#06
Wanlockhead
to
Beattock
As the highest point on the Southern Upland Way from the summit of Lowther Hill you will get spectacular views across Southern Scotland.
You will have seen the golf ball on the top of Lowther Hill as you came in to Wanlockhead the day before and now you will be climbing up to it. The views here start as soon as you leave the village and just get bigger and better the higher you go. When you reach the top the golf ball towers over you. This is the Lowther Hill Radar Station and gives the summit a very different feel to any other on the route. As you start to come down the other side you will be able to see Daer Reservoir, our next destination. The route goes through the Dalveen pass and then into woodland. At the reservoir you will head across the top of the dam and once you start to climb the other side you will get fantastic views back across the water.
Once reaching the top you will go back into forestry which you will be in for most of the rest of the section. About half way through you will come across Brattleburn Bothy where you can stop for the night to break up the route. At the end of the forestry is Earshaig Lochans, a small wildlife site popular with locals. This is where you join the crooked road. A small and windy road that takes you down to Beattock with views across to Moffat the whole way down. Along here you also join the Annandale Way, another long distance route. At the bottom Beattock has a pub to enjoy a good meal and a pint. Or you could go a few miles off route to Moffat where there is a range of shops, pubs and hotels.
As you walk along the road into Beattock you will join the route of the Annandale Way. This is another Scottish Great Trail that follows the route of the River Annan. For more information go to http://annandaleway.org
Yon wild mossy mountains sae lofty and wide,
That nurse in their bosom the youth o' the Clyde,
Where the grouse lead their coveys thro' the heather to feed,
And the shepherd tends his flock as he pipes on his reed.
Robert Burns
| Start | Wanlockhead |
|---|---|
| Finish | Beattock |
| OS Explorer Maps | 329 Lowtherhills, Sanquhar and Leadhills 330 Moffat and St Mary’s Loch |
| Distance | 33km / 20miles |
| Height Range | 100 – 710 metres. Highest point on Lowther Hill. |
| Total Ascent | 990m |
| Information Shelter | Earshaig Ponds NY047026 |
| Supplies | There is a small shop in Beattock, Moffat, 1.5 miles off route has a wide range of shops and eating places. |
| Public Transport | Only available at the start and finish of this section. Wanlockhead has a limited bus service. Beattock has a regular service to Dumfries. |
| Cycling | The first part of this section is very steep but can be done with a mountain bike and some pushing. There are some stiles that bikes will need to be lifted over. |
