 portpatrick (), is a village and civil parish in dumfries and galloway, south-west scotland. it is located on the west coast of the rhins of galloway, in the traditional county of wigtownshire. the parish is about  in length and  in breadth, covering . ==the village== portpatrick village is on the south-westerly coast of the scottish mainland, cut into a cleft in steep cliffs. anciently known as portrie (port rhin), its quay was protected by the baron of dunskey castle (from dun meaning castle; key meaning quay) and his local men. when being invaded, the fishermen and their families probably scrambled up the cliffs to dunskey for protection. dating back some 700 years and built adjacent to the ruins of nearby dunskey castle, portpatrick's position on the rhins of galloway affords visitors views of the northern irish coast  to the west, with cliff-top walks and beaches both north and south. the gulf stream, flowing in from the north, gives the coastline a pleasant climate, in which subtropical plant life can flourish. portpatrick has a community council, and an annual life boat week, featuring parades, a
Parishes_in_Dumfries_and_Galloway Places_in_the_Rhins Ports_and_harbours_of_Scotland Villages_in_Dumfries_and_Galloway