Moffat
Contents |
Moffat
Introduction | Langholm | Moffat | Dumfries | Castle Douglas | Kirkcudbright | Gatehouse of Fleet | New Galloway | Newton Stewart | The Machars | Stranraer | Portpatrick | Wigtown
Introduction to Moffat
Just to the east of the A74(M), at the northern end of Annandale, is the attractive market town of Moffat, with its wide High Street and long, eventful history. Moffat was once something of a fashionable spa town and its sulphur springs attracted the great and the good. Now it's a centre for the local woollen industry.
Ins and outs: Getting to Moffat
There are frequent buses to Edinburgh , Glasgow (No X74) and Dumfries (Nos 114 and 199). Bus No 199 also runs to Edinburgh, via the A708, on Fri and Sat. Bus No 382 runs to Carlisle, via Lockerbie and Gretna Green , and bus No 130 runs to Galashiels, via Selkirk, along the scenic A708. The main operator is Stagecoach Western Buses, Tel 01387-253496. There's also the Harrier Scenic Bus Service, which runs once or twice a week between Jul and Sep - useful for walkers. For Harrier Service bus times call First Edinburgh, Tel 0131-6639233.
The Tourist Information Centre is on Ladyknowes, Tel 220620. Apr, May, Sep and Oct daily 1000-1700; Jun-Aug 0930-1830. Near the TIC is the Moffat Woollen Mill, where you can see a demonstration of traditional weaving and trace your Scottish ancestry. There's also a shop selling woollens and tartans. Info: Tel 220134. Mar-Oct daily 0900-1730; Nov-Feb daily till 1700. Free. Nearby is the Moffat Museum, which tells the town's history. Info: Easter to end Sep Mon, Tue and Thu-Sat 1030-1300 and 1430-1700, Sun 1430-1700. £1. Tel 220868. The tourist office has a selection of leaflets detailing the many local walks. For a pleasant short stroll along the River Annan follow the 'Waterside Walk' sign from the High Street. There are more strenuous walks in the Lowther Hills and along the Southern Upland Way
Sleeping: accommodation in Moffat
There's plenty of accommodation in Moffat and you should have no problems finding a room. Of the several hotels lining the High St, the best is the very fine C Moffat House Hotel, Tel220039, www.moffathouse.co.uk Also on the High St is the D Star Hotel, Tel 220156, www.famousstarhotel.com, the narrowest hotel in the UK. Overlooking the town is the C Wellview Private Hotel, Ballplay Rd, Tel 220184, www.wellview.co.uk A Victorian house with an excellent restaurant which offers a 6-course dinner using the best of local produce (expensive).
Amongst the many guesthouses and B&Bs is the highly rated D-E Hartfell House, Hartfell Cres, Tel 220153, robert.white@virgin.net Many of the B&Bs are on Beechgrove, which is a 5-min walk from the town centre. These include E Queensberry House, Tel 220538. There's also a campsite at Hammerlands Farm, Tel 220436, open Mar-Nov, about a mile east of town by the A708.
Eating: restaurants and pubs in Moffat
The Wellview and Moffat House Hotels are the best places to eat in town. The hotels and pubs along the High St all serve bar meals, including the Buccleuch Arms Hotel, the historic Black Bull Hotel and the Balmoral. Traditional food is available at The Lime Tree, High St, Tel 221654. Alternatively, try Claudio's Restaurant, Tel 220958, in the old police station at Burnside, which serves a wide range of Italian dishes. Open Sun-Thu till 2130, Fri/Sat till 2200, Sep-May closed on Mon. There are also several cafés on the High St.
Try the excellent Greenmantle Ale
Self Catering Cottages in Moffat
- MOFFAT - Dumfriesshire Sleeps 4
Around Moffat
Moffat makes a convenient base from which to explore the Lowther Hills to the west and the wild and barren southwest Borders to the east, either by car or on foot. The Southern Upland Way passes only about a mile east of town, by the A708, which runs northeast for 22 miles to Selkirk in the Borders.
Stagecoach Western bus No 130 from Moffat to Galashiels runs along this very beautiful route which passes through the most stunning parts of the Southern Uplands. Ten miles northeast of Moffat on the A708 is the spectacular Grey Mare's Tail Grey Mare's Tail waterfall, which plunges 200 ft from a hanging valley. The base of the falls can be reached from the road by a steep footpath, which continues past the head of the falls to the remote Loch Skeen, from where experienced walkers can climb to the summit of White Coomb (2,696 ft).
This is also a popular birdwatching area. The A708 carries on into the Borders region and passes the famous Tibbie Shiels Inn, on the shores of St Mary's Loch.
Another scenic route from Moffat is the A701 which runs north towards Edinburgh. En route it meets the A72, which heads east to Peebles and along the Tweed valley. Six miles north of Moffat on the A701 you get a great view of the Devil's Beef Tub, a vast, deep natural bowl once used by Border Reivers (rustlers) for hiding stolen cattle (hence the name). The Tub was also used as a hide-out by persecuted Covenanters during Charles II's 'killing times'.
Further north the road enters Tweeddale and passes through tiny Tweedsmuir, where a spectacular side road climbs up into the hills to meet the A708 at St Mary's Loch. Stagecoach Western bus No 199 runs along this route to Edinburgh, but only on Fridays and Saturdays, Tel 01387-253496.
The Lowther Hills
West of Moffat, between the A74(M) and Nithsdale, are the wild and bare Lowther Hills. About 13 miles north of Moffat, at Elvanfoot, the B7040 leaves the A74(M) and crosses the hills, passing through the old lead-mining villages of Leadhills and Wanlockhead to meet the A76 a few miles south of Sanquhar .
Leadhills is a rather forlorn-looking place, but a few miles south is Wanlockhead, the highest village in Scotland at 1,500 ft and home of the Museum of Lead Mining. The visitor centre gives an introduction to the mining industry and there's a guided tour of an old lead mine, miners' cottages and the 18th-century library.
Info: 1 Apr -31 Oct daily 1000-1630. £3.95, £2.75 concession (prices subject to change). Tel 01659-74387, www. leadminingmuseum.co.uk Wanlockhead was also a gold mining centre and you can try your hand at gold panning at the museum. The Scottish and British Gold Panning Championships are held there during the second last weekend in May. Sleeping and transport Wanlockhead is on the Southern Upland Way, and there's a youth hostel in the village F Lotus Lodge, Tel 01659-74252, open Apr-Oct. There's a bus (No 223) to Leadhills from Sanquhar which passes through Wanlockhead. For times call the Travel Information Line, Tel 08457-090510.