82-456: The Moffat Hills are a range of hills in the Southern Uplands of Scotland . They form a roughly triangular shape with a west facing side, a north facing side, and a south-east facing side. It is 17 kilometres from east to west across this triangle and some 16 kilometres north to south. The highest point is White Coomb at 821 m (2694 ft). The town of Moffat lies just south of
164-506: A community based radio station that broadcast on 106.5 FM. The Border Telegraph and Southern Reporter are the town's local newspapers. In 1969, the historic Waverley Line , which connected the Scottish Borders to the national rail network, was closed as part of a wider series of cuts to British Railways. The closure led to a campaign for a return of rail to the region that never diminished. Following years of campaigning, in 2006,
246-536: A four-screen cinema. The following sports clubs are based in Galashiels: The town is home to the Glasite church, in danger of being lost, but still standing sandwiched between mills and shop buildings on High Street, Botany Lane and Roxburgh Street. Netherdale is home to Gala RFC and Gala Fairydean Rovers , with the football and rugby stadiums adjoining each other at one end. The football club's main stand
328-554: A half kilometres along this road near a sign for "Hartfell Spa" (where there is a Chalybeate spring). The Borders Forest Trust took over ownership of Corehead in July 2009. They aim to return lost wildlife and habitats to Corehead and to conserve the unique character of the Devil's Beef Tub. The hills and valleys were once cloaked with the native woodland which made up the Ettrick Forest. From
410-602: A more natural state such as Loch Dee, Loch Enoch , Loch Grannoch and Loch Trool . To the east of Moffat is the largest natural body of water in the Borders Region of the Southern Uplands, St. Mary's Loch together with the adjacent Loch of the Lowes and nearby Loch Skeen . There are several other reservoirs in the vicinity including Megget Reservoir , Talla Reservoir and Fruid Reservoir whilst Daer Reservoir lies among
492-499: A number of particularly useful points of entry to the hills depending on what area of the hills is to be visited. We will consider these points of access based on the three-sided triangle described above and so we have access from; Moffatdale in the south east, Annandale in the west and the Megget stone in the north. These are the most scenically interesting and challenging entry points and the ones that most walkers would choose. Coming in from
574-491: A remote camera on the hillside. From Loch Skeen there are a range of options open to the walker. Any combination of these routes is of course possible. The hills around Loch Skeen offer classic geological features of international interest. Loch Skeen has also been used successfully to try to preserve the endangered species of fish called the vendace which has a history in Britain going back to glacial times. There were vendace in
656-482: A tree, and the motto is Sour Plums pronounced in Scots as soor plooms . This is a reference to an incident in 1337 when a raiding party of English soldiers were picking wild plums close to the town and were caught by Scots who came across them by chance and slaughtered them all. On a hillside to the north of the town, Buckholm Tower is a prominent structure that dates back to 1582 and replaced an earlier tower built on
738-523: Is 510 metres above sea level and as such is probably the highest loch of any great size in the South of Scotland. The classic route here is to park at Annanhead above the Devil's Beef Tub (room for several vehicles there) and walk up over Annanhead Hill , Great Hill and Chalk Rig Edge to Whitehope Heights , a route which goes round the top of the Beef Tub. From Whitehope Heights most walkers would choose to go on to
820-512: Is also situated next to the railway station. It has a café, and upstairs has office space that has been leased to businesses and organizations. It also has toilet and baby-changing facilities, and a travel helpdesk. The following are listed by Scottish Borders Council as being in the Galashiels area and are catchment schools for Galashiels Academy . Primary schools Secondary schools Further and Higher education Netherdale in Galashiels
902-512: Is estimated to have cost £294 million and was completed in September 2015, with the formal opening on 9 September by the Queen . Trains from Galashiels railway station run every half-hour going down to hourly in the evening and on Sundays. Journey times between Tweedbank and Edinburgh take less than one hour. The town also has a recently-opened Interchange building which replaces the old bus station and
