Day 7: Tinto Hill, South Lanarkshire to Drumlanrig, Dumfries & Galloway
Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021
11th January 2021: 107.63km walked today taking the total to 701.61km/8854km. 4.5% of 318 people's totals submitting 2391.85km.
From Thankerton we cross the A73 before passing Tinto Hill car park and starting the climb up the hill. Soon we pass a Roman fort on our left which has a double ring formation that we will be able to see better on our descent. At the top is a massive cairn, the Tinto Cairn, which with its diameter of 45 metres and height of 6 metres, is one of the largest Bronze Age round cairns in Scotland. It is because of this cairn that there are two heights shown for Tinto Hill on Ordnance Survey maps: 711 metres which is the height to the top of the summit cairn and 707 metres which is the height of the hill itself. As there are no other hills of the same height around Tinto the views from the summit are extensive on a clear day. We then retrace our steps to the car park where we turn left and head westwards on the single-track road before turning northwards through a gate and passing a white cottage before entering woodland bordering the Carmichael Estate.
The name Carmichael is said to derive from the fort nearby where ‘caer’ is the old word for a hillfort and the old church on Kirk Hill which was dedicated to St Michael. Others say it is a corruption of Kirk Michael. St Michael’s Kirk is supposed to have been founded by Queen Margaret in the 11th century and the name Carmichael first appears in records in 1220.
The clan Carmichael has been in this area for over seven hundred years and were originally tenants and allies of Clan Douglas who were granted the land in 1321 by King Robert the Bruce. The first Baron of Carmichael Estate was Sir John de Carmychel of Carmichael in 1374. As we walk into Carmichael estate, we reach Eastend Castle which is on the southern boundary. It is thought that this is where one branch of the Carmichael family lived who separated from the senior line around 1500. This house has as its centre a 16th century keep, with multiple additions made over the intervening centuries. It is uninhabitable due to dry rot.
Following paths, we find ourselves at the site of the Carmichael House ruins. These are built on the site of a fortified castle first mentioned in 1414, built by the second Baron of Carmichael, and which along with St Michael’s Church was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell. Carmichael House was then built around 1750 and it has been suggested that it was to be a house built on a grand scale but instead only the east and west wings were built with a small tower standing between them with a corridor linking them. The roof was removed in 1952 to avoid having to pay taxes and duties and the furnishings, doors and windows were sold off. The house has stood as a ruin ever since.
From here we walk west towards Carmichael village below Carmichael Hill. On top of this hill is a monument to the 2nd Earl of Hyndford, a commissioner of the Treaty of Union of 1707 and an Ambassador to Russia and Vienna. From Carmichael we turn north and soon reach the A70 where we turn right and then cross the River Clyde over Hyndford Bridge. Hyndford Bridge was designed by Alexander Stevens and was completed in 1773. It is a five-arch bridge with a single carriageway which still carries traffic today. Before the bridge was built the Carmichael family operated a ford at the site which is shown by the toll house which is still here. From 1701 until 1817 the Carmichael family also had the title, Earl of Hyndford.
From Hyndford Bridge we follow Hyndford Road up the hill past the former Lanark racecourse. The racecourse beside Lanark Loch shut in 1977 but was the original home of the Silver Bell race which has the oldest sporting trophy in the world, the Silver Bell Trophy. This trophy is thought to date from the early 17th century. Since 2008 the race has been held at Hamilton racecourse. Lanark racecourse was also where Scotland’s first ever air-show took place in 1910 which 250,0000 people attended over eight days. We pass Lanark Loch which is a man-made loch built in the early 19th century by architect Hugh Marr on the site of a small pond which was used by the local curling club. It became the main water supply for Lanark and the surrounding area until 1881 when it was superseded by a loch on the slopes of Tinto Hill. From the loch we pass a sculpture called, The Spirit of Flight, which commemorates the centenary of the 1910 airshow, before we walk into Lanark itself.
