Book data

Annandale Way
Jacquetta Megarry   Roger Turnbull  
29 September 2023
UK price £15.99
72pp, 130 x 220mm, 180g
978-1-913817-16-9

Annandale Way

(2nd ed)

£15.99

Jacquetta Megarry Roger Turnbull

In stock

“The perfect companion for anyone wanting a modern, honest guide to making the most of the experience.” - Stephen Jardine, broadcaster

The Annandale Way is one of Scotland’s Great Trails – a charming long walk in a little-known, but very accessible, part of southern Scotland. Walked southward from source to the sea, it starts in the sheep town of Moffat, and runs for 56 miles (90 km) via Lochmaben, with superb views from the top of Almagill Hill. A slightly shorter branch of the route goes via Lockerbie and Eskrigg Nature Reserve. The two branches rejoin north of Annan to reach the tidal expanses of the Solway Firth at Newbiebarns.

The second edition contains several important route updates, four extra pages and many fresh photos, yet it is 20 grams lighter and more pocketable than the first.

Features

This guidebook contains everything you need to plan and enjoy your trip:

  • detailed route description for walking from north to south
  • concise directions for those who prefer to walk south to north
  • foreword by broadcaster Stephen Jardine
  • background on the history and economy of Annandale
  • seven pages about wildlife with superb images
  • planning information for transport and accommodation
  • nine pages of detailed mapping of the route at 1:44,000
  • summary of each section showing distance, terrain and food/drink stops
  • lavishly illustrated, with over 110 colour photos
  • rucksack-friendly format, printed on rainproof paper.
Look inside

Click on the thumbnails below to view sample pages from the book "Annandale Way" in standard PDF format.
To reduce loading time, resolution is limited in these extracts, but all photographs are printed at top quality in our books. All text and images are copyrighted ©Rucksack Readers and licensors: please respect our intellectual property.

Contents
From Part 1 (pp4-9)
Habitats and wildlife (pp19-25)
Lochmaben to Hoddom Castle (pp43-48)
Gallery

Click thumbnail to enlarge.

Reviews

From a review by Undiscovered Scotland

The first third or so of the book comprises beautifully illustrated introductory sections in full colour about the walk itself, covering topics such as access, waymarking, accommodation and packing. There are then sections on farming, forestry and energy; on history; and on habitats and wildlife.
Most of the rest of the guide breaks the Annandale Way into a series of route sections, and for each gives detailed route instructions, nice photographs, and excellent full-page maps.
The result is everything you could possibly need in one handily-sized guide that fits perfectly, as the name suggests, into your rucksack. This is an essential book for anyone considering walking the Annandale Way: or for anyone who fancies tackling a walk that not all of their friends will already have done.

For the full review, see https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usreviews/books/rucksackannandale.html

Comment on YouTube

I have just received this guidebook in the post today, ordered as soon as we watched this video … What an absolutely brilliant guidebook it is! There is so much detail provided and it really will help. Brings all the information you could want together in one very handy package.

O.B. Outdoors

From Ranger Ross Gemmell, Dumfries & Galloway Council

It is very well produced and extremely detailed and will bring the attractions of the Annandale Way to a much wider audience.

As quoted in the Annandale Herald & Moffat News of 11 May 2017, covering the launch

From a review in Outdoor Focus magazine

The Southern Uplands never really get the credit they deserve. By-passed by most hillgoers blindly speeding north on the A74 (M) to the greater heights of the Western Highlands, they are too often overlooked and ignored.

But to those who know them, the hills of Dumfries and Galloway have some of the most beautiful and unspoilt landscapes in the Scotland. And the walker can enjoy a rare solitude in them which has been lost on the greater and more popular heights further north.

The Annandale Way is an exciting new 56-mile long distance walking routewhich follows the course of the RiverAnnan from source to sea. It links Moffat with Annan on the Solway Firth, taking in such scenic highlights as the Devil’s Beef Tub, where Border reivers once hid their stolen cattle, and the castles at Lochmaben and Hoddom and Spedlin’s Tower house.

Turnbull and Megarry’s guide, beautifully illustrated by photographer Lynne Kirton, lives up to Rucksack Readers’ usual high standards. The detailed route mapping on rainproof paper is at the unusual 1:44,000 scale, and does away with the need for any further maps. Expect many more diversions from the A74 (M).

Outdoor Focus, Spring 2017 page 4

From a review by Scottish Field

This guide has everything you need to walk the Annandale Way … With seven pages of maps along with information about wildlife, transport links, accommodation, food and drink stops, all in a rucksack-friendly format, it’s guaranteed to hold up on even the dreichest of days.

Scottish Field, April 2017, page 181

Excerpts from review by Bob Smith, Editor of Grough

The route descriptions are detailed, allowing the walker to follow turn-by-turn instructions, and are accompanied by copious photographs, mostly by Lynne Kirton, and clear maps at a scale of 1:44,000, a number you won’t find on your compass romer but presumably chosen to fit the book’s format …

There are descriptions for the two alternatives where the route splits, with options to follow the way via Lochmaben or Lockerbie, and there are also brief extra route notes for anyone wanting to follow the Annandale Way south to north.

The Annandale Way would make an ideal first route for a novice long-distance, multi-day walker. The countryside and terrain are not too taxing but are varied enough to sustain interest. The Annan isn’t a particularly long river, and there’s satisfaction to be had in following its full length from source to sea.

Turnbull and Megarry’s guidebook is comprehensive and easy to use, with its ringbound format making it convenient for on-the-route reference and its size and use of rainproof paper helpful for slotting into the walker’s rucksack for guidance along the way.

For the full review, visit www.grough.co.uk

Bonus content

GPX route file
Route updates

All route updates have been taken into the latest edition, including the rerouting to follow the River Annan’s west bank for nearly 2 km after the collapse of the Cuthbertson Bridge in 2021. This diversion is expected to be permanent.

Video

This short video (under 3 minutes) illustrates features of our guidebook to the Annandale Way.

More info to help with your planning

Support services

Service providers that support this route

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Recommended maps

For those who want a larger scale map

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Links

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