Wigtown Bay
Encyclopedia
Wigtown Bay is a large inlet of the Irish Sea
on the coast of Galloway
in southwest Scotland
. Its coastline falls entirely within the modern administrative area of Dumfries and Galloway
though historically it was shared between Wigtownshire
and Kirkcudbrightshire
.
The bay is broadly triangular in form, widening to the southeast and with the estuary of the River Cree
entering from the northwest at its head. The inner parts of the bay are characterized by large expanses of salt marsh
and mudflat
s. The River Bladnoch
flows into the estuarial section of the Cree near Wigtown
. The Water of Fleet
is a third significant river which enters Wigtown Bay via Fleet Bay on its eastern shore. At the mouth of Fleet Bay are the Islands of Fleet
include Ardwall Island, Barlocco Isle and Murray’s Isles. The western shore of the bay is formed by The Machars peninsula. This coast is itself indented by Rigg (or Cruggleton) Bay and by Garlieston Bay on which the village of Garlieston
sits. The small town of Wigtown also stands on the western shore of the bay whilst the village of Creetown lies at the head of the bay.
Wigtown Bay forms the largest local nature reserve
in Britain. It has also been designated as a site of special scientific interest
.
A proposal to construct an offshore windfarm
in Wigtown Bay was turned down by the Scottish government in early 2011. The potential effect on tourism was cited as a major reason in the decision.
used in the successful invasion of Normandy by allied forces during the Second World War was tested in the bay where conditions were felt to be suitably similar to those of the Normandy coast. There was also a World War II
Bay class frigate
named Wigtown Bay
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
on the coast of Galloway
Galloway
Galloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
in southwest Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Its coastline falls entirely within the modern administrative area of Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
though historically it was shared between Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown is a registration county in the Southern Uplands of south west Scotland. Until 1975, the county was one of the administrative counties used for local government purposes, and is now administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway...
and Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire
The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright or Kirkcudbrightshire was a county of south-western Scotland. It was also known as East Galloway, forming the larger Galloway region with Wigtownshire....
.
The bay is broadly triangular in form, widening to the southeast and with the estuary of the River Cree
River Cree
The River Cree is a river in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland which runs through Newton Stewart and into the Solway Firth. It forms part of the boundary between the counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire....
entering from the northwest at its head. The inner parts of the bay are characterized by large expanses of salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
and mudflat
Mudflat
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats, are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers. They are found in sheltered areas such as bays, bayous, lagoons, and estuaries. Mudflats may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, resulting from deposition of...
s. The River Bladnoch
River Bladnoch
The Bladnoch is a river in the Machars of Galloway in southwest Scotland. One of the earliest descriptions of it is given by Sir Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw and Sir David Dunbar in an appendix to Andrew Symson's work A Large Description of Galloway written in the 17th century...
flows into the estuarial section of the Cree near Wigtown
Wigtown
Wigtown is a town and former royal burgh in the Machars of Galloway in the south west of Scotland. It lies south of Newton Stewart and east of Stranraer. It has a population of about 1,000...
. The Water of Fleet
Water of Fleet
The Water of Fleet is a river in Scotland flowing into Fleet Bay on the Solway. Its two tributaries are the 'Big Water of Fleet', which begins around Loch Grannoch, and the 'Little Water of Fleet'. The river flows through Gatehouse of Fleet before meeting the sea.The Big Water of Fleet is...
is a third significant river which enters Wigtown Bay via Fleet Bay on its eastern shore. At the mouth of Fleet Bay are the Islands of Fleet
Islands of Fleet
The Islands of Fleet are a group of small islands in Galloway, Scotland. They are in Fleet Bay, which is part of Wigtown Bay, which is in turn part of the Solway Firth in the Irish Sea...
include Ardwall Island, Barlocco Isle and Murray’s Isles. The western shore of the bay is formed by The Machars peninsula. This coast is itself indented by Rigg (or Cruggleton) Bay and by Garlieston Bay on which the village of Garlieston
Garlieston
Garlieston is a small planned coastal village in south west Scotland founded circa 1790 by Lord Garlies.-Location & History:The village lies northwest of Whithorn and a few miles north of Cruggleton Castle which was abandoned in the 17th century...
sits. The small town of Wigtown also stands on the western shore of the bay whilst the village of Creetown lies at the head of the bay.
Wigtown Bay forms the largest local nature reserve
Local Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
in Britain. It has also been designated as a site of special scientific interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
.
A proposal to construct an offshore windfarm
WindFarm
WindFarm is wind energy software used to analyse, design, optimise and visualise wind farms. It calculates and optimises the energy yield subject to natural, planning and engineering constraints. WindFarm has the wind modelling software MS-Micro integrated. MS-Micro is based on the same...
in Wigtown Bay was turned down by the Scottish government in early 2011. The potential effect on tourism was cited as a major reason in the decision.
Naval connections
The design of the floating Mulberry HarbourMulberry harbour
A Mulberry harbour was a British type of temporary harbour developed in World War II to offload cargo on the beaches during the Allied invasion of Normandy....
used in the successful invasion of Normandy by allied forces during the Second World War was tested in the bay where conditions were felt to be suitably similar to those of the Normandy coast. There was also a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Bay class frigate
Bay class frigate
The Bay class was a class of 26 anti-aircraft frigates built for the Royal Navy under the 1943 War Emergency Programme during World War II...
named Wigtown Bay
HMS Wigtown Bay (K616)
HMS Wigtown Bay was a Bay-class anti-aircraft frigate of the British Royal Navy. She was named for Wigtown Bay in Galloway.Ordered on 6 March 1943 from the Harland and Wolff yard in Belfast as a Loch-class anti-submarine frigate, and assigned the name Loch Garasdale, the ship was laid down on 24...