Lanark, means ‘clear space or glade’ in Cumbric and lies above the east bank of the River Clyde close to where it merges with the Mouse Water. This strategic position guarding the Clyde Valley was recognised by the Romans who built a fort here at Castlehill which was later replaced by Lanark Castle. This was where Kenneth II held the first Scottish Parliament in 978. Lanark has been an important market town since medieval times and King David I made it a Royal Burgh in 1140. At this time the Lanark street plan was created with houses along the street with narrow plots of land (or rigs) behind with closes running alongside them.
Each year, at the beginning of June, Lanark holds their Lanimer Celebrations. These celebrations are based on King David I granting Lanark their Royal Burgh status. A condition of the charter stated that the merchants of the town must inspect their March or boundary stones each year. This duty has been carried out every year since then, with the high point being when the town's school children parade in fancy dress with decorated vehicles, pipe bands, and a Lanimer Queen and her Court, who have been elected from local schools.
From Lanark Loch we walk back to Hyndford Road and walk along it until we turn left to reach St Kentigern’s Church. This is thought to date from before the 1140s and was called the ‘Oot Church’ as it lay just outside the town. This is where William Wallace married Marion Braidfute, who came from Lanark, in 1296. It was here in 1297 that English soldiers taunted William Wallace about his daughter not being his, resulting in him losing his temper and killing one of the soldiers. As a result, he and his men went into hiding and when Marion wouldn’t tell the English Sheriff of Lanark, William Heselrigg, where he was, she and her child were murdered. William Wallace was incensed, and he and his men crept into Lanark Castle and killed Heselrigg and the rest of the garrison. This assassination of Heselrigg sparked the struggle for Scottish independence. St Kentigern’s church was abandoned as a place of worship in 1668.
From St Kentigern’s we walk up to the High Street where at the west end we find the Tolbooth and St Nicholas Church. The existing Tolbooth was built in 1778 replacing an earlier one. It had shops on the lower floor, was a jail, a weigh house as well as housing the Sheriff Court and Council Room. The building is now used for exhibitions, meetings and fairs as well as being where the ‘het pint’ is given on the 1st of January each year. This originated in 1662 when Robert Birnie presented a bequest on behalf of Lord Carmichael, who later became Lord Hyndford, for the education of poor students. It later became a gift of hot mulled ale for the poor and needy on New Year’s morning. Now it is a glass of hot mulled wine and a £1 note given to older Lanark citizens who want to claim their share of the bequest. Outside the Tolbooth is the Provost’s Lamp which dates from the 1890s and which used to be outside the Provost’s residence.
St Nicholas Church was built in 1774 on the site of an earlier 12th century chapel. Within the tower is the ‘Toun’s great bell’, the oldest bell in Europe dating from the early 12th century, which was originally housed in St Kentigern’s Church. In a niche above the front door of the church is a statue of William Wallace sculpted by Robert Forrest of Carluke from an ancient drawing of him and presented to the town in 1882.
Just across from the church in Castlegate is a memorial stone and plaque which have been erected to mark the site of the town house where William Wallace’s father-in-law lived and where it is said that William Wallace lived with his wife, Marion. As we walk down Castlegate if you look up to your left you can see a statue of a little dog on the corner of a roof called ‘the Girnin Dug’. In the 1800s a Miss Inglis lived in the house opposite and complained so much about her neighbour’s dog that it was eventually put down. The neighbour was so annoyed that he had a statue made of the dog with a growling expression and put it so that Miss Inglis would see it every time she looked out of her window. At the bottom of the Castlegate we pass the site of Lanark Castle, now a bowling green, before we enter Castlebank Park. From here we walk back down to the River Clyde and follow the river upstream to New Lanark.
New Lanark is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as it is an exceptional example of a purpose-built 18th century mill village, set near the Falls of Clyde. The mill was started in 1785 by David Dale, a banker and entrepreneur and Richard Arkwright, the inventor of the spinning frame, a machine for spinning cotton. It was built on the banks of the Clyde at the only place where there are waterfalls, the Falls of Clyde. The partnership only lasted a year after which Dale continued on his own and by 1793 the mills had become the largest water-powered spinning mills in Britain with over 1300 employees, including children. The working day was long, beginning at 6am and finishing at 7pm with a half hour for breakfast and an hour for dinner but the food provided was of good quality. Dale’s attitude to his workforce was a revolutionary one in that he provided care for his workers and he introduced education for his child workers, establishing a school which by 1796 employed 16 teachers and taught 507 children. Younger children would attend school during the day and older ones once they had completed their work.
