Loch Ryan

Loch Ryan

Loch Ryan (Gaelic: "Loch Rìoghaine", pronounced|ɫ̪ɔx r̴iː.ɛɲə) is a Scottish sea loch that acts as an important natural harbour for shipping, providing calm waters for ferries operating between Scotland and Northern Ireland. The town of Stranraer is the largest settlement on its shores, with boats operating both from the town and from the village of Cairnryan further north on the loch.

Location & Geography

in the west.

The Loch Ryan basin as it is seen today formed as a result of geological and glacial activity. The first period of activity occurred during the Paleozoic era, with two periods of change. Firstly, during the Devonian period (360 to 416 million years ago) the land in the area underwent a series of shearing events which considerably altered its shape, forming a basin. Then, during the Permian period (250 to 300 million years ago) this basin filled up with sediments which were compacted to form soft sandstones. At this point in time the area would have been positioned around the equator and would form part of the Pangaea supercontinent. The second period of activity was as a result of the numerous glacial episodes during the Quaternary period, from 2 million years ago up until the last glaciers retreated 10,000 years ago. As all of northern Europe experienced numerous Ice ages, glacier formation created ice flows and Ice sheets. The erosive force of the ice moved across the land, removing the soft sandstone and leaving behind the harder rocks. When the ice sheet melted with the rising temperatures 10,000 years ago the basin was uncovered and was flooded by the sea, forming the loch that is seen today.

Since the end of the last ice-age the sea has continued to change the loch by erosion and deposition. The loch has a sandbank on its western shores called 'The Scar'. This bank, just south of the village of Kirkcolm, is an important breeding ground for terns.

History & Usage

.

The loch would have been used historically for traditional maritime activities including fishing. The Statistical account of Scotland 1791-99, records:

:"This bank abounds with oysters of a most excellent flavour. They are found indeed all around the shores and might be got in great quantities would people drag for them ....... A variety of fish, as skate, flounders, small cod, haddocks, whiting, lobsters, crabs and sometimes turbot are caught within the loch" [http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/link/1791-99/Wigton/Stranraer/1/358/]

The later Account of 1834-45 expands on this issue, as it states:

:"Loch Ryan at one time was famous for its herring fishery. I have heard old people say that they have known 300 sail boats in the bay at one time which had come from the highlands and other places, in order to fish or purchase herrings. For many years past the shoals of herrings may be said to have deserted the loch." [http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/link/1834-45/Wigton/Stranraer/4/95/]

A lighthouse was built at Cairn point in 1847 at the northern end of the village of Cairnryan. In 1849 the principle link to Northern Ireland was moved from Portpatrick to Stranraer in Loch Ryan. The reasons for this move were the increasing tonnages of the vessels operating the route which were more susceptible to harsh storms when moored at the exposed Portpatrick harbour on the Rhins coast. The calmer safer waters of the loch allowed larger ships to ply the route as demand increased.

During the second world war the loch was busy with wartime activity. Cairnryan became No. 2 Military port, an important secondary large-scale port facility that was available for use should facilities on the Mersey and the Clyde became unavailable due to enemy bombing. Two large piers were built at Cairnryan to enable large tonnage ships to dock and unload cargo. The harbour was used as an import point for troops coming from the USA after 1942. Only one of the two piers still stands today, and it is unusable due to the poor condition of the wooden piles (the pier has been unused since a small section collapsed with tragic consequences in the 1990’s). With U-Boat menace in the Atlantic taking a heavy toll on merchant shipping the area became an important centre for anti-U-Boat operations. Flying boats operated from the loch to protect allied shipping making its way to Liverpool or Glasgow either via the North Channel or the Firth of Clyde. There were two RAF stations on the Loch, RAF Wig Bay operating from Wig Bay near Kirkcolm and RAF Stranraer operating from the town.

.

, before finally ending the service altogether in 2005. While conventional ferries (moving at around 15 knots) have worked the route for many decades the newly introduced fast ferries are capable of much greater speeds (around 40 knots). The wash that these large craft generate has led to speed restrictions being imposed within the majority of the loch, with fast ferries unable to increase their speeds above convert|12|kn|km/h until they are to the north of Old House point on the northern side of Cairnryan.

Further speed restrictions are imposed on the HSS during the Tern breeding season, when wash from the ship can cause problems for the breeding birds on The Scar. The levels of wash that the fast ferries create has been the subject of some controversy, with many suggesting that the death by drowning of a man and his two sons in the loch in July 2003 was due to their boat being overwhelmed by a large wave created by a nearby passing ferry. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch report on the incident suggested however that the condition of the boat, the lack of safety equipment onboard and a poor look out were more likely to have been contributing factors, but did emphasise that speed limits should be adhered to and that small boat owners should be made aware of the dangers of ferry-induced washes. [http://www.maib.gov.uk/publications/investigation_reports/2004/open_sports_boat__loch_ryan__12_july_2003.cfm] . There has also recently been criticism of the erosion that the wash from the boats are creating in and around Kirkcolm bay on the loch's western shores. The questions of speed and the environmental impact that it has have to be balanced with the efficiency and speed of operation, with the Loch Ryan - Northern Ireland route under pressure from other competing routes and methods of transport, not least the Holyhead - Dublin ferry link and low cost airlines.

route. It will also lead to future potential small craft maritime development at the southern end of the Loch, which will be completely free from large and regular ferry traffic. The Loch already sees some small craft usage with the Loch Ryan Sailing club operating from Wig Bay.

Further reading

* [http://www.qub.ac.uk/waves/fastferry/reference/EnvImpact1.pdf Queens University Belfast study on Loch Ryan and the wake caused by fast ferries (PDF)]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3648053.stm BBC News report on July 2003 tragedy]
* [http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources/dft_masafety_028374.pdf MAIB report on July 2003 tragedy (PDF)]

* Bell, A. "Stranraer in World War Two", Stranraer And District Local History Trust, 2005. ISBN 0-9542966-3-X
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/whereilive/southwestandayrshire/walk/index.shtml BBC guide to a walk around Loch Ryan]
* [http://www.larneferryweb.com/features/2005/loch_ryan/loch_ryan.htm Photographs of some of the ferries that operate in Loch Ryan]
* [http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/cairnryan/cairnryan/index.html Undiscovered Scotland page on Cairnryan]

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