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#1732845317608984-503: Is hidden by a gate. At an elevation of over 430 metres, parking here offers a high starting point whether into the Manor hills to the north or the Moffat hills to the south. No specific folklore or other traditions have been found associated with this stone but it is likely that, being at the watershed as it is, the spot would have been used as a meeting place or tryst, as are similar places throughout
1066-430: Is home to Heriot-Watt University 's School of Textiles and Design, which is also a shared campus of Borders College . Galashiels has an oceanic climate . However, due to its elevated position and distance from the sea, it has colder winters and slightly warmer summers than coastal places such as Edinburgh, Dunbar and Eyemouth . Snow is also much more common in winter, and covers the ground for an average of 38 days
1148-474: Is no agreement about the purpose of the earthwork. There is another ancient site on the north-western edge of the town, at Torwoodlee , an Iron Age hill fort, with a later broch known as Torwoodlee Broch built in the western quarter of the hill fort, and overlapping some of the defensive ditches of the original fort. The Romans destroyed the broch in 140 CE, soon after it was completed. The town's coat of arms shows two foxes reaching up to eat plums from
1230-536: Is possible to either take in White Coomb and Firthhope Rig in the next stage or, descend to the more interesting waterfalls around Firthhope Burn - White Coomb can be saved for the Grey Mare's Tail routes. Around the waterfalls offers the best views and also some quite interesting terrain to scramble over - not only around the waterfalls themselves but also while crossing the face of the steep lower slopes of Firthhope Rig on
1312-533: Is sung by some of the townsfolk each year at the Braw Lads Gathering. Sir Walter Scott built his home, Abbotsford , just across the River Tweed from Galashiels. The Sir Walter Scott Way , a long-distance path from Moffat to Cockburnspath , passes through Galashiels. There is some largely good-hearted rivalry between some of the Galashiels townsfolk and those of other border towns, particularly Hawick ,
1394-508: The Ettrick and Lauderdale district within the Borders region. Ettrick and Lauderdale District Council used Galashiels Burgh Chambers as its headquarters. Further local government reform in 1996 abolished the regions and districts, since when Galashiels has been administered by Scottish Borders Council. Robert Burns wrote two poems about Galashiels, "Sae Fair Her Hair" and "Braw Lads". The latter
1476-466: The Galloway hydro-electric power scheme was built between 1930 and 1936. More recently a number of wind farms have been developed on upland sites. Tourism and recreation are of increasing importance: walking, fishing and grouse shooting are traditional pursuits and mountain biking has become popular in recent years. The textile industry employed large numbers in many of the towns of the Scottish Borders in
1558-576: The Iapetus Ocean 420 million years ago. These rocks were pushed up from the sea bed into an accretionary wedge during the Caledonian orogeny , roughly 400 million years ago ( Ma ), when the continents and terranes of Laurentia , Baltica and Avalonia collided. The Caledonian orogeny is named for Caledonia , a Latin name for Scotland . The majority of the rocks are weakly metamorphosed coarse greywacke . The tectonic processes involved in
1640-590: The Scottish Borders with a population of around 12,600. Its name is often colloquially shortened to "Gala". The town is a major commercial centre for the Borders region with extensive history in the textile industry. Galashiels is the location of Heriot-Watt University 's School of Textiles and Design. To the west of the town, there is an ancient earthwork known as the Picts ' Work Ditch or Catrail . It extends many miles south, and its height and width vary. There
1722-529: The Scottish Borders Council . There is also a community council covering the town. Galashiels was designated a burgh of barony in 1599 and later became a police burgh by 1868. Galashiels Burgh Chambers on Albert Place was built in 1867. When elected county councils were created in 1890 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 , burghs which met certain criteria were excluded from