In 1799 Dale sold the mill to his son-in-law Robert Owen who brought in a range of workplace, social and educational reforms which led to the idea of New Lanark as an ‘ideal’ community. Owen himself described his work at New Lanark as ‘the most important experiment for the happiness of the human race that has yet been instituted in any part of the world’. He implemented work practices to make the business more efficient, he reduced the working day to 10.5 hours and provided the world’s first workplace nursery for the youngest children (This also meant their mothers could go back to work). He also added a mechanic’s workshop and an iron foundry to help increase efficiency and production.
As well as the workplace reforms Owen also tried to improve the living conditions of his workers. The village was split into neighbourhoods who formed a community council, the households were inspected for cleanliness and he provided the residents with allotments so they could grow their own fruit and vegetables. He also employed a village doctor and operated a sickness fund, to which each worker contributed one sixteenth of their wages and from which they could draw payments if they were unable to work through illness. Owen also believed that each person had a right to an education and provided an infant and a junior school. As well as reading, writing and arithmetic the children ages over 7 also had music and dance lessons, and learned geography, history and art. The children were encouraged to stay in school until they were 12 but, even then, he provided evening classes for older children and adults which they could attend after work. In 1813 he established a village store. This was run for the benefit of the community and was seen as the inspiration for the Co-op movement. The goods sold were good quality, fresh and affordable and workers could be paid in tokens which could be used in the shop encouraging the workers to shop locally. This meant that the shop was successful, and profits went to funding his education reforms.
In 1824 Owen moved to America and tried to build a utopian settlement, New Harmony in Indiana. This experiment ran into trouble, but it did include building the first free public school system and first free library in America. Owen eventually returned to Britain and spent the rest of his life campaigning for a better and fairer society.
The mill continued in operation until 1968. In 1973 the buildings were given a ‘Category A listing by Historic Scotland meaning they were of historical importance and in 1974 the New Lanark Conservation Trust was founded with the aim of restoring New Lanark as a living and working village. In 2001 the site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Now it is possible for us to visit the mill, the museum, the village store, a 1700s school classroom and Robert Owen’s house.
After leaving the mill we follow the mill lade towards the Clyde. The mill lade was built to take water from the Clyde to turn the waterwheels of the mills to power the machinery. It is now used to run one of the waterwheels which, connected to a generator, produces enough electricity to run the visitor centre and the New Lanark Mill Hotel.
We then take the Falls of Clyde walkway to walk upriver. The first waterfall we pass is the Dundaff Linn before we reach a section of boardwalk which is almost level with the water. This is a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve and, if we are lucky, we might spot an otter or a kingfisher. We pass the Bonnington hydro-electric power station which dates from 1927. It is unusual in that it does not use a dam for water storage but instead takes its water from the Bonnington Linn a waterfall which we will pass later. This along with the Stonebyres power station further downstream can create electricity for over 17,000 homes.
After passing the power station we come to the viewpoint for the Corra Linn. This is the largest of the waterfalls, at 27 metres, which make up the Falls of Clyde. It was immortalised in a Wordsworth poem as 'the Clyde's most majestic daughter'. From here we walk up to the Bonnington Linn, which is a horseshoe of waterfalls, before we cross a bridge where water is funnelled off to the power station which we passed earlier. After crossing the bridge, we turn left and initially follow the banks of the Clyde before the path moves away from the river and then reaches a minor road before we follow Eastertown Road to reach the B7078 near Uddington. We follow this south to Abington before taking the B797 towards Leadhills. So that we don’t have to follow the road all the way to Leadhills we turn onto a track signed to Glencaple Farm which takes us over the hills, Ravengill Dod and Coom Dod before skirting round the south side of Broad Law to reach Leadhills.
