Annan

Annan is a market town in Dumfries and Galloway, in southwest Scotland, with a population of 8760 in 2020. It grew up at the navigable limit of the River Annan, which flows into Solway Firth, and the poet Robert Burns worked here for a time as an exciseman. Many town buildings are attractive red sandstone, including the river bridge.

History
This agricultural area was the powerbase of the de Brus family, with Robert the Bruce (1274-1329) winning an early victory nearby over the English-backed Balliol on his path to the crown of Scotland. The philosopher and writer Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) went to school here and was utterly miserable.

During the First World War there was a huge multi-site munitions complex around Annan, Gretna and Longtown in Cumbria. Britain's military firepower depended upon improvised processes involving "The Devil's Porridge", Boy Scouts collecting conkers, and the future President of Israel.

Visitor information

 * Annan Borough Council website

By train
Trains run from Carlisle via Gretna to Annan (22 mins) and Dumfries every hour or two M-Sa, every couple of hours Sunday. Some of them continue north from Dumfries via Sanquhar and Kilmarnock to Glasgow Central, but it's usually quicker to take the fast London - Glasgow train and change at Carlisle.

is 400 yards south of High Street. There's no ticket office or machines here, so get aboard and buy from the conductor. Annan's old locomotive turntable is still in service in the National Railway Museum in York.

By road
Annan is by-passed to the north by the A75 Carlisle to Stranraer road with links into town at either end. Near Gretna the A75 joins the A74(M) motorway, which becomes M6 as it crosses into England.

By bus
Stagecoach Cumbria Bus 79 runs from Carlisle via Longtown and Gretna to Annan, taking an hour. These run M-Sa every hour, Sunday every two hours, and continue west via Ruthwell to Dumfries.

Bus 179 also runs hourly between Carlisle, Longtown, Gretna, and Annan where it terminates. This is a longer route, taking 70 min, but it's quicker than waiting for the next 79.

is on Butts Street just off High Street. See Dumfries for connections towards Stranraer, and Carlisle for elsewhere, eg the X95 to Edinburgh.

By bicycle
National Cycle Route 7 on its way from Inverness to Sunderland passes through Annan; a new bridge over the river has been built to carry it to the south of the town.

Get around
The town is compact and can be explored on foot, but you could do with a bike to reach Ruthwell or the Devil's Porridge.

The main taxi operator is Auberge (+44 1461 207676).

See

 * Annan Castle: you'll need to peer closely to spot the remains of this 12th century Motte-and-Bailey on the edge of Galabank Park. It's little more than an overweight molehill, but neither battle nor neglect caused its ruin - the river changed course and eroded the site.
 * Ruthwell is a tiny village five miles west of Annan with a surprising collection of sights: Ruthwell Cross, a Savings Bank Museum, and Brow Well. It's on B724, the old road to Dumfries; turn off onto B725 for Caerlaverock Castle. Notable place names hereabouts include Cocklicks Farm and Twathats. (Little Cocklick, home of Jean Maxwell "the Galloway witch", is away west near Castle Douglas.)
 * Ruthwell is a tiny village five miles west of Annan with a surprising collection of sights: Ruthwell Cross, a Savings Bank Museum, and Brow Well. It's on B724, the old road to Dumfries; turn off onto B725 for Caerlaverock Castle. Notable place names hereabouts include Cocklicks Farm and Twathats. (Little Cocklick, home of Jean Maxwell "the Galloway witch", is away west near Castle Douglas.)
 * Ruthwell is a tiny village five miles west of Annan with a surprising collection of sights: Ruthwell Cross, a Savings Bank Museum, and Brow Well. It's on B724, the old road to Dumfries; turn off onto B725 for Caerlaverock Castle. Notable place names hereabouts include Cocklicks Farm and Twathats. (Little Cocklick, home of Jean Maxwell "the Galloway witch", is away west near Castle Douglas.)
 * Savings Bank Museum in Ruthwell commemorates the world's first savings bank, opened here in 1810 and swiftly copied. It's open Apr-Sept Tu-Sa & Oct-Mar Th-Sa 10:00-16:00, free.
 * Brow is a hamlet a mile or so west of Ruthwell on B725, which in Robert Burns' time was "the poor man's spa". The Brow Well was a chalybeate (iron-rich) spring which you plunged into. In the 20th century, it was prettified into a pink sandstone bath. Nearby is a beach for sea-bathing, but only around spring high tides when the sea covers the mud flats. In July 1796 Burns spent 3 weeks here, bathing in sea and spring between quaffing port and writing begging letters to all and sundry. He left, haggard, pale and tottering, in every sense the poor man, to die at home in Dumfries 3 days later. He was 37.
 * Hoddom Castle north of Dumfries is derelict but has a campsite, see Sleep.
 * Repentance Tower close by is an unusual 16th century watchtower - it was never a habitation or garrison. The name comes from the inscription "Repentance" above the entrance, with various stories about who was repenting and for what. It's derelict.
 * See Lockerbie for Thomas Carlyle's birthplace in Ecclefechan. He went to school in Annan and later was a schoolteacher here.
 * See Lockerbie for Thomas Carlyle's birthplace in Ecclefechan. He went to school in Annan and later was a schoolteacher here.

