Isle of Whithorn is one of the most southerly villages and seaports in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, lying on the coast, north east of Burrow Head, about three miles from Whithorn.
Whithorn, (Taigh Mhàrtainn in Gaelic), is a former royal burgh in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, with which the Isle of Whithorn is frequently incorrectly amalgamated or confused. It lies about thirteen miles south of Wigtown.
The village is the location of the long ruined 13th century Saint Ninian's Chapel, previously a chapel linked to Whithorn Priory and a stopping off point for pilgrims landing on Isle Head and making their way to Whithorn.
No longer a true island, John Ainslie's maps as late as 1782 and 1821 do show the Isle as an island. The main street was originally a causeway, with the harbour located on what was then the true Isle.
The Isle has a long history of habitation, for example a survey of the ground between the Isle village and Saint Ninian's Chapel revealed Clearance cairns and cultivation furrows, as well as the remains of a rectangular building occupying the crest of the low hill immediately to the West of the chapel, with possible steps leading downhill towards the East.
Read more about Isle Of Whithorn: The Community and Amenities, Isle of Whithorn Castle, Saint Ninian's Chapel, Isle of Whithorn, Isle Head, Isle of Whithorn Tower, The Harbour, The Wicker Man
Famous quotes containing the word isle:
“It is so rare to meet with a man outdoors who cherishes a worthy thought in his mind, which is independent of the labor of his hands. Behind every man’s busy-ness there should be a level of undisturbed serenity and industry, as within the reef encircling a coral isle there is always an expanse of still water, where the depositions are going on which will finally raise it above the surface.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)