Lowther Hills
Encyclopedia
The Lowther Hills, also sometimes known as the Lowthers, are an extensive area of hill country in the Southern Uplands
of Scotland
, though some sub ranges of hills in this area also go under their own local names - see "Hill Walking" below. They form a roughly rhomboidal or lozenge shape on the map with the acute angles being to north and south. It has river valleys along its boundaries to north east (Clydesdale
) and south west (Nithsdale
) which carry the two largest arterial routes northwards into the west side of the Central Belt
of Scotland. A string of small towns have long since developed along these routes. Most of the Lowther Hills lie in the Administrative Region of Dumfries and Galloway
, though part of South Lanarkshire
(in the Administrative Region of Strathclyde
) eats into them around the village of Leadhills and the Daer Reservoir.
just to the west of the Lowthers to the towns of Beattock
and Moffat
on the east and some 28 kilometres from the town of Thornhill near the southern apex to Abington
near the northern one. Sanquhar and Thornhill lie on the River Nith
, Moffat on the River Annan
and Abington on the River Clyde
.
Annandale and Clydesdale taken together, form a corridor between the Lowther Hills and the Moffat Hills
(which lie to the east.). This corridor between the hills carries the main route running northwards into Scotland on its west side. It carries both the west coast railway line
and the M74 motorway and has been the main route north over centuries.
Nithsdale to the west of the Lowthers carries both the A76 road
and the rail line from Dumfries
to Kilmarnock
. The next range of hills to the west beyond the River Nith is the Carsphairn and Scaur Hills
and connects to the old trunk road north which was used before the M74 was built on its present route. North of the B740 the hills gradually fizzle out into the Central Lowlands
of Scotland though Tinto Hill
(707 metres high) is an outlier 11 kilometres north of Abington. The south east boundary of the hills is formed by the Forest of Ae which is one of the largest forests, in Britain at 10,000 hectares. A continuous band of trees runs, again in a north easterly direction, from Auldgirth
on the River Nith (9 kilometres south of Thornhill), for some 26 kilometres till it meets the M74 motorway 10 kilometres north of Beattock. South of the Forest you are into the plain that surrounds the town of Dumfries.
on the A76 just north of Thornhill to Elvanfoot near the M74 and carries the A702 trunk road. The road passes near the village of Durisdeer
en route and reaches a height of 350 metres at the top of the pass.
and Leadhills
. The B797 reaches to a height of 467 metres as it leaves Wanlockhead - which is the highest village in Scotland.
ambush of a party of Dragoons during the Killing Time
The Romans built a road through from their fortlet near Durisdeer on a route which takes a more direct route to the head of the pass than is offered by the Dalveen Pass. Inglis calls this route Well Path and he considers this to have been on the main pilgrimage
route from Edinburgh to Whithorn
and one of the main ancient routes northwards through the Southern Uplands.
, the largest private landowner in Britain owns much of the land for many miles around this area and has a castle at Drumlanrig
on the west bank of the River Nith some 5 kilometres north of Thornhill. In the church at Durisdeer
there is a mausoleum to the first Duke of Buccleuch complete with marble
statues of him and his wife Mary dating from 1713 though there has been a church on this site since medieval times.
which flows north through Lanarkshire and passes through the City of Glasgow. Where the Daer and Potrail Waters meet the River Clyde is born. The Daer Water has its head waters near Queensberry Hill and it flows through Daer Reservoir
before it meets the Potrail. The head waters of the Potrail are on the north east side of Durisdeer Hill.
mining
museum in Wanlockhead. Leadhills had the oldest subscription library in the UK and was the birth place of the 18th century poet Allan Ramsay
whose son, also Allan Ramsay was the leading portrait painter in Britain in the mid 18th century. There is also the Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway.
passes over the top of Lowther Hill.
The Durisdeer Hills lie to the south east of the Dalveen Pass, they offer views into the Dalveen Pass and to the Lowther Hills beyond and for hill walkers they merge into the Queensberry Hills which lie between them and the Forest of Ae. Mitchellslacks, on the northern edge of the Forest Ae, and which provides access to Queensberry Hill, along with nearby Locherben, were the homes of the Harknesses involved in the Covenanter ambush.
Southern Uplands
The Southern Uplands are the southernmost and least populous of mainland Scotland's three major geographic areas . The term is used both to describe the geographical region and to collectively denote the various ranges of hills within this region...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, though some sub ranges of hills in this area also go under their own local names - see "Hill Walking" below. They form a roughly rhomboidal or lozenge shape on the map with the acute angles being to north and south. It has river valleys along its boundaries to north east (Clydesdale
Clydesdale
Clydesdale was formerly one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland.The district was formed by the Local Government Act 1973 from part of the former county of Lanarkshire: namely the burghs of Biggar and Lanark and the First, Second and Third Districts...