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#17328453176081804-714: The Solway Firth but the Tweed heads north and then east to run through the border country to the North Sea at Berwick-Upon-Tweed . Westward beyond the valley of the River Annan ( Annandale ) lies the main west coast corridor running northwards into central Scotland, carrying the west coast railway line and the M74 motorway . The next range of hills to the west is the Lowther hills wherein lies
1886-658: The Southern Uplands Fault line that runs from Ballantrae on the Ayrshire coast northeastwards to Dunbar in East Lothian on the North Sea coast, a distance of some 220 km (140 mi). There are several ranges of hills and mountains within the Southern Uplands. From east to west these are: Although the summits are not as high as many in the Scottish Highlands nor other famous mountain regions, parts of
1968-557: The glen to Under Saddle Yoke then Carrifran Gans and White Coomb (the highest hill in the Moffat Hills) beyond. Capplegill is also a useful access point to the Ettrick Hills which lie south of Moffatdale. There is parking associated with Carrifran Wildwood project at OS Ref NT163117 which can be used for this route. It is a steep climb from there to the top of Carrifran Gans (nearly 670 metres in 2 kilometres). From there it
2050-512: The 160th and final tapestry panel revealed by chief stitcher Dorie Wilkie, accompanied by McCall Smith himself. The Pavilion Cinema in Market Street opened in 1922 as a cinema, dance hall and theatre, originally named the Playhouse. The auditorium was converted to a bingo hall in the 1960s. The building was refurbished in the early 1990s, with its original art-deco façade being restored. It is now
2132-523: The 19th and 20th centuries. Stocking frames were introduced in Hawick in 1771 and Galashiels ' first woollen mill was built in 1800, but textile manufacture had a long history in the area: linen production had been a major industry since the Middle Ages. The textile industry declined in the late 20th century, with 7,800 people employed in 1981 and only 4,400 by 1998. However, it continues to be significant both to
2214-515: The Anglo-Scottish border have a troubled and bloody history. They were the scene of many raids, campaigns and battles, including the Battle of Ancrum Moor , the Battle of Nesbit Moor and the Battle of Philiphaugh . The Common Riding festivals of many Southern Upland towns such as Jedburgh , Kelso , Hawick , Peebles , Selkirk and Langholm recall this history, re-enacting the practice of riding
2296-565: The Carlisle area. Several primary roads run through the Southern Uplands, most of which run north–south, with the most notable exception being the A75. The most significant of these roads is the M74 motorway connecting Scotland and England. These roads include: Five railway lines pass through, or into, the Southern Uplands; all in a roughly north–south direction. These are the: There are no major airports within
2378-616: The Ettrick Shepherd, visit Tibbie Shiels Inn and then follow the Moffat Water down Moffatdale past the Grey Mare's Tail waterfall. The A708 Moffat to Selkirk road runs along this route twisting and turning through some spectacular scenery though with sheep wandering freely on the unfenced road you have to be careful on it. There is a project in progress to restore a wild woodland environment, as it would have been six thousand years ago, to
2460-460: The Lochmaben Lochs until as recently as 1963. As these lochs silted up and the vendace were threatened an unsuccessful attempt was made by Dr Peter Maitland of Stirling University to transfer some to Loch Trool in the Galloway hills before they became extinct. It is the heavily glaciated shapely landscape in these hills which offers such visual interest to the walker. The surface of Loch Skeen
2542-659: The Lowes and St Mary's Loch. Once the Yarrow and the Ettrick Waters join they in turn lose their identity when they meet the River Tweed between Selkirk and Galashiels . The Annandale Way is a new 55 mile (85 km) long-distance walking route which follows the valley of the river Annan from its source to the sea. The route was launched on 12 September 2009 and can be walked either north to south or south to north. It has been developed by Sulwath Connections and local communities with
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2624-512: The Lowther Hills. The area has a wide diversity of species and habitats. The uplands support black and red grouse , mountain hares , golden eagles , hen harriers and some unusual plant species. The western hills are home to red deer , roe deer , feral goats and wild boar . The western forests have one fifth of the Scottish population of red squirrels . Ospreys are present at some of