Leadhills is the second highest village in Scotland and has been important for mining since the Romans. The village exists here because lead and other minerals including gold were found in the surrounding hills. The world’s purest gold was found nearby, at 22.8 carats, and was used in the Scottish Crown. In addition, there were minerals which were first discovered here, such as lanarkite and leadhillite.
In Leadhills there is the Scots Mining Company's House which is thought to be the only surviving example of a small mansion house designed by the Scots architect William Adam. The house was built in 1734 for the manager of the lead mines and stands overlooking the village. Also, in the village we can see the curfew bell, erected by the Scots Mining Company in 1770. The bell was an integral part of the mining industry. It was rung to inform the miners of shift changes, to tell children when to go to school and to warn of accidents in the mines. Today the bell is only used to ring in the New Year.
Leadhills has a number of claims to fame; it has the highest golf course in Britain, it has the oldest subscription library in Britain, the Leadhills Miners’ Library, founded in 1741 and it has the highest adhesion railway in Britain. The Leadhills and Wanlockhead Steam Railway climbs to over 450 metres above sea level and visitors can ride on it as well as visit the museum and shop. Another interesting place to visit is the grave of John Taylor which states that he was 137 years old when he died.
Leaving Leadhills we soon reach the village of Wanlockhead, another lead mining village which dates from the 1680s. This village though, is the highest in Scotland with an elevation of 467 metres. We can visit the Museum of Lead Mining which tells the story of the local industry and allows us to go down a former working mine, the Lochnell Mine. We can visit the Straitsteps Cottages where we can see what it was like to live as a miner in the 18th and 19th centuries and we can look at the miner’s library which is the second oldest subscription library in Britain, established in 1756. The library was funded by subscriptions from the miners, but a contribution was also made by mining companies to encourage ‘self-improvement’. Also, in Wanlockhead is a beam engine dating from 1870 which was used to pump water from the Straitsteps lead mine below. It was powered by a horse and was in use until about 1910.
Near to Leadhills and Wanlockhead is the Lowther ski centre which is the only snowsports centre in the south of Scotland, founded in 1986 and run by volunteers.
We then follow the Southern Upland Way along the Wanlock Water before crossing the western slopes of Glengaber Hill, the southern slopes of Lowmill Knowe and then going over the saddle between Conrig Hill and Willowgrain Hill before descending into Sanquhar.
Sanquhar lies in the valley of the River Nith which was one of the most important routes from central to southern Scotland in history. It made its wealth through the weaving and handknitting industries and is notable for its tiny post office, established in 1712, held to be the oldest working post office in the world. We walk through the centre of town along Castle Road to Sanquhar Castle.
The castle before us was built by the Crichton family in the late 1300s having good views over the river valley. Over the centuries the castle expanded, with several Scottish royalty staying within its walls including Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, Edward I and II, Mary Queen of Scots and James VI. It was Sir William Crichton, Chancellor of Scotland at the time, who arranged the ‘Black Dinner’ at Edinburgh Castle. In 1639 the castle was sold to Sir William Douglas, who would become the 1st Duke of Queensberry. He built Drumlanrig Castle later, as a grander home for his family, but as he did not like it, he spent the remainder of his days here. After his death, the family moved to Drumlanrig Castle and Sanquhar was abandoned. In 1895, the 3rd Marquis of Bute acquired the castle and began to restore his ancestral home. During excavations, a young woman’s skeleton was discovered. It was thought to be that of Marion of Dalpedder who disappeared in the 1590s; a blonde-haired beauty, she was said to have been murdered by the Crichton’s. Maybe she is the ‘White Lady’ that is seen returning to the ruins from time to time?! All restoration work ceased upon the Marquis’ death in 1900 and that has remained the case to this day. Recently fencing has had to be erected to keep visitors out of the castle area as the ruins are now too unstable to explore.
From this point, we leave the Southern Upland Way and head south for almost 18 kilometres to Drumlanrig Castle, overlooking the Nith Valley from a wooded hillside. Affectionately known as the ‘Pink Palace’, as it is built from red sandstone, the castle was completed in 1689. Set in the 120,000-acre Queensberry Estate, it has been home to the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry throughout that time and has an impressive art collection. Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed here on his retreat north from England in 1745 and there is a collection of memorabilia on display in the castle. This castle was used as the filming location for Bellhurst Manor in the ‘Outlander’ TV series.
