Paperback 128 pages 215 x 135 mm 28 black and white illustrations and 34 maps 1998
Cameron & Hollis ISBN 978-0-906-50612-7
Copies available direct from Cameron & Hollis at £7.95 plus postage
The hills of Moffatdale, Ettrick and the Lowthers in southern Scotland offer some of Britain’s finest walking country. The rounded summits and high ridges reward the walker with spectacular views, and the deep valleys of Moffatdale and Upper Annandale are remarkable for their unspoilt beauty.
From the end of the 18th century and into the 1900s, Moffat’s reputation as a spa town attracted increasing numbers of visitors to the area. Travel books of the 19th century held the landscape in such esteem that the hills were even referred to as ‘the Southern Alps’. Latterly, however, relatively few people have walked the Moffat Hills.
Jim Manson, is a resident of Annandale and a retired member of the Moffat Mountain Rescue team. The author’s deep affection for the area and enthusiasm for hill-walking are palpable in a text enlivened by fascinating snippets of local history. The landscape around Moffat has seen a great deal of action over the centuries, not least when it was a focus for the activities of border reivers and dragoons hunting down Covenanters, and for the more mysterious appearances of the Brownie of Bodesbeck.
The 33 walks described in the book are all provided with distances and the lengths of time they take, together with specially drawn maps and precise Ordnance Survey grid references. The text, illustrated by photographs that capture some of the extraordinary qualities of the landscape, is arranged month by month: the pleasures to be gained from setting out for walks in the Moffat Hills and the Lowthers can be enjoyed all year round. Pick up this book and in no time you will be donning walking boots to explore one of the best-kept secrets for the discerning walker north of the border.