Lowther Hills facts for kids
The Lowther Hills, also called the Lowthers, are a large area of hills in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. They are shaped a bit like a diamond on a map. Two big river valleys are on their edges: Clydesdale to the northeast and Nithsdale to the southwest. These valleys have major roads that go north into central Scotland. Many small towns have grown along these routes over time. Most of the Lowther Hills are in Dumfries and Galloway. A small part, around the villages of Leadhills and the Daer Reservoir, is in South Lanarkshire.
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What Does Lowther Mean?
The name Lowther is a bit of a mystery. Some people think it comes from an old Irish word, lothur. This word means "a canal" or "a trench," which in this case could mean "a pass between hills."
Where Are the Lowther Hills?
The Lowther Hills stretch about 30 kilometers from Sanquhar in the west to Beattock and Moffat in the east. They are also about 28 kilometers from Thornhill in the south to Abington in the north. Sanquhar and Thornhill are on the River Nith. Moffat is on the River Annan, and Abington is on the River Clyde.
The areas of Annandale and Clydesdale create a path between the Lowther Hills and the Moffat Hills to the east. This path is important because it holds the main railway line (West Coast Main Line) and the M74 motorway that go north into Scotland. To the west of the Lowthers, Nithsdale has the A76 road and a railway line from Dumfries to Kilmarnock. The Carsphairn and Scaur Hills are the next hills west of the River Nith.
The northwest edge of the hills follows the Crawick Water, which flows into the River Nith. This edge also follows the B740 road through Crawfordjohn. North of this road, the hills slowly become the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Tinto is a single hill about 11 kilometers north of Abington.
The southeast edge of the hills is the Forest of Ae. This is one of Britain's largest forests, covering 10,000 hectares. A long line of trees runs from Auldgirth on the River Nith (9 kilometers south of Thornhill) for about 26 kilometers. It ends near the M74 motorway, 10 kilometers north of Beattock. South of the Forest of Ae, the land flattens out around the town of Dumfries.
Hill Passes: Paths Through the Hills
There are three main road passes that cut through the Lowther Hills. They connect the A76 road to the M74 motorway. There are also several older paths, called 'ancient passes', that walkers can still use.
Dalveen Pass
The Dalveen Pass is the longest and most southerly pass in the Lowther Hills. It runs from Carronbridge on the A76 road to Elvanfoot near the M74. The A702 road goes through this pass. It passes near the village of Durisdeer and reaches a height of 350 meters. This pass was shaped by ice, making it a U-shaped valley.
Mennock Pass
The Mennock Pass carries the B797 road. It goes from the small village of Mennock on the A76 to Abington near the M74. This road goes through Wanlockhead and Leadhills. The B797 reaches 467 meters high as it leaves Wanlockhead. Wanlockhead is the highest village in Scotland!
Crawick Pass
The Crawick Pass is the most northern of the three passes. It carries the B740 road from Crawick to Crawfordjohn and then to the M74. This pass is the shortest and does not have the steep climbs or huge hills of the other two. It is also the lowest, reaching a maximum height of 288 meters.
Ancient Passes and Roman Roads
One old path from Durisdeer to Wanlockhead is called the Enterkin Pass. This was once a route for pack horses carrying goods through the hills. People think it was mainly used to take lead to the coast. Today, it's a track for walkers. The Enterkin Pass was also the site of a famous event in 1684. During a time known as the Killing Time, a group of Covenanters (a religious group) ambushed soldiers here.
The Romans also built a road through the hills from their small fort near Durisdeer. This road, called Well Path, was a more direct way to the top of the pass than the Dalveen Pass. It was likely a main route for pilgrims traveling from Edinburgh to Whithorn.
The Lowther Hills are made of strong rocks that were pushed and folded a long time ago when mountains were formed. The Dalveen Pass and the Enterkin Pass have many large landslides on their sides. These passes were also shaped by glaciers, which are like giant rivers of ice.
Durisdeer Village and Church
The village of Durisdeer is a bit away from the A702 road. It sits close to the foot of Durisdeer Hill, at the start of the old Roman pass. The Duke of Buccleuch, who owns a lot of land in Britain, owns much of the land around here. He has a castle called Drumlanrig about 5 kilometers north of Thornhill. In the church at Durisdeer, there is a special tomb for the first Duke of Buccleuch and his wife. It has beautiful marble statues from 1713. There has been a church on this spot since medieval times.
Source of the River Clyde
Near Elvanfoot on the A702, you'll find Glenochar farmhouse. Just north of it is Glenochar Bastle and Fermtoun. This was a fortified house and settlement from the 1600s. An archaeological dig here won an award in 1997!
Also nearby is the source of the River Clyde. This important river flows north through Lanarkshire and passes through the big city of Glasgow. The River Clyde starts where the Daer Water and Potrail Water meet. The Daer Water begins near Queensberry and flows through the Daer Reservoir. The Potrail Water starts on the northeast side of Durisdeer Hill.
"God's Treasure House in Scotland"
It might seem strange to find two villages almost 500 meters high in the hills of Scotland. But this area is famous for its many different minerals, especially gold! Because of this, it was known as "God's Treasure House in Scotland."
The gold found here was some of the purest in the world (22.8 carats). This gold was used to make the Scottish Crown Jewels, which date back to the 1400s and 1500s. The name "Leadhills" shows that this area was mainly known for lead mining. You can visit a lead mining museum in nearby Wanlockhead.
Leadhills also has the oldest library in the UK that people paid to join, started by miners in 1741! It was the birthplace of the poet Allan Ramsay in the 1700s. His son, also named Allan Ramsay, became a famous portrait painter. The Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway is an old narrow-gauge railway line that has been preserved.
Hillwalking Adventures
The Lowther Hills can be thought of as two parts: a northern and a southern section.
The northern part includes hills like Lousie Wood Law, White Law, Dun Law, Dungrain Law, Peden Head, Green Lowther, Lowther Hill, East Mount Lowther, Thirstane Hill, and Steygail. Green Lowther is the highest point in the Lowther Hills. Both Green Lowther and Lowther Hill have aircraft tracking stations on their tops. The huge white 'golf ball' on top of Lowther Hill can be seen from many miles away! The Southern Upland Way, a long-distance walking path, goes right over Lowther Hill, which is the highest point on the entire route.
The southern part of the Lowthers has lower but wider hills. These are between the Dalveen Pass and the Forest of Ae. The highest point here is Queensberry. Places like Mitchellslacks and Locherben, on the edge of the Forest of Ae, offer great views of the northern Lowthers, Nithsdale, and Annandale.
Snowsports Fun
The Lowther Hills are one of the places where Scottish winter sports began. People have been Curling in the Lowthers since 1777! The Wanlockhead Curling Society was one of Scotland's first curling clubs. Scotland's first curling club for boys started in Wanlockhead in 1883. Curling was very popular here until the 1930s.
Since the 1920s, people have been organizing skiing in the Lowther Hills. Lowther Hill is home to the only ski area in southern Scotland. It's also Scotland's only ski center owned by the community! The Lowther Hills Ski Club runs three ski lifts above Leadhills and Wanlockhead. These lifts are great for beginners and intermediate skiers.
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