Moffatdale - Part One
Scotland’s Glen’s are world famous and it’s easy to reel off the big hitters - Glencoe, Glen Affric, Glen Feshie, Glen Lyon, Glenmore, The Great Glen and Glen Nevis are all stunning Highland landscapes. We do not have the same vast, semi wildernesses in the South and I am not going to make the case that anything in Scotland can match the drama of the Highlands. However, the valley of the Moffat Water (known as Moffatdale - the Old English derivation confirms we aren’t in the Gaelic speaking Highlands here) is highly dramatic and well worth a bit of an examination.
The valley starts it’s 18km length at remote Birkhill, which also marks the boundary between Selkirkshire and Dumfriesshire, or The Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway as I suppose we must now call the regions. The road hugs the southern flanks of the Glen as, to the right, the topography dramatically drops away. This is glacial country, waterfalls tumble down from hanging valleys and over steep slopes. The first falls of significance are Raking Gill, which has carved a wide Cleuch in the Ettrick Hills to the south east. As an aside, what a word Cleuch is - one you’ll only hear in the South of Scotland. Even more spectacular is Dob’s Linn across the valley which is hidden from the road and also hides a geological secret several hundred million years in the making. The Linn (Scots word for waterfall) is surrounded by shale containing thousands of Graptolite fossils, an afternoons raking among the rock will give you the chance to find a fossil of your own - but leave them be would be my advice, future generations should visit this place and discover their wonder. Geology doesn’t come easy to me - I think it’s the scale of time that I struggle with, but it’s pretty clear that this hidden wee valley is internationally important - it’s the GSSP or internationally agreed starting point for the Silurian Period - over 400 million years ago. After a poke around the fossils and a layman’s examination of the excavated rock you will be in no doubt of the awesome age of the ground under our feet and have fresh perspective our own insignificant time on the planet. Much of the heavy lifting to recognise the importance of Dob’s Linn to geology was done by the brilliant Charles Lapworth. A native of Oxfordshire, he was a headteacher at Galashiels between 1864 and 1875 where his former school is now the Social Work offices on Church Street and his time there is marked with a plaque. His study of the Graptolites at Dob’s Linn helped bring clarity to this awesome subject and he is now regarded as one of Britain’s finest geologists. He actually based himself at Birkhill cottage for a number of years while he studied the fossils and his time there is also marked with a plaque, erected in 1931, a decade after his death. A scientific giant, we should be proud of our links to Lapworth and his pioneering work to help understand the world under our feet.
Back in the main valley, and as the modern road drops it’s possible to just make out it’s predecessor on the hillside to your left hand side, at one time this would have conveyed travellers towards Moffat. The current road (A708) eventually meanders its way down to the valley floor and crosses the Moffat Water on a small bridge still painted in the black and white chess board patterns which once were the only concession to road safety in these parts. Thoughts of antiquated road markings are soon forgotten as the great hanging valley of Grey Mares Tail suddenly opens up to delight and terrify the traveller. The falls are among the highest in the UK and are, arguably, the most picturesque spot in the South of Scotland.
The waterfall and surrounding land is in the care of the National Trust for Scotland (last year was the 60th anniversary of their stewardship) and you can park in their car park for a small fee. It is a great place for wildlife spotting - Peregrine Falcons, the fastest creatures on earth, are a star turn and Golden Eagles have been spotted here in recent years. The area is also home to a colony of feral goats, which you are likely to smell before you see. The headline act however is the Tail itself, and you can get great views by climbing the steep but well made path to the right of the falls. On the left hand side a path takes you closer in, but not too close. This path used to go right to the base of the falls but the story is that it was deliberately destroyed due to the number of call outs being received by the Moffat Mountain Rescue team, as adventurous souls tried to get a little too acquainted with the Tail. Thank god it’s destruction pre-dated Instagram… The precipitous slopes around the waterfall are dangerous, there have been numerous incidents including fatalities, so mind how you go and stick to the path. A walk to the top of the falls brings you eventually to more glacial goodies, including Loch Skeen, the Southern Uplands highest Loch at 510m. This loch is home to a very rare fish - the Vendace. This herring like species dates to the last ice age and was extinct in Scotland before being reintroduced from a failing Lake District population in the 1990’s. It is now thriving and is an example of the sort of conservation project bodies like the National Trust undertake, and arguably need to do more of. The loch is littered with glacial erratics (boulders) and the rumour is that some are piled so high that it is possible to stand up in the middle of this upland loch. Whether that is true or not I will never be able to confirm as my swimming activities are limited to the Baths at Peebles!
Loch Skeen
Beyond the Loch are some of the highest hills in Southern Scotland, including White Coomb which, at 821m, is a Corbett and the highest point of Dumfriessshire. A round of these hills from the base of Grey Mares Tail will be an enjoyable days walking for anyone who loves wild places. The hills also include the hidden gem of Midlaw Linn. This is a steep sided ravine which, by virtue of being fenced off presumably to save sheep and goats from a messy death, is full of alpine style plants that are otherwise gobbled up in these uplands. A rare and precious place which I thoroughly recommend as a scrambling opportunity for those who enjoy using their hands on a hill walk, it’s a place that will make even middle aged dads feel a bit like a mountain adventurer for an hour or so.
Heading back down the path from Grey Mares Tail attention will be drawn to the imposing bulk of hillside in front of you. These are the slopes leading up to Ettrick and the Selkirkshire region. I’ll cover those remote hills at a later date - although it’s no spoiler to say they are not as dramatic as their Moffatdale neighbours. Moving down the valley you will also notice the swathes of commercial forestry on both sides, much of which has recently been felled, giving the unfortunate scorched earth look which is an unsightly but essential part of forestry. Woodland management of a very different kind will be our next port of call, but I’ll save that for Part 2.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it, please feel free to share with friends. This valley is special and in part 2 we will discover Carrifran Wildwood, Hart Fell and it’s ridges, a Himalayan garden and an encounter with old friend of the blog - The Southern Upland Way.
