📌 Cappercleuch, Scottish Borders
★★★
The road between Moffat and Selkirk passes through some of southern Scotland’s finest upland scenery. At the heart of the region is St Mary’s Loch; named after a church previously located on the north bank, it’s the largest natural water body in the Scottish Borders and reputedly the coldest in Scotland (though we haven’t tested the theory!). Paths and tracks – some only opened recently – encircle the loch, enabling a circuit of eight miles or so. At its southern end, a tiny stretch of river links to the smaller Loch of the Lowes (not to be confused with its namesake near Dunkeld), which is also worth a photo or two. The Glen Cafe is located here: a useful pitstop in an area where refreshment options are few and far between. If you still have time to spare, a quiet road climbing west from Cappercleuch leads to the even more remote water bodies of Megget and Talla reservoirs, with a 400 metre-high pass in between them.
🌍 Location
📌 Scottish Borders
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NT 247227
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.493073,-3.190430
❌ No public transport within 1 mi | 🚗 Various car parks & laybys on the A708 – main one is at the south end of the loch opposite Glen Cafe, 🧭 NT 238204 / 🛰️ 55.471298,-3.206607
💬 The car park above is on the bank of Loch of the Lowes. St Mary’s Loch is a 5-min walk – cross the bridge over the river and take the next left on the Southern Upland Way to reach the shore.
