Travel: Corsewall Lighthouse Hotel, Stranraer

By LINDA SUMMERHAYES
Published on 05/08/2012 19:21

To get to the remote, rocky and sea-sprayed Corsewall Point, home to Corsewall Lighthouse Hotel, you’ll need to gingerly negotiate a narrow, winding and muddy farm track. An adventure indeed.

It’s under the watch of this lighthouse, perched high on the Kintyre peninsula, that ferries leave the safety of Loch Ryan and make their way from Scotland to Northern Ireland. There’s a certain romance to being able to dine and sleep within the confines of such a building, and as the wind whips its worst outside, you’re clutching a glass of finest malt, and are cosy inside.

This family-run hotel offers a range of compact rooms within the lighthouse, as well as more spacious separate accommodation located nearby, within refurbished former outbuildings that boast their own conservatories and spectacular views over the sea.

WINING AND DINING? 


The hotel’s restaurant has been awarded an AA rosette and you’ll need to be hungry to tackle the five-course menu offered as part of the dinner, bed and breakfast package. Still, following a day in the open air, chances are you’ll 
be ready for the generous portions of rich fare on offer. Choices include beef fillet, baked salmon and loin of Galloway lamb.

BUDGET OR BOUTIQUE

Midweek rates from May come in at £90 per person per night for dinner, bed and breakfast. Rates range from £190 to £300 per person for a weekend and include dinner on both nights and a glass of buck’s fizz 
with breakfast.

ROOM SERVICE

Staying in the nautical-themed Firth of Cromarty room, we enjoyed stepping out on to our patio, where we could watch the powerful beam from the lighthouse stretching far out to sea as the ferries sailed past.

You’ll also feel like you’ve joined those passengers and left Scotland altogether when you turn on your television to BBC Northern Ireland.

Getting into the shower room was a bit of a squeeze, but the comfortable bed and fabulous views certainly made up for it.

WORTH GETTING OUT OF BED FOR?

Some of Scotland’s most spectacular scenery is located near Corsewall Point, and the coastal drive towards Ayr offers stunning views of the rocky outcrop of Ailsa Craig. On a fine day – and yes, you’ll need to be lucky – it’s said you can even see the coast of Northern Ireland from here. There are numerous golf courses in the vicinity, including the famous Turnberry, as well as pony trekking and walks. We enjoyed a clifftop walk followed by lunch in the pretty fishing village of Portpatrick. Garden-lovers will also be spoiled for choice, with Logan Botanical Gardens, Castle Kennedy and Dunskey Gardens all nearby.

LITTLE EXTRAS

With Strathmore water, hot drinks and shortbread available in our room, we chose to curl up in our bathrobes with hot chocolate in vintage cups.

GUESTBOOK COMMENTS? Quite remote and not for those who want the bright lights. A splendid hotel and delightfully restored national treasure.

Corsewall Lighthouse Hotel, Corsewall Point, Kirkcolm, Stranraer (01776 853220, 
www.lighthousehotel.co.uk)