After leaving Drumlanrig we head south for 5 kilometres to the village of Thornhill. Once a staging post for the main road between Dumfries and Glasgow, it has a number of 18th-century coaching inns which still operate today. We pass it’s Mercat Cross in Drumlanrig Street, topped with a winged horse, emblem of the Dukes of Queensberry, before heading out of the village following our route to the Forest of Ae.
The name Carmichael is said to derive from the fort nearby where ‘caer’ is the old word for a hillfort and the old church on Kirk Hill which was dedicated to St Michael. Others say it is a corruption of Kirk Michael. St Michael’s Kirk is supposed to have been founded by Queen Margaret in the 11th century and the name Carmichael first appears in records in 1220.
The clan Carmichael has been in this area for over seven hundred years and were originally tenants and allies of Clan Douglas who were granted the land in 1321 by King Robert the Bruce. The first Baron of Carmichael Estate was Sir John de Carmychel of Carmichael in 1374. As we walk into Carmichael estate, we reach Eastend Castle which is on the southern boundary. It is thought that this is where one branch of the Carmichael family lived who separated from the senior line around 1500. This house has as its centre a 16th century keep, with multiple additions made over the intervening centuries. It is uninhabitable due to dry rot.
Following paths, we find ourselves at the site of the Carmichael House ruins. These are built on the site of a fortified castle first mentioned in 1414, built by the second Baron of Carmichael, and which along with St Michael’s Church was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell. Carmichael House was then built around 1750 and it has been suggested that it was to be a house built on a grand scale but instead only the east and west wings were built with a small tower standing between them with a corridor linking them. The roof was removed in 1952 to avoid having to pay taxes and duties and the furnishings, doors and windows were sold off. The house has stood as a ruin ever since.
From here we walk west towards Carmichael village below Carmichael Hill. On top of this hill is a monument to the 2nd Earl of Hyndford, a commissioner of the Treaty of Union of 1707 and an Ambassador to Russia and Vienna. From Carmichael we turn north and soon reach the A70 where we turn right and then cross the River Clyde over Hyndford Bridge. Hyndford Bridge was designed by Alexander Stevens and was completed in 1773. It is a five-arch bridge with a single carriageway which still carries traffic today. Before the bridge was built the Carmichael family operated a ford at the site which is shown by the toll house which is still here. From 1701 until 1817 the Carmichael family also had the title, Earl of Hyndford.
From Hyndford Bridge we follow Hyndford Road up the hill past the former Lanark racecourse. The racecourse beside Lanark Loch shut in 1977 but was the original home of the Silver Bell race which has the oldest sporting trophy in the world, the Silver Bell Trophy. This trophy is thought to date from the early 17th century. Since 2008 the race has been held at Hamilton racecourse. Lanark racecourse was also where Scotland’s first ever air-show took place in 1910 which 250,0000 people attended over eight days. We pass Lanark Loch which is a man-made loch built in the early 19th century by architect Hugh Marr on the site of a small pond which was used by the local curling club. It became the main water supply for Lanark and the surrounding area until 1881 when it was superseded by a loch on the slopes of Tinto Hill. From the loch we pass a sculpture called, The Spirit of Flight, which commemorates the centenary of the 1910 airshow, before we walk into Lanark itself.
Lanark, means ‘clear space or glade’ in Cumbric and lies above the east bank of the River Clyde close to where it merges with the Mouse Water. This strategic position guarding the Clyde Valley was recognised by the Romans who built a fort here at Castlehill which was later replaced by Lanark Castle. This was where Kenneth II held the first Scottish Parliament in 978. Lanark has been an important market town since medieval times and King David I made it a Royal Burgh in 1140. At this time the Lanark street plan was created with houses along the street with narrow plots of land (or rigs) behind with closes running alongside them.