2706-573: The Megget Stane. 55°25′23″N 3°23′02″W / 55.423°N 3.384°W / 55.423; -3.384 Southern Uplands The Southern Uplands ( Scottish Gaelic : Na Monaidhean a Deas ) are the southernmost and least populous of mainland Scotland 's three major geographic areas (the others being the Central Lowlands and the Highlands ). The term is used both to describe
2788-664: The Moffat hills and along with Tweedsmuir , at the northern extremity, is the only centre of population around these hills. In some older maps, the northern part of the Moffat Hills is called the Tweedsmuir Hills, but can also be known by the title Manor Hills . The west facing side of the Moffat hills is bounded by the River Annan and River Tweed - the source of both these rivers (which are little more than 1 kilometre apart at source) lie on this boundary. The Annan runs south into
2870-698: The Scottish Borders. There are two ridges running in a southerly direction from here which can be taken into the Lochcraig Head area above Loch Skeen and it is quite possible to go out on one ridge and back on the other in a relatively undemanding day's walk. This walk can be lengthened slightly by taking in Dead For Cauld which offers fine views over the Megget reservoir. From there proceed over Port Hill, Nickie's Knowe and Talla East Side to Lochcraig Head and back by Firthybrig Head, Molls Cleuch Dod and Carlavin Hill to
2952-471: The Southern Uplands are covered with forests such as: The amount of forested land cover in the western Southern Uplands increased greatly between the 1940s and the 1980s, from 1% to 23%. The Southern Uplands have always formed a major obstacle to travel between the more heavily populated and industrialised Central Belt of Scotland and England to the south. Major roads and railways follow the east coast route and various valley routes radiating northwards from
3034-518: The Southern Uplands are remote and mountainous, containing about 120 Marilyns , the majority of the Donalds and a substantial number of Corbetts and Grahams . Some of the more notable peaks in the Southern Uplands are: The Southern Uplands are home to the UK's second highest, and Scotland's highest, village, Wanlockhead , 430 m (1,410 ft) above sea level. The region is drained by numerous rivers,
3116-515: The Southern Uplands in several of his prose and verse works (such as The Lay of the Last Minstrel ), as did James Hogg , known as the Ettrick Shepherd. 55°25′N 3°17′W / 55.41°N 3.28°W / 55.41; -3.28 Galashiels Galashiels ( / ˌ ɡ æ l ə ˈ ʃ iː ə l z / ; Scots : Gallae , Scottish Gaelic : An Geal Àth ) is a town in
3198-485: The Southern Uplands of Scotland there are plenty of wild places in which to exercise this right, of which The Moffat Hills range is amongst the best. With this freedom of access it is theoretically possible to enter these hills anywhere one chooses; but in practice, in most cases, a car has to be parked somewhere and this immediately cuts down the options since the roads on all three sides are not at all suitable for random parking for any length of time. Besides this there are
3280-696: The Southern Uplands, particularly in the west. The largest is Loch Ken the water lever of the loch was increased in 1936 when the Glenlochar Barrage was installed on the River Dee as well the Water of Ken was dammed to create manmade lochs as part of the Galloway Hydro Scheme. Several other lochs in Galloway are dammed such as Loch Doon , Loch Bradan and Clatteringshaws Loch though many smaller ones remain in
3362-640: The Tweed is in the Borders Region . The regional boundary runs erratically eastward from Annanhead, then goes north around Loch Skeen (or Skene) before heading south east to Birkhill Cottage in Moffatdale where the pioneering geologist Charles Lapworth stayed from 1872 to 1877. The north facing side of the Moffat Hills is bounded by a minor road (no road number on the Ordnance Survey map) which runs from Tweedsmuir village to St Mary's Loch , passing along
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3444-575: The Waverley Railway (Scotland) Act was passed by the Scottish Parliament , which authorised a partial restoration of the service. The new Borders Railway , which links Galashiels with Edinburgh, saw four new stations built in Midlothian and three in the Scottish Borders . For most of the route, the original line was followed with 30 miles (50 kilometres) of new railway line built. The project