) and south west (Nithsdale
Nithsdale
Nithsdale , also known by its anglicised gaelic name Strathnith or Stranit, is the valley of the River Nith in Scotland, and the name of the region...
) which carry the two largest arterial routes northwards into the west side of the Central Belt
Central Belt
The Central Belt of Scotland is a common term used to describe the area of highest population density within Scotland. Despite the name, it is not geographically central but is nevertheless situated at the 'waist' of Scotland on a conventional map and the term 'central' is used in many local...
of Scotland. A string of small towns have long since developed along these routes. Most of the Lowther Hills lie in the Administrative Region of Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
, though part of South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
(in the Administrative Region of Strathclyde
Strathclyde
right|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...
) eats into them around the village of Leadhills and the Daer Reservoir.
North East and South West Boundaries
It is some 30 kilometres across the rhomboid as the crow flies from the town of SanquharSanquhar
Sanquhar is a town on the River Nith in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies north of Thornhill and west of Moffat. It is a Royal Burgh.Sanquhar is notable for its tiny post office , claimed to be the oldest working post office in the world...
just to the west of the Lowthers to the towns of Beattock
Beattock
The village of Beattock is located in the southern lowlands of Scotland, and lies within the administrative area of Dumfries and Galloway. It is surrounded by the parish of Kirkpatrick Juxta. It was an important stabling point for horses in the olden days with a coach house at one end of the village...
and Moffat
Moffat
Moffat is a former burgh and spa town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, lying on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. The most notable building in the town is the Moffat House Hotel, designed by John Adam...
on the east and some 28 kilometres from the town of Thornhill near the southern apex to Abington
Abington, South Lanarkshire
Abington is a village in the Scottish council region of South Lanarkshire,close to the M74 motorway, marking the point where it changes name to the A74, following the upgrade of the former A74 road. The West Coast Main Line between Glasgow and London also emerges from the Clyde Valley at this...
near the northern one. Sanquhar and Thornhill lie on the River Nith
River Nith
The River Nith is a river in South West Scotland.-Source, flow and mouth:The Nith rises in the Carsphairn hills of East Ayrshire, more precisely between Prickeny Hill and Enoch Hill, 7 km East of Dalmellington...
, Moffat on the River Annan
River Annan
The River Annan is a river in southwest Scotland. It rises at the foot of Hart Fell, five miles north of Moffat. A second fork rises on Annanhead Hill and flows through the Devil's Beef Tub before joining at the Hart Fell fork north of Moffat.From there it flows past the town of Lockerbie, and...
and Abington on the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
.
Annandale and Clydesdale taken together, form a corridor between the Lowther Hills and the Moffat Hills
Moffat Hills
The Moffat hills are a range of hills in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. They form a distinctly 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...
(which lie to the east.). This corridor between the hills carries the main route running northwards into Scotland on its west side. It carries both the west coast railway line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
and the M74 motorway and has been the main route north over centuries.
Nithsdale to the west of the Lowthers carries both the A76 road
A76 road
The A76 is a major trunk road in south west Scotland.Starting at Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire, the A76 goes through or immediately by-passes Hurlford, Mauchline, Cumnock, Pathhead and New Cumnock before entering Dumfries and Galloway and continuing through Sanquhar, Mennock, Enterkinfoot,...
and the rail line from Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
to Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
. The next range of hills to the west beyond the River Nith is the Carsphairn and Scaur Hills
Carsphairn and Scaur Hills
The Carsphairn and Scaur hills are the western and eastern hills respectively of a hill range in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. Ordnance Survey maps don't have a general name for the hill area as a whole. Also, Ordnance Survey use "Scar" rather than the local spelling of "Scaur" - the word is...
North West and South East Boundaries
The north west boundary of the hills runs up the Crawick Water in a north easterly direction from where the Crawick Water runs into the River Nith. This boundary follows the B740 road through CrawfordjohnCrawfordjohn
Crawfordjohn is a small village and civil parish located in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.It is west of Abington and north east of Leadhills, near junction 13 of the M74. It lies to the north of the Duneaton Water, a tributary of the River Clyde. It is known for the manufacture of curling stones....
and connects to the old trunk road north which was used before the M74 was built on its present route. North of the B740 the hills gradually fizzle out into the Central Lowlands
Central Lowlands
The Central Lowlands or Midland Valley is a geologically defined area of relatively low-lying land in southern Scotland. It consists of a rift valley between the Highland Boundary Fault to the north and the Southern Uplands Fault to the south...
of Scotland though Tinto Hill
Tinto
Several places share the name Tinto:*Tinto is the name of a hill, the highest in the Tinto Hills in southern Scotland.*The Tinto River is a river in south-western Andalusia, Spain....