Do

 * Walk: a pleasant stroll is to walk north (upstream) along the east bank of the river and back down the west bank. If you cross at the first footbridge just before the A75 viaduct it's a two-mile round-trip, via the second footbridge it's four miles, and by the lane bridge at Brydekirk (Brig Inn is here) it's six miles.
 * Football:
 * Lonsdale Cinema is just off Lady St.
 * Newington Leisure Centre on Shawhill Rd has a gym and fitness classes.
 * Annan Swimming Pool is next to the railway station.
 * The Common Riding of the Marches is a 600-year-old ceremony to mark the boundaries of Annan, and ensure that its various landmarks, cairns and other features are in good order. That's if anyone can maintain good order with over 100 horse riders cavorting about, massed pipes and drums, decorated floats, and similar razzmatazz of a 600-year-old nature. It's held on the first Saturday in July.
 * The Common Riding of the Marches is a 600-year-old ceremony to mark the boundaries of Annan, and ensure that its various landmarks, cairns and other features are in good order. That's if anyone can maintain good order with over 100 horse riders cavorting about, massed pipes and drums, decorated floats, and similar razzmatazz of a 600-year-old nature. It's held on the first Saturday in July.
 * The Common Riding of the Marches is a 600-year-old ceremony to mark the boundaries of Annan, and ensure that its various landmarks, cairns and other features are in good order. That's if anyone can maintain good order with over 100 horse riders cavorting about, massed pipes and drums, decorated floats, and similar razzmatazz of a 600-year-old nature. It's held on the first Saturday in July.
 * The Common Riding of the Marches is a 600-year-old ceremony to mark the boundaries of Annan, and ensure that its various landmarks, cairns and other features are in good order. That's if anyone can maintain good order with over 100 horse riders cavorting about, massed pipes and drums, decorated floats, and similar razzmatazz of a 600-year-old nature. It's held on the first Saturday in July.
 * The Common Riding of the Marches is a 600-year-old ceremony to mark the boundaries of Annan, and ensure that its various landmarks, cairns and other features are in good order. That's if anyone can maintain good order with over 100 horse riders cavorting about, massed pipes and drums, decorated floats, and similar razzmatazz of a 600-year-old nature. It's held on the first Saturday in July.

Buy
Tesco is just south of Scott's St. But the big retail park hereabouts is Gretna Gateway Outlet Village ten miles east, see Gretna page.

Eat

 * Corner House Hotel lounge bar serves coffee, soup and light meals 08:00-23:00, see "Sleep."
 * Del Amitri Restaurant is within Powfoot Hotel 3 miles west of Annan, see "Sleep."
 * Corner House Hotel lounge bar serves coffee, soup and light meals 08:00-23:00, see "Sleep."
 * Del Amitri Restaurant is within Powfoot Hotel 3 miles west of Annan, see "Sleep."

Drink

 * Farmers Inn in Clarencefield five miles west of Annan, serves real ale, and does meals daily noon-2PM & 7-9PM (Sa Su from 6PM), see "Sleep."
 * Distilleries: see above for Annandale. Solway Spirits make gin and vodka.
 * Farmers Inn in Clarencefield five miles west of Annan, serves real ale, and does meals daily noon-2PM & 7-9PM (Sa Su from 6PM), see "Sleep."
 * Distilleries: see above for Annandale. Solway Spirits make gin and vodka.
 * Distilleries: see above for Annandale. Solway Spirits make gin and vodka.

Connect
Annan and its approach roads have 4G from all UK carriers. As of March 2022, 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

 * Go west via Dumfries, where Robert Burns spent his last years, and further west to Stranraer for ferries to Northern Ireland.
 * To Edinburgh most people race north up A74(M) then branch onto A702. Slower scenic routes are via Gretna and Longtown onto A7, thence via Hawick, Selkirk and Galashiels in the Scottish Borders; or leave A74(M) at Moffat for A708 past Grey Mare's Tail, Ettrick Forest and Innerleithen. These are glorious when it's sunny and the heather in bloom, nerve-wracking in bad weather or with a low fuel tank.
 * Go south via Carlisle to reach the Lake District.