The village at present has a population of approximately 460, and lies 23 miles south of the town of Stranraer, on the coast of Luce Bay. It looks directly over to the Mull of Galloway, the most southerly point of the Scottish mainland.
On a clear day, both the Isle of Man, and Ireland are visible from the rugged coastline.
In the 1600s and 1700s PortWilliam was known as much for the illicit activities of its smugglers as for the legitimate trade of its port, and salt water continues to flow in the veins of those born and bred in the village.
The layout of PortWilliam is dictated largely by geography: the need to fit in between the shore and the rising ground immediately to the east.
The narrowness of PortWilliam's site is emphasised by the way Maxwell Park, also named after Sir William Maxwell, climbs away from the east end of the square.
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