Mull of Galloway

All of Scotland’s wild places and green spaces are vital for the survival of its unique, amazing wildlife. If you plan to head out to these areas please respect and protect Scotland’s great outdoors. As guidelines change, we ask that all visitors follow the latest Scottish Government restrictions and advice. See below for reserve details and our dedicated Covid-19 updates page for the latest safety information (link below). Thank you for your continued support and patience. Stay safe everyone.

Address: RSPB Mull of Galloway, Stranraer DG9 9HP

Grid ref: NX156305

What3Words: salmon.animal.ironclad

See our reserves Covid-19 updates page for which sites are open and other important details.

All trails and car parks (where applicable) open. Our toilets also open.

Nestled at the southernmost tip of Scotland, the Mull of Galloway feels like an island with spectacular panoramic views wherever you turn. Ireland, the Isle of Man, Cumbria and Galloway can all be seen, as can the Scar Rocks, an outlying part of the reserve with a small gannet colony.

Plan your visit

Covid-19 update: Visitor Centre, toilets. car parking and trails are open.

Open at all times.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: Free, but donations are very welcome

Children: Free, but donations are very welcome

Facilities

Visitor centre
Car park
Toilets
Accessible toilets
Baby changing
Guided walks
Viewing point
Nature trails

Accessibility

How to get here

By train

Stranraer station is 27 miles (43 km) from the reserve.

By bus

Bus to Drummore, 5 miles (8 km) from reserve. The Mull of Galloway Trail provides a walking route to the reserve from Drummore.

By bike

National Cycle Network Lochs & Glens Cycle Route - South (Glasgow - Carlisle).

By road

Five miles (8 km) south of Drummore. Follow brown tourist signs from Drummore.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Get directions from Google Maps

View on What3Words

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

School groups are welcome when the visitor centre is open and joint visits with the Mull of Galloway Trust are encouraged.

Contact Mull of Galloway

RSPB Mull of Galloway, Stranraer DG9 9HP
mullofgalloway@rspb.org.uk
01988 402130 (or 01776 840539 between Easter and end of October)

What will you see?

Our star species

Black guillemot

Look out for them on the cliffs and swimming on the sea.

Guillemot

Although ungainly when on land, underwater they are agile and manoeuvrable.

Kittiwake

Visit Mull of Galloway in spring and early summer and your ears will be filled with the unmistakable calls.

Peregrine falcon

They are a regular sight overhead when a pair is nesting in the area.

Puffin

Puffins are here in low numbers between May and July.

Nature spectacles

Spring and early summer are the best times to see the wildlfowers and breeding seabirds.

Early autumn can be amazing for seeing the migration of songbirds through the reserve and for the huge rafts of Manx shearwaters gathering offshore.

Guillemots, black guillemots, razorbills, fulmars, kittiwakes and shags all nest on the steep cliffs. Wheatears, stonechats, rock pipits and linnets can be found foraging on the cliff tops. Peregrines and kestrels patrol the skies around the cliffs.

As well as the nesting seabirds, harbour porpoises, dolphins and Atlantic grey seals are a common sight. Minke whales and otters have also been spotted. Gannets from the Scar Rocks can be seen diving for feed or flying past on their way to feeding areas. In June, there is a show of stunning wildflowers. In late summer and early autumn huge numbers of Manx shearwaters gather offshore before starting their migration to the eastern coast of South America for the winter.

Thousands of songbirds pass through the Mull of Galloway during the early autumn, especially meadow pipits, skylarks, finches and thrushes. The best time to see this phenomenon, known as visible migration, is from dawn onwards on days with a light easterly wind.

Generally a very quiet time for wildlife on the reserve, but there's always a chance of seeing ravens or peregrine falcons haunting the cliffs and it's a great time to soak up the solitude of the reserve or feel the full force of nature when the wind is blowing hard.

About Mull of Galloway

Habitat

The reserve consists of clifftop grassland and heath, surrounded by steep cliffs where seabirds make their homes. The clifftop habitats are important for a number of plant species, including sping squill, thrift, purple milk vetch and sea spleenwort. Twite sometimes breed in the heathland, as do wheatears, linnets and stonechats. The seabird cliffs are home to locally important colonies of guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, shags and black guillemots. Ravens and peregrine falcons are also regularly seen around the cliffs. The Scar Rocks are mostly inhabited by around 4,000 gannets.

Conservation

We are managing the coastal grassland and heathland for the benefit of breeding twites, wheatears and stonechats, as well as a host of beautiful flowers such as rock sea lavender and golden samphire. We are working to reduce areas of bracken on the reserve and encourage the spread of heather into these areas. This management benefits regionally important plants, including spring squill, purple milk vetch and sea campion, as well as many invertebrates.

We are working to maintain important seabird colonies, both at the Mull and at the offshore Scar Rocks. We monitor these on an annual basis and use the results in our advocacy work to protect feeding areas for seabirds as well as the cliffs and islands they breed on.

We are monitoring other important wildlife too and encouraging experts to carry out additional surveys.

Partners

Mull of Galloway Trust

Site information

The reserve is part of a much larger Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation for its seabirds, plants and coastal habitats.

The reserve was bought through a community buyout from the Northern Lighthouse Board in 2013 and we now work closely with the Mull of Galloway Trust to give all our visitors the best possible experience when they come to the site. The Trust runs the Lighthouse Exhibition and tours up the lighthouse, as well as managing the old lighthouse cottages as holiday lets.

This nature reserve is important for wildlife. RSPB Scotland welcomes responsible access, in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

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What people are saying about Mull of Galloway

Absolutely love it. Watched porpoises in December, with only us there - it was so peaceful we stayed for hours. It's a lot busier in May. We're going again in March this year to see the nesting seabirds.

Nick Spencer

Stayed at the Lighthouse Keepers Cottage for a week. The people we met at the reserve building were extremely pleasant and informative. The information received assisted us, as being new to bird watching they helped us to identify what we had seen. The cameras placed on the cliffs are outstanding and give a perfect view of nesting birds. We have booked up already for a return visit next year. Thank you so much for allowing us to share a week with nature.

Andy Bell

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

For more information on events and to book tickets, please visit events.rspb.org.uk/mullofgalloway

Leisure activities

Our seasonal staff and volunteers are on hand to tell you about our work on the reserve and they run weekly guided walks. CCTV on the cliffs allows close up views of the breeding seabirds. A small viewing platform has been installed in the grounds of the lighthouse to give wheelchair users and other less abled visitors a chance to look down onto some of the seabird colonies. Walking down the steps to the foghorn also gives closer views of these birds and fantastic views over to the Isle of Man and the Lake District.

Marshside

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Mull of Galloway