Why not take advantage of the summer season to discover some of the finest corners of Scotland? It’s not too hot there and that’s no small advantage though La belle Alba is worth visiting at any time.
Why “St Mary’s Loch”, you may ask… now I will tell you.
Our Scottish photo albums are full of wonderful pictures of Scotland and, this morning, I decided to pick a photo at random to see where it would take us. I came across a breathtaking view of St Mary’s Loch…
St Mary’s Loch Scottish Borders © 2007 Scotiana
The swan on still St. Mary’s Lake
Float double, swan and shadow!
(William Wordsworth – Yarrow Poems)
At once many wonderful memories came back to me as if by magic. I even could feel the fresh and windy atmosphere of the place… It was then that I decided to introduce a new series of posts on Scotiana, focusing on the most beautiful and interesting corners of Scotland.
St Mary’s Loch is the largest natural loch in The Scottish Borders, and is situated on the A708 road between Selkirk and Moffat, about 45 miles south of Edinburgh
We went there on August 26 2007…
But now let us begin our visit of this enchanting place…
St Mary’s Loch : a hidden gem nestled in the heart of the Scottish Borders
St Mary’s Loch in the Scottish Borders © 2007 Scotiana
By lone St. Mary’s silent lake:
Thou know’st it well,—nor fen nor sedge
Pollute the pure lake’s crystal edge;
Abrupt and sheer, the mountains sink
At once upon the level brink;
And just a trace of silver sand
Marks where the water meets the land.
Far in the mirror, bright and blue,
Each hill’s huge outline you may view;
Shaggy with heath, but lonely bare,
Nor tree, nor bush, nor brake, is there,
Save where, of land, yon slender line
Bears thwart the lake the scatter’d pine.
Yet even this nakedness has power,
And aids the feeling of the hour:
(Extract from ‘Marmion’, Canto II by Sir Walter Scott)
No sooner have you arrived on the the wildflower-covered shore of St Mary’s Loch than you fall under the spell of this enchanting place. The scenery is truly breathtaking with the quiet waters of the loch reflecting the changing skies and the lovely green hills around.
Look out for the many information panels scattered around the area and you’ll know almost everything there is to know here, about fauna and flora, the history of the place and the people who lived there including James Hogg, the genius of the place, whose all-white statue stands not far away under the trees. You’ll also learn about the famous Tibbie Shiel’s Inn, the mythical place where James Hogg and Sir Walter Scott used to meet under the eyes of Tibbie, the matriarchal landlady of the place…
St_Mary’s_and_The_Loch_of_the_Lowes_-_geograph.org.uk_-_744042
Around 10,000 years ago when the last of the ice sheets which covered Scotland retreated northwards to the North Pole as the climate warmed up, the view from here would have been very different.
…you would not have been able to see the loch for the trees – oak, Scots pine, rowan, hazel – and you might not have wanted to linger anyway as there would have been bears and wild boar around !
St Mary’s Loch map © 2007 Scotiana
A paradise for nature lovers and outdoor adventurers
Harrow Water Scottish Borders © 2007 Scotiana
A great number of hiking trails allow you to explore the area, tour the lakes and discover all the treasures of the region. Such is the “Ring of St Mary’s Loch” perfectly described on walkhighlands.
“Set in a remote location half way along the Selkirk to Moffat road, St Mary’s Loch ranks amongst the most attractive lochs in the Borders. Recently opened paths enable walkers to make a complete circuit of the loch with only short sections on the road – a fine walk. The route as described here includes a couple of detours to visit an old kirkyard and a ruined tower house – these could be omitted if required to reduce the length of the walk by 2.5km or so.”
“A mixed stage with farmland, high moorland and big forests. The route now takes a high level option in the first half although a lower alternative on easier forest tracks can be followed if preferred or in poor weather. 8km of road walking along the Ettrick valley has pleasant views and is followed by a dramatic hill section at Ettrick Head to finish at lovely St Mary’s Loch.”