Each year, at the beginning of June, Lanark holds their Lanimer Celebrations. These celebrations are based on King David I granting Lanark their Royal Burgh status. A condition of the charter stated that the merchants of the town must inspect their March or boundary stones each year. This duty has been carried out every year since then, with the high point being when the town's school children parade in fancy dress with decorated vehicles, pipe bands, and a Lanimer Queen and her Court, who have been elected from local schools.
From Lanark Loch we walk back to Hyndford Road and walk along it until we turn left to reach St Kentigern’s Church. This is thought to date from before the 1140s and was called the ‘Oot Church’ as it lay just outside the town. This is where William Wallace married Marion Braidfute, who came from Lanark, in 1296. It was here in 1297 that English soldiers taunted William Wallace about his daughter not being his, resulting in him losing his temper and killing one of the soldiers. As a result, he and his men went into hiding and when Marion wouldn’t tell the English Sheriff of Lanark, William Heselrigg, where he was, she and her child were murdered. William Wallace was incensed, and he and his men crept into Lanark Castle and killed Heselrigg and the rest of the garrison. This assassination of Heselrigg sparked the struggle for Scottish independence. St Kentigern’s church was abandoned as a place of worship in 1668.
From St Kentigern’s we walk up to the High Street where at the west end we find the Tolbooth and St Nicholas Church. The existing Tolbooth was built in 1778 replacing an earlier one. It had shops on the lower floor, was a jail, a weigh house as well as housing the Sheriff Court and Council Room. The building is now used for exhibitions, meetings and fairs as well as being where the ‘het pint’ is given on the 1st of January each year. This originated in 1662 when Robert Birnie presented a bequest on behalf of Lord Carmichael, who later became Lord Hyndford, for the education of poor students. It later became a gift of hot mulled ale for the poor and needy on New Year’s morning. Now it is a glass of hot mulled wine and a £1 note given to older Lanark citizens who want to claim their share of the bequest. Outside the Tolbooth is the Provost’s Lamp which dates from the 1890s and which used to be outside the Provost’s residence.
St Nicholas Church was built in 1774 on the site of an earlier 12th century chapel. Within the tower is the ‘Toun’s great bell’, the oldest bell in Europe dating from the early 12th century, which was originally housed in St Kentigern’s Church. In a niche above the front door of the church is a statue of William Wallace sculpted by Robert Forrest of Carluke from an ancient drawing of him and presented to the town in 1882.
Just across from the church in Castlegate is a memorial stone and plaque which have been erected to mark the site of the town house where William Wallace’s father-in-law lived and where it is said that William Wallace lived with his wife, Marion. As we walk down Castlegate if you look up to your left you can see a statue of a little dog on the corner of a roof called ‘the Girnin Dug’. In the 1800s a Miss Inglis lived in the house opposite and complained so much about her neighbour’s dog that it was eventually put down. The neighbour was so annoyed that he had a statue made of the dog with a growling expression and put it so that Miss Inglis would see it every time she looked out of her window. At the bottom of the Castlegate we pass the site of Lanark Castle, now a bowling green, before we enter Castlebank Park. From here we walk back down to the River Clyde and follow the river upstream to New Lanark.
New Lanark is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as it is an exceptional example of a purpose-built 18th century mill village, set near the Falls of Clyde. The mill was started in 1785 by David Dale, a banker and entrepreneur and Richard Arkwright, the inventor of the spinning frame, a machine for spinning cotton. It was built on the banks of the Clyde at the only place where there are waterfalls, the Falls of Clyde. The partnership only lasted a year after which Dale continued on his own and by 1793 the mills had become the largest water-powered spinning mills in Britain with over 1300 employees, including children. The working day was long, beginning at 6am and finishing at 7pm with a half hour for breakfast and an hour for dinner but the food provided was of good quality. Dale’s attitude to his workforce was a revolutionary one in that he provided care for his workers and he introduced education for his child workers, establishing a school which by 1796 employed 16 teachers and taught 507 children. Younger children would attend school during the day and older ones once they had completed their work.
