Cycling to Logan Botanic Garden

It does not feel like Scotland here. At Logan Botanic gardens its more like Australia or South America.​ Thanks to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream, these gardens are home to an incredible collection of exotic plants. The gardens are located in south-west Scotland, around 14 miles from Portpatrick.

Getting there

Use Portpatrick as a base to get to Logan. Porpatrick is pretty straightforward to reach using a train to Stranraer, followed by a 7 mile cycle. All the details are on my Portpatrick blog.

Tiny, hilly roads

The narrow, hilly roads from Portpatrick

It took me a while to find my way out of Portpatrick. I decided to avoid the B7042 and take minor roads that felt like a confusing spiderweb of tarmac. There are lots of junctions and its easy to go the wrong way. Hills appear with very little warning, meaning lots of gear changes.

It's also lovely. There were few vehicles and no people. A rabbit dashed in front of me. Flocks of small birds erupted from hedges. Some roads had a strip of grass growing down the middle, the classic sign of a road less travelled. The verges were thick with grass, wildflowers and thistles. I spotted a Belted Galloway, the breed of cattle famous in this region of Scotland.

Some of the roads have a strip of grass growing down the middle

Kirkmadrine stones

Sign for Kirkmadrine stones

After 10 miles I reached a chapel that's home to some of Scotland's oldest surviving Christian monuments. The carved stones at Kirkmadrine date from the 6th century. They are kept behind glass in the porch of  the chapel. This preserves them from the weather and means this 'museum' is always open.

Kirkmadrine Chapel

The thing I found the most interesting was a large stone with three smooth indents. These had been rubbed away by people turning pebbles on the stone, as they prayed. 

The stone that people had turned pebbles on when praying

I had the place to myself. It was a peaceful spot with cows lounging in the sun and views of the sea.

The view from Kirkmadrine Chapel

Coast road to Logan

It's 6 miles from Kirkmadrine to Logan Botanic Garden. I took the A716 coast road, which skirted many tempting beaches.

One of the beaches seen from the A716

Logan Botanic Garden

Leaving Scotland behind

At Logan Botanic Garden winding paths take you by towering palms, giant tree ferns, and exotic flowers. You feel like you've left Scotland and landed somewhere else. The member of staff at the reception told me an Australian visitor had thought the 'Tasmanian Creek' part of the garden was incredibly realistic. They said the only thing missing was the wallabies.

The gardens were started by the McDouall family in the 1870s. Agnes was a keen gardener and introduced plants from the warmer regions of the planet. The passion was passed through the family. In 1969 the garden was gifted to the nation and became part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Logan house with tropical plants

Are we in Scotland? Giant palm trees at Logan Botanic Garden

My favourite part of the gardens was the Gunnera Bog. You walk inside this canopy of weird plants with huge leaves and stalks with spiky bits. The Gunnera comes from South-east Brazil and the leaves can grow up 2.5m across. There's nothing like this in Scotland and it was a unique experience to be among these magnificent plants.

Giant Gunnera in Logan's Gunnera Bog

The Potting Shed cafe at Logan is a great spot to enjoy locally-sourced produce. I loved my Mull of Galloway crab salad.

Mull of Galloway crab salad

From Logan Botanic Garden its 10 miles to the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse, one of the main attractions in this area. 

​Read my blog about cycling to the Mull of Galloway lighthouse.

Mull of Galloway lighthouse