This short walk from the centre of Moffat heads up Gallow Hill above the town on a circular route with good views. The hill has recently been purchased by the local community who aim to restore it as broadleaf woodland.
Bog Factor
Paths, tracks and pavements, some muddy patches.
Moffat High Street.
Moffat is served by buses.
NT085052
The walk begins from the High Street in the centre of Moffat, which has a statue of a ram celebrating its history as an important centre in the wool trade. Head up Well Street which turns off next to the clocktower, and has a good range of local independent shops. At the end of the street go straight across up Old Well Road.
This leads uphill, passing the Old Well Theatre. Soon the road narrows to a lane, and then becomes a track. At a junction ignore the signed track to the right ('Heatheryhaugh'), and left ('Moffat Academy'), instead keeping almost straight ahead (slight dog-leg left) up a treelined path towards Gallowhill Wood. From the junction there are good views back over the town.
Continue up the path through the belt of trees, eventually emerging at a seat with a sign pointing back down the hill to Moffat. Turn right here onto a track and then immediately fork left. The track - which has some muddy patches - continues climbing through the trees and then out into the clear-felled ground on the upper slopes of Gallow Hill; turn right at a junction near the woodland edge.
The track now continues across the top of Gallow Hill. The local community has taken ownership of the hill and plans to restore the old broad-leafed woodland that once clothed these upper slopes before they were replaced with conifers. The hill's name derives from the old English word galla, which means barren. Continue right over the top of the hill, which gives open views ahead towards the Devil's Beef Tub.
Keep to the right as a track joins from the left on the descent, and then turn left onto the track that runs right around the upper slopes of the hill. Follow this to the left when a path heads off right; the track keeps curving left to run around the western slopes of Gallow Hill. At the next junction turn right onto a track that leads down and through two kissing gates (crossing another track between them).
The track runs down into broadleaf woodland. Follow it as it curves left, and keep ahead downhill as a main track joins from the left. Soon it becomes a minor road, Harthope Place.
Eventually this curves to the right to meet the main A701 road at a t-junction; turn left along this, soon returning to the High Street at the centre of town. Note the town hall on the right - this was originally the bath house, during Moffat's time as a spa town.
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