Moffat - past and present

Moffat can trace its history back to 1218, when Robert the Bruce granted land which is now known as Rogermoor.

Much of the land around Moffat was owned by the Knights Templar. They had a settlement on the ridge to the west of the town, where the ruined gable of a chapel still adjoins Chapel Farm.

Moffat was granted a market in 1662. A year later, the discovery of the Moffat Well transformed it into a popular spa town, with visitors including Robert Burns (who etched a poem into a window at the Black Bull Hotel) and James Boswell.

Today, Moffat is best known for wool and the famous Moffat toffee, and has an excellent range of independent shops including a baker, a butcher and a delicatessen.

There are seven pubs within walking distance of Kirsty Cottage, plus nine restaurants and cafes to suit every taste and budget.

Moffat is a great base for touring south-west Scotland, and Edinburgh and Glasgow are about an hour's drive away.

Just outside the town is some of the region's most spectacular scenery, such as the Grey Mare's Tail waterfall, St Mary's Loch and the Devil's Beeftub - a deep hollow in the hills where the notorious Border Reivers once hid their stolen cattle.