PORT LOGAN

Port Logan (formerly Port Nessock) has experienced the same problems as Portpatrick (see previous post) in its attempts to provide protection from the rough seas along this stretch of coast.  In the early 19th century one Colonel Andrew McDouall, the laird of Logan, had the idea of building a harbour development in order to profit from the Irish cattle trade but the sea put paid to his ambitions.  However, the village does have a pier with a charming stone lighthouse at the end.  The village of Port Logan, with its whitewashed cottages, was the setting for the BBC series Two Thousand Acres Of Sky, which screened in the early Noughties.  The village played the role of the fictional island of Ronansay off the coast of Skye.  In 1944 a wartime tragedy occurred at Port Logan when a Douglas C-47 belonging to the USAAF, en route to the USA and carrying wounded soldiers, crashed into the cliffs at Port Logan killing all 22 passengers and crew.

There is a sandy beach to the north of the village which is reached by wooden stairways, and from a here a short walk leads to Logan Fish Pond, created in 1800 to provide fish for the nearby Logan House.  The fish were so tame that they answered a bell to be fed.  Nowadays the pond is still home to around 30 fish, mainly cod, and they are still as tame as ever, so much so that they can be hand fed by visitors.  Logan House has some fine gardens known as Logan House Gardens, but they are a private estate, unlike the nearby Logan Botanic Garden, which is open to visitors.  The latter has a variety of fascinating areas crammed with exotic plants, some rarely found in Britain.  There is the Woodland Garden, the Walled Garden and the Terrace Garden with its avenue of Chusan Palms.  In addition there are the rhododendron collections and over 50 species of eucalyptus. 

Map of the area. 

Port Logan. Photo by Patrick Lee, via Wikimedia Commons