3526-494: The area under the control of the county councils. There was disagreement between Galashiels and Selkirkshire County Council as to whether these criteria applied to Galashiels. The case went to court, and the Scottish Supreme Court found that Galashiels was entirely responsible for its own affairs and should neither be represented on nor taxed by Selkirkshire County Council. Further local government reform in 1930 brought
3608-629: The area. The nearest international passenger airports are Glasgow Prestwick International Airport , Glasgow International Airport and Edinburgh Airport . Vehicle ferries operate between Stranraer and Cairnryan in Scotland and Belfast and Larne in Northern Ireland respectively. There are numerous walks through the Southern Uplands. These include the Southern Upland Way , a 212-mile (341 km) coast to coast walk between Portpatrick in
3690-606: The band's lead singer, Fish , spent some time in the town in his earlier years. In 2012, the Scottish Borders Council undertook work to revamp the Market Square with lyrics of the song inscribed into the paving slabs. Fish officially reopened the square on completion later that year. A new £6.7m Great Tapestry of Scotland Centre opened in Galashiels on 21 August 2021, to house one of the world’s largest tapestries and community arts projects. The Great Tapestry of Scotland
3772-692: The banks of the Talla Reservoir and the Megget Reservoir and rising to 450 metres by the Megget Stone. The hills to the north here are called the Manor or Tweedsmuir hills and the hills to the north west of the Moffat hills are called the Culters (pronounced Cooters). There is a third reservoir within the Moffat hills area called the Fruid where two Bronze Age round houses have been excavated in recent times and on
3854-537: The boundaries of the town to enable warning to be given of raids from the south. This violent history is also commemorated in many Border ballads , another common theme of which is the supernatural, as in the ballads of Thomas the Rhymer and Tam Lin . Many Border ballads were collected by Sir Walter Scott in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border . Scott also portrayed the social history, folklore and traditions of
3936-469: The burgh of Galashiels within the area controlled by the county council, with the town being reclassified as a small burgh , ceding most of its functions to the county council. In 1975, local government across Scotland was reformed under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 . The burghs and counties were abolished as administrative areas and replaced with a two-tier system of upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Galashiels therefore became part of
4018-476: The car is parked you will pass a monument above the Beef Tub to John Hunter of Tweedsmuir, a covenanter who was shot in 1685 while trying to escape from dragoons by climbing the side of the Beef Tub. Park at Moffat Well some 2 kilometres north of the town of Moffat (after finding your way through the back streets of Moffat to get there) and then head up over Greygill Head and Blue Cairn to Swatte Fell. From there most walkers would probably want to go to Hartfell. On
4100-426: The community hall (OS. Ref. NT075103) proceed northwards on the A701 heading out of Moffat town centre till you arrive at a mini roundabout by the school. This is just before you reach the 30 miles per hour sign at the edge of town. Leave the A701 at this point forking right onto the minor road which goes through to Corehead and gives access to the Devil's Beef Tub itself. The community hall is on your right some four and
4182-418: The community hall follow the track towards the spa. After about one and a half kilometres the track enters the valley of the Auchencat Burn at a metal gate. From there descend from the path to the burn and choose one of the rough planks over the burn to cross it. From the burn climb to Swatte Fell, go on to Hartfell and come down over Arthur's Seat making for the gully above the spa. The descent down this gully to
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#17328453176084264-490: The councils of South Ayrshire , East Ayrshire , South Lanarkshire and East Lothian extend into the region. After local government reorganisation in 1974 and prior to further reorganisation in 1996, the Southern Uplands were administered by the two 'regions' of Dumfries & Galloway and Borders along with the southern margins of the regions of Strathclyde and Lothian. Within each of these regions were districts with their own district councils. Historically, i.e. prior to 1974,
