Our family has connections to the Rhin of Galloway, Kirkcolm. I cannot find a car to rent or public transportation in this corner of Scotland. Any ideas? Before covid, we had a trip scheduled, and there was car rental in Cairnryan, where the Stena ferry from Belfast docks, but it is not there now. Is there any hope of it returning?
If we cannot get a car, is there a tour that operates from the Galloway area. We would like to see Portpatrick, Gatehouse of Fleet, and Kirkcudbright.
In answer to the first part of your question here are the Dumfries and Galloway bus timetables-
https://www.dumgal.gov.uk/timetables
Kirkcolm is service 408,
Portpatrick is service 367, with infrequent extra service on the 411
Gatehouse (which is on the Dumfries to Stranraer route) is service 500/X75 and the 431 to Kirkcudbright
Kirkcudbright (from Dumfries) is service 501/502 and the 505, local service on 517, also the 431 for Gatehouse as above.
All Kirkcudbright buses were run by Stagecoach until last year when the contracts passed to local company McCalls.
By the way everyone locally refers to Gatehouse of Fleet merely as Gatehouse.
Regarding the car several other people have reported they can't get a car in Stranraer which I find surprising. There seems to be no plans to return rental to Cairnryan.
If you want to do Kirkcudbright etc first why not start in Dumfries (good rail connections from England via Carlisle, and also Glasgow) then either bus as above, which is quite feasible, or rent a car there and drive the very scenic South West Coastal 300 route (or just your specific wish list if you prefer but I think that would be a missed opportunity if you have the time for more), with a very short diversion to Kirkcolm, returning to Dumfries-
https://www.visitscotland.com/travel-planning/getting-around/driving/route-planner/south-west-coastal-300-route/
Car hire or day trips just don't seem to be exist in Dumfries and Galloway. The only company that seems to do day trips is Solway Tours based in Dumfries and they don't really get to where you want to be. They will also do bespoke tours but they do work out very expensive.
Bus travel is that part of Galloway isn't brilliant either.
Your best bet is to hire a car from Dumfries.
By the way with a little more time to check my memory Europcar have a depot at Dumfries Railway Station.
Where are you coming from? Maybe I'm missing something here, but could you not rent a car in Edinburgh or Glasgow and drive down from there?
The well respected Rabbies have a 2 day tour from Glasgow which will take you to all your places except Kirkcolm.
Maybe you could hop off when they go to Port Logan and take the bus I have referenced above. If you ask them maybe they would even bespoke one slightly for you.
Worth asking them.
There is also a company called Strathmore Travel, who do a tour from Glasgow or Edinburgh to Portpatrick 3 times this year.
You can book this as 'self drive', joining the tour independently at Stranraer, and take part in whichever of the excursions you want. I can see very easily how you and when you could dip out of this and add Kirkcolm and Gatehouse yourself using public transit.
https://www.strathmoretravel.com/itineraries/257-portpatrick-and-dumfries-house?t3p=
Just for the half board hotel and most of the excursions it is a keen price.
Maybe not a company you'll have heard of, but I have travelled with them. It'd be a bit daft for me to Glasgow to join it, but I would willingly join it at Stranraer as "self drive", although sensibly I could easily do this or your itinerary by public transit very easily from a B and B in Stranraer. The local transit is better than other people give it credit for and very affordable at just over £6 a day for the whole of D and G.
I can see that this vacation is now done and past.
But for future reference of other readers who are coming over from Northern Ireland as you apparently did, there is car rental available from Cairnryan at the P and O terminal. That is about 1 mile south of the Stena Line terminal. P and O sail from Larne, as opposed to Stena sailing from Belfast.
This was found out by chance while passing the port.
I hope you managed to do all your genealogical research while there.
