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"Princess" Sails into Stranraer

TINY west coast cruise liner Hebridean Princess sailed into Stranraer for the first ever time on Monday.

Full to capacity, with 49 guests on board, she was welcomed by bright sunshine and a healthy gathering of interested onlookers.

The ship, which normally stays close to the Western Isles, pulled into Lochryan after a day in Northern Ireland. She dropped anchor a few hundred yards from port and her passengers were ferried to the harbour by a series of small tenders.

But after the Stena Caledonia ferry vacated port just after 3pm the cruise ship pulled into her berth allowing the passengers, who had enjoyed a bus trip to Logan Botanic Gardens, to rejoin the boat.

One of the passengers, from Skye, praised the area for its "brilliant weather" and "beautiful scenery".

The 235ft ship, which weighs 2112 tonnes, was specially commissioned in 1965 for the rugged west coast waters. In 1989 she had a major refit to allow her to assume a career as a cruise liner.

After leaving Stranraer on Monday evening, the ship was heading back to port in Troon via the isle of Ghiga.