Moffat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Moffat
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 Moffat from the surrounding hills |
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 Moffat
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| Population | 2,410 (2020) |
| OS grid reference | NT085052 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MOFFAT |
| Postcode district | DG10 |
| Dialling code | 01683 |
| Police | Dumfries and Galloway |
| Fire | Dumfries and Galloway |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament |
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| Scottish Parliament |
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Moffat (which means "the long plain" in Scottish Gaelic) is a lovely town in Scotland. It's located in the Dumfries and Galloway area, right by the River Annan. About 2,500 people live here. Moffat used to be famous for its wool trade and as a special place where people came for healing waters, known as a spa town.
Moffat is about 95 kilometers southeast of Glasgow and 82 kilometers southwest of Edinburgh. It's also 34 kilometers northeast of Dumfries and 71 kilometers northwest of Carlisle.
The Moffat House Hotel, designed by John Adam, is a grand building. The nearby Star Hotel was once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the narrowest hotel in the world! Moffat even won the "Britain in Bloom" contest in 1996 for its beautiful flowers.
Did you know Moffat is home to the famous Moffat toffee? It's a sweet treat!
The town is also the historic home of Clan Moffat. A place called the Devil's Beef Tub near Moffat was used by Clan Moffat and later Clan Johnstone to hide cattle they had taken during raids.
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Moffat's History as a Spa Town
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Moffat started as a small village but grew into a popular spa town from 1633. People believed the town's special sulphurous and salty waters had healing powers. They thought these waters could help with skin problems, gout, rheumatism, and stomach issues. In 1730, iron springs were also discovered, adding to the town's fame.
During the Victorian era, many people wanted to try the waters. So, the water was piped from the well to a tank in Tank Wood. From there, it went to a special bath house built in the town center, which is now the Moffat Town Hall.
Fancy hotels were built to welcome all the visitors. One very grand hotel, the Moffat Hydropathic hotel, opened in 1878. Sadly, it was destroyed in a fire in 1921.
The old well was fixed up in the 1990s and you can still visit it today. The water smells strongly of sulphur, and you can see deposits on the walls of the well. When it reopened, people were encouraged to drink a glass of the water!
You can reach the well by following Haywood Road and walking up Tank Wood. The path at the end was the original way to the well. Another way is to drive or walk up Well Road until you reach Well Cottage and the car park.
The Meaning Behind Moffat's Name
The name Moffat comes from an old Gaelic word. It's thought to mean "the long plain." This makes sense because Moffat is at the start of the Annandale plain, which stretches far to the south from the hills above the town.
Moffat's Wool Trade History
Moffat was once an important place for trading wool. A statue of a ram in the town's marketplace reminds everyone of this history. The sculptor William Brodie created the ram statue.
A local businessman named William Colvin gave the ram to the town in 1875. Interestingly, the ram's ears have been missing since it was first put there!
Famous People from Moffat
Many interesting people have connections to Moffat:
- Danny Bhoy is a well-known comedian.
- Sir Thomas Bouch was a civil engineer who designed the first Tay Bridge.
- William Carruthers was a famous botanist.
- William Dickson (1751-1823) worked in Barbados and saw how badly enslaved people were treated. He later traveled around Scotland sharing evidence against the slave trade and wrote a book called Mitigation of Slavery.
- Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding was born in Moffat in 1882. He was a very important commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. His former school is now homes for RAF veterans. There's a memorial to him in Station Park.
- James Fraser was a Scottish international footballer.
- Ellen or Helen Hyslop was said to have had a daughter with the famous poet Robert Burns. Their gravestone is in the old cemetery.
- James D. Murray is a mathematical biologist.
- James B Niven was another Scottish international footballer.
- Ivor Robson was the official starter for the Open golf tournament for many years.
- D. E. Stevenson (1892–1973) was an author and a cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson.
Famous Visitors to Moffat
The famous Scottish poet Robert Burns visited Moffat to try the spa waters and enjoy the local pubs.
John Loudon McAdam, a Scottish engineer famous for building roads, passed away in Moffat and is buried here.
In 1935, a significant crime case involved remains found near The Devil's Beef Tub. This case was important because it was one of the first times advanced forensic science was used to solve a crime. The area is sometimes called "Ruxton's Dump."
Samuel Wallace, who received the Victoria Cross for bravery, also died in Moffat.
Tourism and Activities in Moffat
Moffat is a popular place for tourists all year round. Many people come to visit the town or go walking in the nearby hills. The Annandale Arms Hotel and Restaurant is a well-known place to stay and eat.
You can visit the Moffat Toffee Shop for a sweet treat or explore The Edinburgh Woollen Mill. There are also many restaurants and cafes like The Bombay Cuisine, Claudio's, Arietes, The Rumblin' Tum, The Balmoral, and the Buccleuch Arms Hotel.
Moffat has a recreation park with a boating pond. There's also a memorial to Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding here.
There's a Camping and Caravanning Club campsite that's open all year. It's next to the Hammerlands Centre, which has a garden center, gift shop, restaurant, fish farm, and a children's play area with farm animals.
For walkers, there's the Gallow Hill. Moffat is also close to the Southern Upland Way walking route and is the starting point for the Sir Walter Scott Way.
Just northeast of Moffat, you'll find the Grey Mare's Tail waterfall. This amazing waterfall is 60 meters tall and is part of a nature reserve.
International Dark Sky Place
Moffat has been named an International Dark Sky Community. This means it's a great place to see the stars! There's an observatory that the public can book to use their own telescopes or the one installed there.
Education in Moffat
Moffat Academy is the local school, teaching children from nursery to secondary school age. It has over 520 students. The school moved to a new building in 2010.
Sports and Recreation
Moffat has several sports clubs:
- Moffat RFC is the local rugby club, known as "The Rams." They play in the Scottish Rugby Union league.
- Upper Annandale F.C. is Moffat's main football club, playing in the South of Scotland Football League.
- Moffat Golf Club, founded in 1884, has an 18-hole course high on Coats Hill with great views of the town.
The Annandale Way is an 85-kilometer long-distance walking route that opened in 2009. It passes very close to Moffat, so it's easy to visit the town while walking the route.
The nearby Moffat Hills offer many fantastic walking paths, and Moffat is the closest town for exploring these hills.
Getting Around Moffat
Moffat is located near the A74(M) motorway, which runs south and west of the town.
Moffat used to have its own railway station from 1883 to 1964. It was on a short branch line from Beattock railway station. Passenger services stopped in 1954, and freight services ended in 1964. The nearest railway station to Moffat today is in Lockerbie.
Images for kids
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Moffat from the surrounding hills