In 1799 Dale sold the mill to his son-in-law Robert Owen who brought in a range of workplace, social and educational reforms which led to the idea of New Lanark as an ‘ideal’ community. Owen himself described his work at New Lanark as ‘the most important experiment for the happiness of the human race that has yet been instituted in any part of the world’. He implemented work practices to make the business more efficient, he reduced the working day to 10.5 hours and provided the world’s first workplace nursery for the youngest children (This also meant their mothers could go back to work). He also added a mechanic’s workshop and an iron foundry to help increase efficiency and production.
As well as the workplace reforms Owen also tried to improve the living conditions of his workers. The village was split into neighbourhoods who formed a community council, the households were inspected for cleanliness and he provided the residents with allotments so they could grow their own fruit and vegetables. He also employed a village doctor and operated a sickness fund, to which each worker contributed one sixteenth of their wages and from which they could draw payments if they were unable to work through illness. Owen also believed that each person had a right to an education and provided an infant and a junior school. As well as reading, writing and arithmetic the children ages over 7 also had music and dance lessons, and learned geography, history and art. The children were encouraged to stay in school until they were 12 but, even then, he provided evening classes for older children and adults which they could attend after work. In 1813 he established a village store. This was run for the benefit of the community and was seen as the inspiration for the Co-op movement. The goods sold were good quality, fresh and affordable and workers could be paid in tokens which could be used in the shop encouraging the workers to shop locally. This meant that the shop was successful, and profits went to funding his education reforms.
In 1824 Owen moved to America and tried to build a utopian settlement, New Harmony in Indiana. This experiment ran into trouble, but it did include building the first free public school system and first free library in America. Owen eventually returned to Britain and spent the rest of his life campaigning for a better and fairer society.
The mill continued in operation until 1968. In 1973 the buildings were given a ‘Category A listing by Historic Scotland meaning they were of historical importance and in 1974 the New Lanark Conservation Trust was founded with the aim of restoring New Lanark as a living and working village. In 2001 the site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Now it is possible for us to visit the mill, the museum, the village store, a 1700s school classroom and Robert Owen’s house.
After leaving the mill we follow the mill lade towards the Clyde. The mill lade was built to take water from the Clyde to turn the waterwheels of the mills to power the machinery. It is now used to run one of the waterwheels which, connected to a generator, produces enough electricity to run the visitor centre and the New Lanark Mill Hotel.
We then take the Falls of Clyde walkway to walk upriver. The first waterfall we pass is the Dundaff Linn before we reach a section of boardwalk which is almost level with the water. This is a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve and, if we are lucky, we might spot an otter or a kingfisher. We pass the Bonnington hydro-electric power station which dates from 1927. It is unusual in that it does not use a dam for water storage but instead takes its water from the Bonnington Linn a waterfall which we will pass later. This along with the Stonebyres power station further downstream can create electricity for over 17,000 homes.
After passing the power station we come to the viewpoint for the Corra Linn. This is the largest of the waterfalls, at 27 metres, which make up the Falls of Clyde. It was immortalised in a Wordsworth poem as 'the Clyde's most majestic daughter'. From here we walk up to the Bonnington Linn, which is a horseshoe of waterfalls, before we cross a bridge where water is funnelled off to the power station which we passed earlier. After crossing the bridge, we turn left and initially follow the banks of the Clyde before the path moves away from the river and then reaches a minor road before we follow Eastertown Road to reach the B7078 near Uddington. We follow this south to Abington before taking the B797 towards Leadhills. So that we don’t have to follow the road all the way to Leadhills we turn onto a track signed to Glencaple Farm which takes us over the hills, Ravengill Dod and Coom Dod before skirting round the south side of Broad Law to reach Leadhills.
Leadhills is the second highest village in Scotland and has been important for mining since the Romans. The village exists here because lead and other minerals including gold were found in the surrounding hills. The world’s purest gold was found nearby, at 22.8 carats, and was used in the Scottish Crown. In addition, there were minerals which were first discovered here, such as lanarkite and leadhillite.
In Leadhills there is the Scots Mining Company's House which is thought to be the only surviving example of a small mansion house designed by the Scots architect William Adam. The house was built in 1734 for the manager of the lead mines and stands overlooking the village. Also, in the village we can see the curfew bell, erected by the Scots Mining Company in 1770. The bell was an integral part of the mining industry. It was rung to inform the miners of shift changes, to tell children when to go to school and to warn of accidents in the mines. Today the bell is only used to ring in the New Year.
