Exploring the Moffat Area with your Car

A fairly long drive with beautiful scenery and cultural interest

The Highest Village
....... and the Oldest Post Office in Scotland

Moffat to Beattock back

Distance: 75 miles
(suitable for whole-day or half-day)

The Famous Beattock Summit

Leave Moffat towards the A74(M), pass underneath it, and at the next roundabout take the third exit, signposted the Auchen Castle Hotel. This road, the motorway, and the railway (the main Glasgow - London line) stay close together in the narrow valley of the Evan Water, but once over Beattock Summit there is more open countryside. The gradient was once a great obstacle to railway traffic, and W. H. Auden immortalised it in "The Night Mail".

The Highest Bowling Green in the U.K.

Near the village of Crawford, follow signs for Wanlockhead. The B7040 is a pretty road, particularly in early autumn when the heather is blooming. At Leadhills, take the B797 for Wanlockhead, the highest village in Scotland. Well into the 20th century, both of these villages bustled with industry as metals, both precious and base, were extracted. The railway which runs between them is presently being restored and is open in the summer. The history of Wanlockhead can be traced by visiting the mining museum and going underground, or more poignantly by wandering through the village and visiting the graveyard. The bowling green is the highest in the U.K.

The World's Oldest Post Office

The B797 follows the Mennock Water to the junction with the A767. Turn right for Sanquhar, where can be found the world's oldest Post Office, opened in 1738.

Ae Forest

Leave Sanquhar heading towards Dumfries and beyond Thornhill, turn left for Ae, the village with the shortest name in Britain. Through Ae, which was created by the Forestry Commission after the war, continue on the same road until you reach the A701. Turn left and return to Moffat.