Duncow Mill

About Duncow Mill

Slightly further down the road on the right are the substantial ruins of Duncow Mill. There is a date of 1797 carved on one of the lintels. There were five main mill buildings here in the past and the 1861 map also shows several other smaller structures. The ruin nearest to the road was the carding mill for the blanket factory and wool mill. The ivy covered structure which looks like an enormous tree is actually the chimney.

Continue down the hill. On the right shortly before the T junction is a picnic area, the DK copse, planted by local schoolchildren in 2015. The picnic table beside the burn is a great place for a break. When you get to the junction, turn right and walk back over the bridge again and past the old Smiddy to where you began the walk.

There was a cottage on the hill behind the Smiddy where it is believed that James V, the father of Mary Queen of Scots, spent the night on his way to quell the Border Rebels, but the stone erected to mark this event disappeared many years ago.