Stranraer Night Life

Pubs and places to go in Stranraer

The Borders area of Scotland has some beautiful scenery and plenty of castles, churches and stately homes of historic interest, but people tend not to write many reviews about nightlife in the places like Dumfries, Stranraer and the surrounding areas.Stranraer is the second largest town, after Dumfries, in the county of Wigtownshire/ Stranraer is not a large town by British standards but if a great local pub is not enough for you after a tough day’s sightseeing then you may need to go to one of the other nearby towns for more exciting nightlife.

The Swan Inn is one of Stranraer’s little gems it is an extremely popular local pub overlooking Loch Ryan and situated on Shechan Street. If you want to get a seat then you need to get there early in the evening as it soon fills to capacity. The pub serves a range of wines, beers and spirits and offers bed and breakfast accommodation to people staying in the area. The Swan hosts live music every Saturday evening and Wednesday nights are folk night. If you stroll on down to Hanover Street then you should be able to get a decent beer at the Nags Head.

The Kings Arms Inn in nearby Lockerbie is worth a visit if you like historical inns and pubs, this inn is one of the oldest such establishments in Lockerbie and dates from the seventeenth century. It has given shelter to some famous guests, including Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745 and Sir Walter Scott in 1813. The original beamed buildings and back room are now the Buccaneer Restaurant and a comfortable lounge bar where you can sit and eat in front of a blazing log fire.

Stranraer publicans and club owners have not had an easy time of it this last eighteen months as a good number of publicans have had to sell up because they have been hit with extra costs by the brewery.

If you are a fan of Robbie Burns then you should make the seventy or so mile trip to Dumfries for a drink in the Globe Inn, which used to be the poet’s watering hole. The Globe dates back to 1610 and in 1796 Robbie Burns was writing about the place. 1819 was when the tradition of the Burns’ Suppers took place at the Globe Inn, and is now an annual Scottish tradition. While you are in Dumfries then you may want to make a night of it, dancing away to live music from local bands at The Venue club

There are a goof number of bed and breakfast establishments and hotels in Stranraer. The bed and breakfast places sometimes have a bar that is for guests only, but the hotels are usually open to the general public as well as the residents. The hotels provide a number of extra watering holes for anyone in Stranraer and some of the larger establishments also have restaurants that are open to the general public.