From Bught Hass to Cample Mill: Walking the sheep farming and textile landscapes of Nithsdale

Dotted with drystone sheepfolds and place names such as Lamb Cleuch, Ewe Brae, Wether Hill and Bught Hass, the uplands on either side of the Nith Valley resonate with the history of centuries of sheep farming. The wool sheared annually in the hills once provided work for men, women and children employed locally in woollen, linen, spinning and waulk mills. Producing tweeds, blankets, stockings and carpets, these mills were once powered by water flowing down to the Nith along its many tributaries, including the Crawick, Carron, Scaur and Cample Waters.

Professor David Munro is Geographer-in-residence at Drumlanrig Castle. His talk will take place on the penultimate day of Helen Mirra's Acts for placing woollen and linen, 2020.