Galloway
Fire	Dumfries and Galloway
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Dumfries and Galloway
Scottish Parliament	Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
List of places: UK • Scotland •

Ferry berthed at Cairnryan

Cairnryan is a small Scottish village in Dumfries and Galloway on the eastern shore of Loch Ryan. The village has been of vital importance in maritime history.

Ferry Port

Cairnryan is notable for its two modern ferry terminals connecting Scotland to Northern Ireland. The first opened in 1973, originally operated by Townsend Thoresen and now by P&O Ferries links Scotland with the port of Larne. The second at Old House Point is operated by Stena Line linking to the port of Belfast.

Overview

Cairnryan Military Railway
Legend Old House Point Shed Cairnryan Harbour Cairn Point Cairnryan Yard Leffnoll Yard Innermessan Shipyard London Road A75 Cairnryan Junction Yard P&WJR

Cairnryan was established in 1701 when Lochryan House was built along with many of the houses in the North End of the village for workers on the Lochryan Estate. A slate quarry can still be seen in the side of the face of the Cairn Hill which overlooks the village, where the slates for the housing roofs were sourced from. Features of the Estate included a Deer Park, Bowling Green. These along with houses on the shore side of the main road, would make way for the massive war construction the village would see.

During World War II, Cairnryan became No.2 Military Port, and three harbour piers and a military railway linking the village with nearby Stranraer were built by the army. Only one of the piers still remains, one was dismantled and another was destroyed in an ammunition explosion shortly after the war. The remaining pier is now in a state of disrepair and is fenced off to the public. However many anglers still take their chances and use the pier as its offers rich pickings for a variety of seafish such as mackerel, cod, dogfish, mullet and plaice.

Thousands of troops were based locally in military camps. At the end of the war, the Atlantic U-Boat fleet surrendered in Loch Ryan and was anchored in the port before being towed to the North Channel and scuttled. This activity was codenamed Operation Deadlight.

For a period after the war, the port was used to load superfluous ammunition onto army landing craft for disposal at sea - a hazardous task, which took the lives of several at the port, while the long-term and wider risks of such dumping have only later become more evident. It ceased in the early 1960s when most of the military infrastructure was abandoned, then dismantled, apart from one of the military jetties which remains, albeit in a perilous state.

In the early 1950s to the South End of the village, a number of council houses were built at Claddyburn Terrace which increased the villages population.

In the late 1960s Ship breaking then became the main industry; the great British aircraft carriers HMS Centaur, HMS Bulwark, HMS Eagle, and HMS Ark Royal were all sent here for demolition, as well as a number of other vessels including HMS Mohawk and HMS Blake. As recently as 1990, Soviet Navy submarines were being dismantled here for scrap.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1960s through to the 1990s the Croach Quarry was the scene of many explosions and excavations of stone.

The main facilities in the village today are the Lochryan Hotel, some Bed and Breakfasts / Guest Houses, the Caravan Site built on the site of an old war camp site, Village Shop and the Merchants House Restaurant. Up until the early 2000s there was also a Post Office and Petrol Station. The village church was demolished in 1990.

Future

Arrival at Cairnryan

Its status as an important ferry port looks to be secured, with P&O Irish Sea continuing to depart from Cairnryan and Stena Line operating from a new terminal at Old House Point.

This means a major financial investment in the North Channel routes and significant long term security for the village and the wider Loch Ryan basin.