(707 metres high) is an outlier 11 kilometres north of Abington. The south east boundary of the hills is formed by the Forest of Ae which is one of the largest forests, in Britain at 10,000 hectares. A continuous band of trees runs, again in a north easterly direction, from Auldgirth
Auldgirth
Auldgirth is a village on the A76 road in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Auldgirth village features 'The Auldgirth Inn', 'Auldgirth Stores' and the former Auldgirth Primary School. Originally inhabitants of Auldgirth located to the scheme, situated next to the A76, but in recent years this has...
on the River Nith (9 kilometres south of Thornhill), for some 26 kilometres till it meets the M74 motorway 10 kilometres north of Beattock. South of the Forest you are into the plain that surrounds the town of Dumfries.
Hill passes
There are three passes running in a north easterly direction diagonally through the Lowthers linking the A76 trunk road to the M74 motorway.Dalveen Pass
Dalveen Pass is the most southerly and the longest. It runs from CarronbridgeCarronbridge
Carronbridge is a village in the parish of Morton in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The village is at the junction of the A76 and A702 roads approximately north of Thornhill. To the west of the village the Carron Water flows into the River Nith...
on the A76 just north of Thornhill to Elvanfoot near the M74 and carries the A702 trunk road. The road passes near the village of Durisdeer
Durisdeer
Durisdeer is a small village in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It lies north of Thornhill, above the Carron Water, a tributary of the Nith....
en route and reaches a height of 350 metres at the top of the pass.
Mennock Pass
The Mennock Pass carries the B797 which runs from the small village of Mennock on the A76 to Abington near the M74, passing through the villages of WanlockheadWanlockhead
Wanlockhead is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland nestling in the Lowther Hills one mile south of Leadhills at the head of the Mennock Pass, which forms part of the Southern Uplands...
and Leadhills
Leadhills
Leadhills is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, 5¾ miles WSW of Elvanfoot. Population 835. Originally known as Waterhead, It is the second highest village in Scotland after Wanlockhead, lying 395m above sea-level, near the source of Glengonnar Water, an affluent of the River Clyde...
. The B797 reaches to a height of 467 metres as it leaves Wanlockhead - which is the highest village in Scotland.
Crawick Pass
Crawick Pass is the most northerly of the three passes and carries the B740 from Crawick to Crawfordjohn and on to the M74. The Crawick is the shortest of the three passes without the steep ascents and overarching hills that characterise the other two. It is also the lowest of the three reaching a maximum height of 288 metres.Ancient passes
There was another pass from Durisdeer through to Wanlockhead called the Enterkin Pass which was an old pack horse route through the hills from Dumfries to Glasgow. It has been argued by H.R.G. Inglis (1924) that this route was used mainly for extracting lead to the Solway coast and was never viable as a main route north because of its height. There is no road through there now though there is a track for walkers into the centre of the hills. The Enterkin Pass was the location of a 1684 CovenanterCovenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
ambush of a party of Dragoons during the Killing Time
The Killing Time
thumb|240px|[[Margaret Wilson |Margaret Wilson]], one of the 'Wigtown Martyrs', executed by drowning in the incoming tide of the Solway Firth ....
The Romans built a road through from their fortlet near Durisdeer on a route which takes a more direct route to the head of the pass than is offered by the Dalveen Pass. Inglis calls this route Well Path and he considers this to have been on the main pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
route from Edinburgh to Whithorn
Whithorn
Whithorn is a former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about ten miles south of Wigtown. The town was the location of the first recorded Christian church in Scotland, Candida Casa : the 'White [or 'Shining'] House', built by Saint Ninian about 397.-Eighth and twelfth centuries:A...
and one of the main ancient routes northwards through the Southern Uplands.
Durisdeer and its church
The village of Durisdeer sits at some distance from the A702 nestling tightly into the foot of Durisdeer Hill at the bottom of the pass through the hills that the Romans used. The Duke of BuccleuchDuke of Buccleuch
The title Duke of Buccleuch , formerly also spelt Duke of Buccleugh, was created in the Peerage of Scotland on 20 April 1663 for the Duke of Monmouth, who was the eldest illegitimate son of Charles II of Scotland, England, and Ireland and who had married Anne Scott, 4th Countess of Buccleuch.Anne...