Leadhills has a number of claims to fame; it has the highest golf course in Britain, it has the oldest subscription library in Britain, the Leadhills Miners’ Library, founded in 1741 and it has the highest adhesion railway in Britain. The Leadhills and Wanlockhead Steam Railway climbs to over 450 metres above sea level and visitors can ride on it as well as visit the museum and shop. Another interesting place to visit is the grave of John Taylor which states that he was 137 years old when he died.
Leaving Leadhills we soon reach the village of Wanlockhead, another lead mining village which dates from the 1680s. This village though, is the highest in Scotland with an elevation of 467 metres. We can visit the Museum of Lead Mining which tells the story of the local industry and allows us to go down a former working mine, the Lochnell Mine. We can visit the Straitsteps Cottages where we can see what it was like to live as a miner in the 18th and 19th centuries and we can look at the miner’s library which is the second oldest subscription library in Britain, established in 1756. The library was funded by subscriptions from the miners, but a contribution was also made by mining companies to encourage ‘self-improvement’. Also, in Wanlockhead is a beam engine dating from 1870 which was used to pump water from the Straitsteps lead mine below. It was powered by a horse and was in use until about 1910.
Near to Leadhills and Wanlockhead is the Lowther ski centre which is the only snowsports centre in the south of Scotland, founded in 1986 and run by volunteers.
We then follow the Southern Upland Way along the Wanlock Water before crossing the western slopes of Glengaber Hill, the southern slopes of Lowmill Knowe and then going over the saddle between Conrig Hill and Willowgrain Hill before descending into Sanquhar.
Sanquhar lies in the valley of the River Nith which was one of the most important routes from central to southern Scotland in history. It made its wealth through the weaving and handknitting industries and is notable for its tiny post office, established in 1712, held to be the oldest working post office in the world. We walk through the centre of town along Castle Road to Sanquhar Castle.
The castle before us was built by the Crichton family in the late 1300s having good views over the river valley. Over the centuries the castle expanded, with several Scottish royalty staying within its walls including Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, Edward I and II, Mary Queen of Scots and James VI. It was Sir William Crichton, Chancellor of Scotland at the time, who arranged the ‘Black Dinner’ at Edinburgh Castle. In 1639 the castle was sold to Sir William Douglas, who would become the 1st Duke of Queensberry. He built Drumlanrig Castle later, as a grander home for his family, but as he did not like it, he spent the remainder of his days here. After his death, the family moved to Drumlanrig Castle and Sanquhar was abandoned. In 1895, the 3rd Marquis of Bute acquired the castle and began to restore his ancestral home. During excavations, a young woman’s skeleton was discovered. It was thought to be that of Marion of Dalpedder who disappeared in the 1590s; a blonde-haired beauty, she was said to have been murdered by the Crichton’s. Maybe she is the ‘White Lady’ that is seen returning to the ruins from time to time?! All restoration work ceased upon the Marquis’ death in 1900 and that has remained the case to this day. Recently fencing has had to be erected to keep visitors out of the castle area as the ruins are now too unstable to explore.
From this point, we leave the Southern Upland Way and head south for almost 18 kilometres to Drumlanrig Castle, overlooking the Nith Valley from a wooded hillside. Affectionately known as the ‘Pink Palace’, as it is built from red sandstone, the castle was completed in 1689. Set in the 120,000-acre Queensberry Estate, it has been home to the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry throughout that time and has an impressive art collection. Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed here on his retreat north from England in 1745 and there is a collection of memorabilia on display in the castle. This castle was used as the filming location for Bellhurst Manor in the ‘Outlander’ TV series.
After leaving Drumlanrig we head south for 5 kilometres to the village of Thornhill. Once a staging post for the main road between Dumfries and Glasgow, it has a number of 18th-century coaching inns which still operate today. We pass it’s Mercat Cross in Drumlanrig Street, topped with a winged horse, emblem of the Dukes of Queensberry, before heading out of the village following our route to the Forest of Ae.
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