Moffat's Magic Waters
Around an historic spa town and to the woods and hills beyond
Google Maps Open Source Maps| Statistics and Files | ||
|---|---|---|
| Start: Moffat | Distance: 4.1 miles (6.6 km) | Climbing: 160 metres |
| Grid Ref: NT 08351 04886 | Time: 2-3 hours | Rating: Easy |
| GPX Route File | Google Earth File | About Moffat |
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Start: Moffat | Distance: 4.1 miles (6.6 km) |
| Climbing: 160 metres | Grid Ref: NT 08351 04886 |
| Time: 2-3 hours | Rating: Easy |
| GPX Route File | Google Earth File |
Ordnance Survey Explorer Map (1:25,000)
The Walk:
The spa town of Moffat huddles among the smooth hills that typify the scenery of this part of Dumfries and Galloway. Today, Moffat's mineral waters are not for public consumption but in the 18th and 19th centuries the town was a fashionable health resort for the upper and middle classes.
Rachel Whiteford, daughter of the then Bishop of Moffat, discovered Moffat Well, a sulphur spring, in 1633, while the iron bearing waters of Hartfell Spa were discovered in 1748. Those who partook of the 'magic waters' from the springs include Scotland's bard, Robert Burns; David Hume the philosopher; John Holme the playwright; James Boswell, the amanuensis of Doctor Johnson and James McPherson who duped the literary world by passing off his poetry as the work of Ossian, a Celtic mystic.
Robert Burns local in Moffat
View to Moffat from above town
The walk begins at Station Park, one reason why the town has won the 'Best kept village in Scotland' award in the Britain in Bloom competition on numerous occasions. The park is very popular and includes a boating pond. It also contains a memorial to Moffat born Air Marshal Lord Dowding, who directed Fighter Command in the Battle of Britain.
The High Street has a number of attractions, among them the Star Hotel, the narrowest detached hotel in Britain. Beside the hotel is the old graveyard, where John Loudon Macadam, the civil engineer who revolutionised the construction of roads,, is buried. The cemetery is also the resting place of many Covenanting refugees who died for their religious beliefs during the 'killing times' in the 17th century.
Further up the street stands the Ram Statue, a reminder of Moffat's past role as a centre of sheep farming. It was given to the town in 1875 as a watering place for travellers and animals. Local legend has it that sculptor William Brodie committed suicide when he realised that he had made the ram without any ears.
The old sulphurous well building
Observation platform near Moffat Well
Across the road is the Town Hall, formerly the baths and pump room. The building had an assembly hall and reading rooms and was the venue for promenade concerts, art exhibitions and balls. The Grand September Ball was an important event in the district's social calendar. Next door is the splendid Moffat House Hotel, designed by one of the eminent Adam family.
Gallow Hill, a pleasant knoll to the north of Moffat is crowned by a beech wood. As the name suggests, it was once the site of executions. On the Moffat side is Beechgrove, venue of the South of Scotland Lawn Tennis Championships, which predate Wimbledon.
Away to the north west of the town is Gardenholm Linn, a beauty spot where the remains of one of the victims of Dr Robert Ruston, a Lancastrain murderer of the 1930's were found. Golden eagles have been seen in the Moffat Hills in recent years so if you look up and see a large bird then just maybe it is one. The hills ring to the cries of feral goats and the cawing of ravens, and you may see them as you head to Moffat Well.
Acknowledgments: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.
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