, the largest private landowner in Britain owns much of the land for many miles around this area and has a castle at Drumlanrig
Drumlanrig Castle
Drumlanrig Castle sits on the Queensberry Estate in Scotland's Dumfries and Galloway.The Castle is the Dumfriesshire family home to the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry...
on the west bank of the River Nith some 5 kilometres north of Thornhill. In the church at Durisdeer
Durisdeer
Durisdeer is a small village in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It lies north of Thornhill, above the Carron Water, a tributary of the Nith....
there is a mausoleum to the first Duke of Buccleuch complete with marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
statues of him and his wife Mary dating from 1713 though there has been a church on this site since medieval times.
Source of the Clyde
As you approach Elvanfoot on the A702 you come to what seems like an insignificant farmhouse by the roadside called Glenochar. But there are actually two things of interest close by here. Just to the north, there is Glenochar Bastle and Fermtoun a 17th century settlement and fortified house. The archaeological dig which revealed this was the winner of the 1997 Pitt Rivers Award for amateur Archaeologists. Also, just to the south is the source of the River ClydeRiver Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
which flows north through Lanarkshire and passes through the City of Glasgow. Where the Daer and Potrail Waters meet the River Clyde is born. The Daer Water has its head waters near Queensberry Hill and it flows through Daer Reservoir
Daer Reservoir
Daer Reservoir is a man-made waterbody created by the damming of the Daer Water, a tributary of the River Clyde in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It lies within the Lowther Hills in Dumfries and Galloway. A minor public road leaving the A702 follows the Daer Water south to the dam and then...
before it meets the Potrail. The head waters of the Potrail are on the north east side of Durisdeer Hill.
God's Treasure House in Scotland
Two villages nearly 500 metres up in a desolate hillside in the Southern Uplands of Scotland requires some explanation. However this area became known as "God's Treasure House in Scotland" because of the rich variety of minerals to be found here - especially some of the world's purest gold (22.8 carats) which was used in the manufacture of the Scottish Crown Jewels - dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. The name "Leadhills" testifies to the fact that this was also a lead mining area and there is a leadLead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
museum in Wanlockhead. Leadhills had the oldest subscription library in the UK and was the birth place of the 18th century poet Allan Ramsay
Allan Ramsay (poet)
Allan Ramsay was a Scottish poet , playwright, publisher, librarian and wig-maker.-Life and career:...
whose son, also Allan Ramsay was the leading portrait painter in Britain in the mid 18th century. There is also the Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway.
Hill walking
For the hill walker the Lowther Hills would be taken to mean the string of tops lying between the Dalveen Pass and the Mennock Pass and running south eastward from near Elvanfoot over Lousie Wood Hill (618 Mts), White Law (596 Mts), Dun Law (677 Mts), Dungrain Law (669 Mts), Peden Head, Green Lowther (732 Mts), Lowther Hill (725 Mts), East Mount Lowther (631 Mts), Thirstane Hill (583 Mts) and Steygail (573 Mts) which dominates the steepest part of the Dalveen Pass on its northern side. Green Lowther is the highest hill in the whole Lowther Hills area and like Lowther Hill it has a Civil Aviation Authority aircraft tracking station on top of it. The huge white ball on the top of Lowther Hill can be seen from many miles away in all directions. The Southern Upland WaySouthern Upland Way
Opened in 1984, the Southern Upland Way is a coast to coast walk in Scotland between Portpatrick in the west and Cockburnspath in the east....
passes over the top of Lowther Hill.
The Durisdeer Hills lie to the south east of the Dalveen Pass, they offer views into the Dalveen Pass and to the Lowther Hills beyond and for hill walkers they merge into the Queensberry Hills which lie between them and the Forest of Ae. Mitchellslacks, on the northern edge of the Forest Ae, and which provides access to Queensberry Hill, along with nearby Locherben, were the homes of the Harknesses involved in the Covenanter ambush.
Further reading
- Andrew K.M. and Thrippleton A.A. (1972) The Southern Uplands. The Scottish Mountaineering Trust sbn 901516 57 0
- Turnbull, Ronald (1999) Walking the Lowther Hills. Cicerone Press Cumbria ISBN 1 85284 275 X
- Marsh, Terry (1988) On Foot in Southern Scotland. Devon: A David and Charles Book ISBN 0 7153 0161 8
- Williams, David (1989) A Guide to the Southern Upland Way. London: A Constable Guide ISBN 0 09 467910 X
- Prentice, Tom (1995) 25 Walks - Dumfries and Galloway Edinburgh HMSO ISBN 0 11 495217 5