Annan, Waterfoot and Summergate Lane
- Annan, Waterfoot and Summergate Lane
- Arkleton
- Balcarry to Rascarrel
- Barnkirk Point
- Castle Douglas Town Trail
- Coastal Walk to Port Castle Bay
- Criffel
- Dalbeattie to Colvend Trail
- Hoddom Castle and farm walks
- Jubilee Path
- Kelhead Water
- Repentance Tower
- River Annan
- Rockcliffe to Sandyhills
- Rounall Wood
- Saint Kentigern's Churchyard
- Screel Hill
- Stairhaven Coastal Walk
- Tarras Water and Whita Hill
- The Hills
- Threave Estate
- Waterloo Monument
This walk explores Annan's maritine past - taking you from the centre of Annan to the wide open spaces and panoramic views of the Solway Firth.
Start from the Town Hall at the western end of the High Street. The Town Hall is a fine Victorian building built in 1878 from local sandstone and it reflects the pride and prosperity of Annan. Leave the Town Hall, and cross the High Street. The large Georgian building on the corner opposite the Town Hall was built in 1780 and is known as Bridge House. This was the first Annan Academy. The writer Thomas Carlyle was educated here and eventually taught at the Academy. Proceed down the street to the left of Bridge House. This is Port Street, curving round to the right and passing the fine houses that belonged to wealthy traders in bygone days. Some of the windows were blocked up to avoid paying Window Tax imposed in 1701, and remain so to this day!
Continue along the street, passing under the railway bridge, walk on past various old buildings until you reach the renovated Burgh Quay. This part of Annan was once a prosperous bustling area, with the warehouses of the local merchants full of timber, cement, and grain. Now the once busy warehouses stand empty. The ship building yards here once built fine ships, which sailed all over the world, many with local names such as the 'Annandale' and 'Queensberry'. The largest and last clipper ship built was the 934 ton 'Sarah Nicholson' which was launched in 1865. At the end of the 19th century, a fleet of fifty one shrimp trawlers, thirty whammel boats designed for salmon drift netting and thirteen herring boats worked out of Annan. These sturdy sailing boats fished the Solway from Annan to Maryport, Southerness, and beyond.
Turning your back on the quay, walk up the lane beside the site of the shipyard, and turn right. This road leads past the last houses and becomes a country lane, running across the tidal river meadows or 'merse' towards the mouth of the River Annan at Waterfoot. The river estuary at Waterfoot now has little to show of its historical importance. In the 18th and 19th centuries, many people embarked from the jetty when emigrating to Canada, New Zealand and Australia. A cairn on the remains of the jetty commemorates Robert Burns, who worked in this area as an exciseman in the 1790s. Looking out across the sands of the Solway Firth, the stake and poke nets of the salmon fishermen are dwarfed by the scale of the landscape. In the fishing season, you may see the haaf-net fishermen standing chest deep in the fast flowing waters hoping to catch a trout or salmon.
From Waterfoot, walk across the tidal salt marsh, the Annan Merse, eastwards, winding your way around the tidal streams and creeks. Keep a sharp lookout for the white post at the gate to Summergate Lane, which joins the side of the Merse after about half a mile. This green lane takes you back to the outskirts of Annan. Soon after you reach the modern bungalows, take the lane on your left - called 'Lovers Lane'. This narrow little lane is a riot of wildflowers in the summer and a different world to the wide horizons of the Solway Firth. Proceed straight down Lovers Lane passing a road to the left. When you reach a cross roads at the end of the lane, turn right and walk back into Annan along Elm Road. This takes you past the railway station and the present-day Annan Academy and out onto the High Street where you started.
Distance - 5km
Location - From Dumfries, follow the B724 or A75. Public Transport bus service - 79 from Dumfries
More Information - For more information on walking in Dumfries & Galloway, please telephone 01387 253862
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