4346-435: The direction of the River Tweed the landscape is nothing like so dramatic. The routes from Moffatdale into the hills would generally be recognised to be the most spectacular because of the variety of scenery and general quality (and variety) of walking interest they offer. There are three main points of entry from Moffatdale; Capplegill, Carrifran and Grey Mare's Tail. According to legend, Bodesbeck Farm, near to Moffat Water,
4428-623: The formation of the accretionary wedge, where sediment is scraped off the seafloor as a tectonic plate is subducted , has led to the formation of multiple, major, east–west faults that are now exploited by rivers and define valleys across the Southern Uplands. Levels of deformation associated with these faults is highly variable but is pervasive in the finer-grained sediments. Secondary mineralisation has further altered these Lower Palaeozoic rocks which are hosts for some distinctive springs , some of which have been exploited for tourism, such as those around Moffat . The Southern Uplands lie south of
4510-405: The geographical region and to collectively denote the various ranges of hills and mountains within this region. An overwhelmingly rural and agricultural region, the Southern Uplands are partly forested and contain many areas of open moorland - the hill names in the area are congruent with these characteristics. The Southern Uplands consist mainly of Silurian sedimentary deposits deposited in
4592-412: The hill. Because of the spectacular scenery, the walk up to Loch Skeen is very popular indeed with the casual visiting tourist, but really, proper hill walking footwear is necessary for this path. This is very often not the case for those who go there on impulse and not equipped for the terrain. There is a visitor centre by the car park where it is possible to "watch live" wild birds nesting - as viewed from
4674-482: The historic town of Annan to the southern end of the walk where the river runs into the Solway Firth. There is a choice of alternative routes for two sections of the walk. The Way has been designed to be achievable in 4 to 5 days as a continuous walk but it also offers several fine day walks. Freedom of Access, the right to roam where you choose, was written into Scottish law by the new Scottish Parliament in 2002. Prior to that it had been an unwritten right by custom. In
4756-488: The local economy and to that of Scotland in general. Generally, sheep and arable farming are more predominant in the Scottish Borders to the east, while dairy farming is traditionally more important in Dumfries and Galloway , although recent years here have seen a move away from cattle grazing towards sheep farming. Several breeds of livestock have originated in the Southern Uplands, including Galloway cattle , Ayrshire dairy cattle and Cheviot sheep . Large areas of
4838-408: The lochs of the Galloway Forest Park, St Mary's Loch and along the River Tweed . Brown trout are common in many burns and a number of the rivers in the area have populations of sea trout , salmon and Eurasian otters . The two unitary authorities of Dumfries and Galloway in the west and the Scottish Borders in the east cover almost all of the Southern Uplands. Along its northern margins,
4920-415: The most important of which are Scotland's third and fourth longest, the River Clyde at 106 mi (171 km) and the River Tweed at 97 mi (156 km) respectively. Several significant rivers drain southwards into the Solway Firth and Irish Sea including (from west to east) the River Cree , River Dee , River Urr , River Nith , River Annan and the River Esk . There are numerous lochs in
5002-413: The name implies has two tops with a short saddle between them. These tops are Saddle Yoke (just over 630 metres high ) and Under Saddle Yoke (745 metres. From there descend to the water course in Whirly Gill before climbing to the top of Saddle Craigs at the head of the Blackhope Glen and just below Hartfell Rig (739 metres). An alternative to this is to go up onto the rig itself but that would be to miss
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#17328453176085084-425: The next largest town in the Scottish Borders. Galashiels' citizens often refer to their rival as dirty Hawick while the 'Teries' retort that Galashiels's residents are pail merks , supposedly because their town was the last to be plumbed into the mains water system and so residents had to rely on buckets as toilets. Galashiels was also home to the author of the famous Scottish song, " Coulters Candy ". Robert Coltart
