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Wanlockhead

People are usually surprised to discover that Scotland’s highest village isn’t in the Highlands, but in the Lowlands. Wanlockhead, in the Lowther Hills, is 1531 feet above sea level, and is a former lead mining village which is right on the Southern Upland Way. It is best approached from the A76, passing through one of the most beautiful and majestic glens in southern Scotland - the Mennock Pass. As you drive up, keep your eyes open for a small cross laid flat into the grass on the north side of the road. It commemorates Kate Anderson, a nurse who was killed here in 1925 when she was returning to Sanquhar after attending a patient. She fell off her bicycle in a snowstorm and broke her neck.

In the middle of Wanlockhead, in what was the village smithy, you’ll find the Museum of Lead Mining, which explains all about the industry, and gives you the opportunity to go down the Lochnell Mine, a former working mine.

The Miners’ Library is situated on a rise above the museum, and was founded in 1756 by 35 men. At the height of its popularity it had 3000 books on its shelves. The Library also houses detailed records of mining operations from 1739 and 1854, and a fascinating photographic collection that includes many pictures of the Leadhills and Wanlockhead Light Railway which had a precarious existence between 1901 and 1938. The Library was originally named after the poet Allan Ramsay who was born in the village around 1685 and whose son, also Allan, was to become one of Scotland’s greatest painters.

Within the village you’ll also find the Beam Engine, which has recently been restored. It used to pump water from one of the mines using, curiously enough, water to power it. Also in the village are the Straitsteps Cottages where you can experience what it was like to live as a miner in the 18th and 19th centuries. One cottage depicts a cottage interior around 1740 and the second around 1890. The artefacts on show, illustrate how the people of Wanlockhead lived, worked and played and the tour guide explains how the miners’ families lived during these two time periods.

The Leadhills and Wanlockhead Light Railway is Britain’s highest adhesion railway, reaching 1498 feet above sea level. It was originally built to take refined lead to Scotland’s central belt, but finally closed in 1938. Now a length of two-feet gauge track has been re-opened between Wanlockhead and its twin village of Leadhills, and trips are available at weekends during the summer.

Lead is not the only metal associated with Wanlockhead. In olden days, Wanlockhead was known as “God’s Treasure House in Scotland” because of the gold found there. In fact, the Scottish crown was refashioned for James V in the 16th century from gold mined here. The largest nugget of gold ever discovered in the UK was found close to Wanlockhead. It weighed all of two pounds, and was the size of a cricket ball. Gold panning is still a popular activity in the local streams, and the UK National Gold Panning Championships are held here every May.