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The Annandale Way

The Annandale Way runs from the top of the valley at Annandale Head in the hills north of the town of Moffat to the mouth of the River Annan and the Solway Firth.

Annandale Head is the start of the route but it lies away from roads so the first day of the Annandale Way is a loop north from Moffat, climbing from the banks of the River Annan to heather moorland and rolling hills with the dramatic deep scoop of the Devil's Beef Tub prominent before descending back to the town. From Moffat the route makes its way south through farmland, forest and moorland, passing under the M74 motorway and over the West Coast rail line.

Stage descriptions Length Time Done
Devil's Beef Tub circuit from Moffat 22.5km 5-6 hours
Moffat to St Ann's 13km 3.5 - 4 hours
St Ann's to Lochmaben 17km 4-4.5 hours
Lochmaben to Hoddom Castle 21.5km 4½-5½ hours
Hoddom Castle to the Solway Firth 16.25km 4-4½ hours
Alternative Lockerbie branch:
St Ann's to Lockerbie 20.75km 4½-5½ hours
Lockerbie to Hoddom Castle 12.5km 3½-4 hours

At Corncockle Plantation a decision has to be made as the route splits here, the eastern arm staying in the heart of the valley and passing close to the town of Lockerbie, the western arm passing through the little town of Lochmaben and then venturing up onto the hills edging the valley. The two routes come together again at another wood, Sorrysike Moor, from where the Annandale Way heads to the coast mostly along the banks of the River Annan, passing Hoddom Castle and going through the town of Annan before reaching the Solway Firth.

The mix of terrain makes this a wonderful walk for natural history, especially flowers, trees and birds. There are some magnificent woods and a wide variety of birds - moorland, woodland, field, river and coast. It's well worth carrying a pair of binoculars. There is much history along the way too, from standing stones, hill forts and pele towers to castles and mansions.

THE CHALLENGE

The Annandale Way utilises a mix of footpaths, country roads and forest and farm tracks with some cross-country sections. It is mostly a low-level route, though the first stage and the section up to Joe Graham's Monument are more challenging.

The route is mostly clearly waymarked, apart from at a couple of points highlighted in the text; the waymarks may be attached to fence posts, gates, trees or boulders. If you don't see one scan the area - some are not obvious at a glance. There are many gates en route, mostly metal ones with levers or large latches. These stand out from the usual farm gates tied up with twine and can be spotted across a field before you see a waymark.

ROUTE PHOTO GALLERY

Click to open our photo gallery

ACCOMMODATION AND SERVICES ALONG THE WAY

There are shops, hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation in Moffat, Lochmaben, Lockerbie and Annan.

The other stages can be more problematic. There is a campsite at Castle Hoddom (as well as at Moffat, Lochmaben and Annan), but if not camping it is recommended to ask your accommodation provider if they will pick you up and drop you off at the end points of the other stages, unless planning on long walks to head right through from Moffat to Lochmaben or Lockerbie, and from the latter towns to Annan.

BOOKS AND MAPS

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Moffat has a bus link from Lockerbie, which has a rail station. Annan also has both rail and bus links.

For the other stages, it is possible to catch a bus to the end of stage 2 / start of stage 3 on the A701 north of St Ann's - the service links Dumfries and Moffat.

There is no bus to Hoddom Castle - the nearest public transport here is a local bus from Lockerbie to Hoddom Cross.

Timetables for all the routes can be found on Traveline Scotland.

Users' walk reports for the Annandale Way

There are 102 Walkhighlanders who have completed the Annandale Way. To record if you have completed the route, you must register and be logged in. Our users have contributed 10 public walk reports for the route. These are ordered below with the most popular ones first.

Title AuthorDate walked Likes
Annandale way in a day  Lara Smith 22/05/2017  4
Annandale Way: Part 1 - The Drenching.  nxmjm 13/06/2010  3
Annandale Way South to North  JamesDunion 14/05/2019  2
Moffat to St Ann’s: The Drenching part 2  nxmjm 04/07/2010  2
Last Section of Annandale Way.  muraistrick 03/04/2016  1
Castles, carvings and cloudless skies: Annandale Way Part 4  nxmjm 15/08/2010  1
Annandale Way: The final section  nxmjm 05/09/2010  1
St Anns to Lochmaben: Annandale way Section 3  nxmjm 08/08/2010  1
The Crooked Road and Rowan Tree  nxmjm 22/08/2010  1
annandale way  rabnud 22/10/2017  0

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Walking can be dangerous and all walkers must take personal responsibility for their own safety. You should always carry a backup means of navigation and not rely on a single phone, app or map. Walkhighlands strives to provide accurate information but cannot accept responsibility for changes, errors or omissions.