Southern Upland Way 7: Beattock to St Mary’s Loch
A source of inspiration for artists, poets and writers
St Mary’s Loch James Hogg monument © 2007 Scotiana
“The A708 that heads north-east from Moffat through the Ettrick Forest to Selkirk is less well known that it ought to be given the beautiful countryside through which it passes. The highlight of the journey is the Loch of the Lowes and, just beyond it, St Mary’s Loch.
On the hillside to the west of the road overlooking the narrow piece of land that separates the two lochs stands the imposing James Hogg Monument. It is possible to park near the head of Loch of the Lowes and walk up the fairly gentle climb that leads to the monument, and to the nearby arc of stone walling that has information boards about the area, about the monument, and about James Hogg.
The monument itself is a startling white – possibly white-painted stone – and depicts a larger than life James Hogg sitting atop a tall pedestal. It was unveiled on 28 June 1860 in front of a crowd of 2000 people who had gathered for the event.
The statue is gazing out over a landscape he knew and loved in life, a landscape which includes, on the land separating the lochs, Tibbie Shiel’s Inn. This was an inn which Hogg and his friend Sir Walter Scott both knew well in the days when it was run in person by its redoubtable landlady, Tibbie Shiel.”
St Mary’s Loch James Hogg information board © 2007 Scotiana
- James Hogg : the “Ettrick Shepherd” (1770-1835)
“The statue you see opposite is of James Hogg born in 1770 at Ettrickhill, a farm which lies in the Ettrick Valley, 4 miles to the south of here. He was the son of a poor sheep farmer whose farm failed, so young James had to go to the herding when he was only 7. At the age of 15 he went to shepherd at Blackhouse and Hogg began to read voraciously and had a great knowledge of Border Tales and ballads taught to him by his mother.
In 1801 Sir Walter Scott visited Blackhouse where he met Hogg and so began a life long friendship between the two.
Hogg was a romantic poet of some repute and his work was highly regarded by his friends, including Sir Walter Scott and Thomas Carlyle. Scott greatly assisted Hogg by introducing him to publishers and Edinburgh High Society. However, the Ettrick Shepherd never sought to be anything else but a shepherd. He was unable to adapt himsef to polite society, nor did he try very hard.”
(From the above information board)
- Walter Scott
- William Wordsworth
Literary evenings at Tibbie Shiel’s inn
Tibbie Shiel was the landowner of the Inn at the time when Walter Scott and James Hogg used to meet there…
“Tibbie Shiels kept a lively inn, but she was devoutly religious : guests were expected to attend the family service on Sunday after partying on Saturday night. Two of her sons emigrated to Canada, and she gave both of them a Bible with a ribbon from her wedding bonnet as a bookmark. When the sons got marrie , their brides wore the ribbons at their own weddings. One of the ribbons has been brought back to Scotland, and is still worn at family weddings today.” 😉
I stumbled across a very interesting page from a recent thesis describing the evenings that took place at the Inn, in the days of James Hogg and Sir Walter Scott, when it was owned by Tibbie Shiel :
« The inn attracted a wide range of travellers who were intrigued by the inn’s interior design and room layouts.
The foremost of these guests were writers such as her long-time friend, James Hogg, commonly known by his nickname, the ‘Ettrick Shepherd’. Hogg regularly visited Tibbie Shiel’s home to find inspiration for his creative writing and was often seen smoking a pipe
or playing the fiddle in the living room for guests. It was through her friendship with Hogg that more writers began to visit.This was a result of Hogg’s association with a writing circle since 1820, that included Professor John Wilson and John Gibson Lockhart (1794-1854), Walter Scott’s son-in-law and Scott’s future biographer. These three men wrote their first publication, The Chaldee Manuscript, in the Edinburgh Monthly Magazine, or Blackwood’s Magazine, as it would later be named, and went on to become successful.