5166-416: The other, along the tops above the glen. Parking at the Grey Mare's Tail is in the National Trust for Scotland car park and there is a path constructed by them up the side of the hill from there towards Loch Skeen to follow. There are plenty of warnings around this path of the fatalities which have occurred to those who have left the path to get a better view of the waterfall and slid down the steep sides of
5248-433: The region comprised the counties of Wigtown , Kirkcudbright , Dumfries , Roxburgh , Peebles , Selkirk and Berwick together with parts of Ayrshire , Lanarkshire, Midlothian and East Lothian . The geography of the region has caused it to be sparsely populated, a characteristic shared with the Highlands but in contrast to the Central Lowlands. Although the political and geographical borders do not precisely coincide,
5330-404: The return leg head back to Birnock Cloves just to the south of Swatte Fell summit and from there down Birnock Water back to Moffat Well. The sulphurous waters of Moffat Well were believed to have healing properties and during the Victorian era the high demand for this led to the water being piped down from the well to a specially built bath house in the town centre (now the Town Hall). To get to
5412-421: The road from Tweedsmuir to the Fruid there are also standing stones. In 1885 when the Talla dam was being built they put in a railway to help get construction materials to the site. The south-east facing side of the Moffat Hills runs down the shore of St Mary's Loch and Loch of the Lowes - not to be confused with Loch of the Lowes in Perthshire. Where these two lochs almost join there is a monument to James Hogg
5494-492: The same site but destroyed around 1570. In 1599, Galashiels received its Burgh Charter, an event celebrated every summer since the 1930s, by the "Braw Lads’ Gathering", with riders on horseback parading through the town. Galashiels Burgh Chambers were designed in the Scottish Renaissance style and completed in 1867. The Paton Street drill hall was completed in the late 19th century. The textile trade caused Galashiels' population to increase dramatically from 800 residents at
5576-421: The source of the River Clyde. The A701 road from Moffat to Edinburgh rises rapidly from Moffat and is soon high above Annandale. At Annanhead where the source of the River Annan is, the A701 reaches the height of 395 metres and looks down into the Devil's Beef Tub . This is the watershed between the Annan and Tweed systems and it lies in the administrative region called Dumfries and Galloway . The source of
5658-449: The south of Scotland, from the heart of the Scottish Borders to Dumfries and Galloway. They are on Forestry Commission land and along with schemes in Wales are regarded as the benchmark by which further trails in the UK should be developed. They are known as the 7stanes because each venue features a 'stane' ( Scots for stone) somewhere along the forest trails. The Seven Stanes: The Southern Uplands and especially those areas adjacent to
5740-431: The spa is on steep slate-like scree and is quite interesting as is the spa itself. From there just follow the spa path back to the community hall. The Megget Stane (OS. Ref. NT152203) is by a cattle grid at the highest point between the Talla and Megget reservoirs on the minor road which runs from Tweedsmuir on the A701 to Cappercleuch by shore of St Mary's Loch. It is quite easy to miss the stone when coming from Talla as it
5822-722: The start of the nineteenth century to 19,553 by 1890. A connection with the town's mill history, the Mill Lade, still links the town from near the site of mills at Wheatlands Road, to Netherdale, via Wilderhaugh, Bank Street, the Fountain and next to the Tesco/retail development Street. Despite the town's relatively low population, the early 2000s saw many new developments, including Asda , Boots pharmacy, Halfords , Marks & Spencer , Matalan , McDonald's , Next , Subway fast-food outlet and Tesco Extra . Most of these are on former mill and industrial estate sites, while other disused mills have been converted to living accommodations. Local government services for Galashiels are provided by
5904-467: The support of local estates and farmers to help promote Annandale as a new area for walking. From the northern end It starts high above the source of the river Annan with a circumnavigation of the Devils Beef Tub before dropping down its eastern side and following the river Annan along the valley bottom into the picturesque market town of Moffat. From there it follows the valley of the river Annan through
