Lochmaben

About Lochmaben

Lochmaben is a small town and site of a castle, 4 miles west of Lockerbie. It has a good selection of shops, cafes and places to stay.

The selection of lochs in and around Lochmaben - Kirk Loch, Castle Loch and Mill Loch - provide great opportunities for sailing and fishing. The town also has a rich history, with Lochmaben Castle once being the home of Robert the Bruce when he was Lord of Annandale. William Paterson, the co-founder of the Bank of England was also born in Lochmaben.

Lochmaben is surrounded by seven lochs. The water and the fertile soil have made it a place of habitation since the earliest times. The largest loch, Castle Loch, contains a crannog – an artificial island created as a lake dwelling which is nearly 60 yards long and just under 40 yards wide.
The island was made of brushwood, peat, stone and logs, and would have been surrounded by a wooden palisade. It probably dates back to the Bronze Age but could have been in use until the end of the 16th century when crannogs were finally prohibited by the Scottish Parliament. A causeway ran part of the way to the shore with dug-out canoes or flat-bottomed boats being used to complete the crossing. Examples which were preserved in the mud are in the Dumfries Museum