William Maginn (1794-1842) and Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859) later joined the group, and in 1822 the five intellectuals compiled a new section in Blackwood’s Magazine called the Noctes Ambrosianae, or “Nights at Ambrose’s”, that continued until 1834. This was the literary source where Hogg’s nickname originated and is important because the atmosphere of Tibbie Shiel’s rustic cottage was mythologised (…) »
(Extract from Andrew Patrick Northey’s thesis “This Cozy Biel O’ Tibbie Shiel”, Guelph University – Ontario – 2023)
Historic Heritage
- Dryhope Tower : an impressive structure, a fine example of a fortified tower house from the 1500s – Inside a metal stair gives access to the roof to take in the views
Dryhope Tower Scottish Borders – Tom Parnell – Wikimedia Commons
To know more about the place, see my post “Discovering the Scottish Borders: “Peel towers””…
- St Mary’s kirkyard : with our habit of visiting old churchyards in search of mossy graves covered in mysterious death symbols, we decided to pay a visit to the ghosts of St Mary’s old kirkyard. We had read the information panel before going there and it was well worth the climb. The panoramic view from the top is magnificent and the atmosphere, as masterfully captured by Mark Nicol in his very beautiful video, was great.
Nothing remains of the very ancient chapel built in 1200. It is said that William Wallace was proclaimed Guardian of Scotland here… does this great Scottish hero haunt the place? Maybe he does … it’s such a spellbinding place … once you’ve seen it, you’ll never forget it.
We can read on one of the information boards that in the 1600s Scottish Covenanters resisted the new English Book of Common Prayer. Local people held services in the open air, with lookouts keeping watch for government troops. Outdoor services, called ‘blanket preachings’, are still held at St Mary’s churchyard.
St Mary’s Loch view from the Kirkyard © 2007 Scotiana
A Place of Peace, Mystery, and Monumental History
Tucked away in the heart of the Southern Uplands lies St. Mary’s Loch — a place of serene beauty and ancient echoes. It may not be one of Scotland’s biggest lochs, nor the most famous, but in terms of atmosphere and historical weight, it may well be one of the most significant.
Surrounded by rolling hills, mirror-like water, and whispers of a forgotten past, St. Mary’s is more than just a scenic stop — it may very well be the soul of the Scottish Borders.
On the loch’s shore lies the hauntingly beautiful St. Mary’s Kirkyard — a burial ground so old that many of its gravestones are now just eroded stumps, their inscriptions lost to time. But one lone stone remains legible — dated 1516— a stark reminder of just how deep the roots of this place go.
With its quiet dignity and backdrop of hills and water, it’s surely one of the most picturesque graveyards in all of Scotland. And perhaps… one of the most important.
(Mark Nicol – St. Mary’s Loch: The Soul of the Scottish Borders)
I’ve just discovered a GREAT video about St Mary’s Loch. It was created by the charismatic author Mark Nicol, a fan of Scotland and more particularly of the Scottish borders. Historian – Filmmaker – Blogger –
Guided Tours – Group Speaker
Mark’s journey began with a simple love for exploring local sites and sharing video diaries with a bit of fun and personality. As interest grew, so did the mission. When the Borders Railway was nearing completion, Mark created a video series tailored to visitors arriving in Galashiels and Tweedbank, highlighting local walks, landmarks, and hidden gems. These videos quickly resonated with viewers around the world — from the USA to Australia — many with ancestral ties to the Borders.
His fabulous website reflects not only his passion for Scotland, but also his in-depth knowledge of the country. I hope that one day we’ll have the opportunity to meet him and follow him as a guide on one of his tours.
Thank you so much Mark for this virtual journey that has us dreaming of our next trip to Scotland and rediscovering the Scottish Borders with fresh eyes.
Dear readers, I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour of St Mary’s Loch, a place we loved very much when we visited it in 2007 and which we’d be happy to revisit on our next trip. It’s a mythical place that makes you want to rediscover James Hogg, its iconic writer and close friend of Sir Walter Scott.
Á bientôt.
Mairiuna.
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