About the location
PORT WILLIAM
Wigtown 10 miles; Newton Stewart 17 miles.
Dating from the end of the eighteenth century, the fishing village of Port William sits on the east side of Luce Bay on the Machars peninsula in the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland.
There is much history in the area from early Christian sites through to more recent smuggling activities.
The picturesque harbour that dates from the 18th century offers sea angling and is ideal for sailors too.
There is a statue of a bronze otter erected in memory of Gavin Maxwell, author of ‘Ring of Bright Water’.
His family home, Monreith House, is nearby and Maxwell used to exercise his otter on the beach below the house.
Oscar Kokoschka, one of the twentieth century’s best known expressionist painters, spent time here during the Second World War.
Today Port William is an attractive fishing village within easy reach of sandy beaches, a 9 hole links course just 2 miles away, walking and cycling in the Galloway hills and the cafés and shops of Wigtown, designated as Scotland’s first Book Town.
Carnival Week is traditionally held in the first week in August with a wealth of events and attractions.
Nature lovers will be drawn to the many nature reserves in the area as well as the childhood home of Gavin Maxwell at Elrig, just along the coast..