Stranraer

Stranraer
Town and sea port
Stranraer looking west from the castle tower, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
Stranraer
Location within Dumfries and Galloway
Population10,110 (2020)
OS grid referenceNX059606
 Edinburgh102 mi (164 km)
 London310 mi (499 km)
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSTRANRAER
Postcode districtDG9
Dialling code01776
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

Stranraer (UK: /strænˈrɑːr/ stran-RAR, in Scotland also /strənˈ-/ strən-; Scottish Gaelic: An t-Sròn Reamhar [ən̪ˠˌt̪ʰɾɔːn ˈɾãũ.əɾ]), also known as The Toon or The Cleyhole, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on Loch Ryan and the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland. Stranraer is Dumfries and Galloway's second-largest town, with a population of 10,593.

Stranraer is the administrative centre for the Wigtownshire area of Dumfries and Galloway. It was formerly a ferry port, connecting Scotland with Belfast and Larne in Northern Ireland; the service was transferred to nearby Cairnryan in 2011. It lies 87 miles (140 km) south-west of Glasgow, 52 miles (84 km) south-west of Ayr and 72 miles (116 km) west of Dumfries.

The name comes from Scottish Gaelic, An t-Sròn Reamhar, meaning "the broad headland" or "the fat nose".