5986-449: The top of Hartfell. Mostly the return route would be to just return by the route taken outwards, but it is possible to go down over Arthur's Seat to the River Annan at Ericstane, climb out of the other side of the valley and onto the A701 and hence back to Annanhead. The area in the valley around Ericstane is rich in ancient remains (settlements and burnt mounds) and before you get back to where
6068-619: The treeless Carrifran Glen. The hill range to the south east of Moffatdale is called the Ettrick Hills and the Ettrick Water has its source in the middle of these hills before it runs north eastward to join the Yarrow Water at Philiphaugh (where the Yarrow loses its name to the Ettrick). The head waters of the Yarrow are just east of Birkhill and the water from there runs through both Loch of
6150-493: The two southern local authority areas have a combined population of around 265,000 across 4,314 square miles (11,170 km ), fewer inhabitants than five of the areas within the Central Lowlands, for example North Lanarkshire is home to 340,000 across 184 square miles (480 km ). Agriculture and forestry are the main forms of land use in the Southern Uplands. Sustainable power has been in production for several decades:
6232-400: The views from the top of the crags that are Saddle Craigs. Now climb to the summit of Hart Fell and then follow the ridge from there back to Capplegill going over Swatte Fell en route. In other words, this route goes up one side of the hills above Blackhope Glen and back down the other. The crags on this return leg are quite spectacular (particularly around Hound Shoulder) with views over
6314-415: The way up to Games Castle (a natural feature resembling a castle) and Rotten Bottom (the sump area for all the peat hags round about). Now the route heads along the top of the crags of Raven Craig and Priest Craig (i.e. around the top of Carrifran Glen) and towards Saddle Yoke from where it makes its way down to where the car is parked. Here again the route goes up one side of a glen (Carrifran Glen) and back
6396-493: The west and Cockburnspath in the east. There is some good rock climbing in the Southern Uplands, particularly in the western portion, the Galloway Hills. The majority of the climbing is on good quality granite, often slabby and sometimes a bit broken in nature. In cold winters there is good ice climbing on the hills of Craignaw , Merrick and Cairnsmore of Fleet . The 7stanes are seven mountain biking centres spanning
6478-505: Was a weaver in the town, but also made confectionery in nearby Melrose. The song was created as an advertisement and hence was renamed "Sugar Candy" when played by the BBC. The song is possibly better known by the first line of its chorus - "Ally, bally, ally bally bee". Coltart died in 1890. A statue of Coltart now stands in the Market Square. The 1985 Marillion hit single " Kayleigh " was partially inspired by events that took place in Galashiels as
6560-623: Was built in 1963 to designs by Peter Womersley , based in nearby Gattonside . The cantilevered concrete structure, in the Brutalist style , is now protected as a Category A listed building. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC Scotland and ITV Border . Television signal are received from the Selkirk and the local relay transmitters. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Scotland on 93.5 FM, Greatest Hits Radio Scottish Borders and North Northumberland on 96.8 FM and TD1 Radio,
6642-406: Was hand stitched by over 1,000 people across Scotland and had been taken for display around the country throughout its six-years' creation, the original brainchild of Edinburgh-born author Alexander McCall Smith , whose vision it was to create a tapestry telling the history of Scotland. The new purpose-built gallery, visitor centre, café and workshop space has been created and, on the opening day, saw
6724-492: Was once been the home of a brownie . The Blackhope Burn joins Moffat Water close to a farm called Capplegill (OS. Ref. NT147098) on the A708. Just to the north east of Capplegill (roughly 150 metres) there is room for a car or two to park by Blackshope house. The classic walk from here is to head north from where you are parked passing through a field where there are usually Belted Galloways to be seen, and up onto Saddle Yoke which as
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