Lord Dowding is probably Moffat’s most famous son as, during the Second World War, he led RAF Fighter Command in its defeat of the Luftwaffe, saving the UK from a Nazi invasion. Wartime prime minister Winston Churchill dubbed him the ‘architect of deliverance’. Dowding was born in Moffat at St Ninian’s Preparatory School. He was […]

The Devil’s Beef Tub is a dramatic, 150 metre deep, hollow, about 5 miles north of Moffat on the A701. It is formed by four hills: Great Hill, Peat Knowe, Annanhead Hill and Ericstane Hill, and is one of the two main sources of the River Annan. The Beef Tub was used by the Border […]

When you’re in Well Street, in Moffat, don’t forget to pay your respects to King Robert the Bruce. Robert I, born in 1274, was King of Scots from 1306. He led Scotland against England during the First War of Scottish Independence and successfully fought for Scotland to be an independent kingdom. The statue above Well […]

Corehead is about four and a half miles north of Moffat town centre, at the ground level entrance to the Devil’s Beef Tub. Here lived William Wallace’s sister, who was married to Thom Halliday, the Laird of Corehead. And here, in 1297, The Wallace reputedly gathered men from the Ettrick Forest and the Border Families, […]

My Great, Great grandfather John Brown, was the “Dominie” in Tweedsmuir for 41 years until 1895 when he died. His grave is in Tweedsmuir kirkyard. He was born in Peebles, in Kerfield in 1825, where his father was assistant gardener, the oldest of 10 children. He was possibly the teacher at Stobo before Tweedsmuir, but […]

Borders Forest Trust’s 2025/26 planting season is now underway! Borders Forest Trust is aiming to plant another 20,000 trees in the next planting season – including 15,000 funded by Destination Tweed – and they need your help! Come prepared with sturdy footwear and clothing suitable for the great outdoors and changing weather. 🚌 The Wild […]