Monday 25th May

Today we set out for the Mull of Galloway.  The forecast was for cloudy skies however, it actually turned out to be a really nice sunny day!  Here there was an RSPB nature reserve as well, so we stopped off in that building first and there was a scope set up focussed on Scare Rock (I think!) on which there was a colony of 5000 Gannets....! And there was a stuffed toy Gannet which was used to show the wing span.  It is huge - it can reach up to 6 feet!

Onward we went on a circular route around the Mull and we visited the lighthouse where there was an exhibition of the history of the lighthouse and we were able to go into and up to the top - something which I had never done before so I rather enjoyed it!  Back down, we were given a certificate for having climber the 115 steps to the top of the lighthouse, and we continued on our route right up to the fog horn before going back to the car park.  Just beyond the car park there was a cafe and gift shop so we decided to stop off there and have lunch and I had a look in the shop for postcards.

Now, there seems to either be a shortage of decent postcards in this region or they've stopped doing them.  I had been searching for postcards since Friday and I haven't found anything decent.  And by decent I mean for example, I didn't want to send a postcard of the Mull of Galloway's cafe interior.  Yes, that really was the best option here.

So we moved on to Stanraer to see if we could find any postcards.  We found the Tourist information office which was.....closed.  So onward to Castle Kennedy Gardens which was HUGE and we spent a good couple of hours walking around - plenty of trees so more like an arboretum really, but it was really very nice.  And also the Castle ruins which we couldn't explore, but an interesting focal point for the gardens.  Back in the shop, again on my search for postcards there were about 6 although they were very small and looked like they'd been taken from their 1980s stock which they still had at the back of the store room.  Nothing I would choose, terrible photos of the garden, I have to say I would rather have been able to print my own photos off.  We do actually have a machine which can do that at home however it's not something you really think you'll need to take on holiday because postcards are going extinct...!

Back in the car we headed back for the cottage thinking that perhaps on this holiday we won't be sending any postcards this time.....