I Travelled to Scotland's Highest Village
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Let’s travel together to Scotland’s highest village. To many people’s surprise, Scotland’s highest village is NOT located in the Scottish Highlands. Located in southern Scotland in an area called Dumfries and Galloway, this part of Scotland is often overlooked as visitors make their way to more well-known places like Edinburgh or the Isle of Skye.
There are many things to do in Dumfries and Galloway in the Scottish lowlands, it’s home to the Southern Upland Way and the towns of Wanlockhead and Leadhills, Scotlands highest and second highest villages. I hope this travel guide video will inspire you pay south west Scotland a visit sometime.
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ABOUT ME:
I'm Ruth and I just bought a campervan to travel my home country of Scotland. I moved overseas after university in 2011 and I’ve hardly seen anything or been anywhere in my home country Scotland and I’ve never even visited places like the Scottish Highlands, the Isle of Skye or the NC500.
I am a huge fan of campervan travel and alternative living and while living in Japan, my partner and I converted both a van and a bus into campervans. We explored Japan extensively, sharing our adventures on our two Japanese language KZhead channels. I've spent over 600 nights living in vans, it’s my favourite way to travel due to the incredible freedom, adventure and the affordability.
My campervan is a 2001 Toyota Hiace high roof van. It was originally used by the Royal Mail and then purchased by the previous owner and self-converted into a DIY campervan. Although the van is already converted, in order for it to be an off-grid living van, it requires some campervan DIY, especially when it comes to electrics and plumbing.
On this channel, I’ll be sharing more about this van, any DIY I do, and most importantly sharing my road trip adventures as I finally get to travel my beautiful home country of…. SCOTLAND!
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Many Thanks,,, I was Born in Leadhills in 1941. I have lived in Dumfries now for 79 years .. My Grandfather worked in the mines and also on the railway .. all vegetables are polluted by lead as Lead smelting was done outside for well over 200 years. no one was told about it until 1960's when a survey was done it showed lead pollution 116% above maximum level ..
Thank you for sharing about the lead in the soil, I was very curious about it. It's amazing to see the mines and where your grandfather would have worked
That might be the reason John Taylor lived 'til he was 137 😅
@@ruthaisling come on Ruth. In Scotland we have burns not streams!!.👍. Wanlockhead & leadhills are definitely villages not towns. LOL
I live in Wanlockhead ! been here for 18 years now. Quite a change from London, where I stayed before.
What a lovely place to live!
Cattle grids exist in Sweden (called "färist") but I can't recall ever driving over one on a public road. Hiking trails and bike paths have them though and maybe some farmers have them on their private roads/tractor trails.
That's interesting, thanks for sharing!
You should be working for a major company like the Discovery channel. You make very informative interesting documentaries. This was great. Why didn't you video yourself petting the sheep? They won't hurt you. It would have been nice. thanks again. 🥰🥰
Haha that’s so kind, thank you! The sheep tend to run away from me, I must look scary! 😂
@@ruthaisling The next time, sit on the ground so you are not intimidating. They can't hurt you. Some smaller animals get intimidated with taller things. I would love to play with sheep as I did Goats growing up and horses. Thanks again. 🙂
No, don’t work for a major channel like The Discovery Channel, the beauty of these KZhead videos is they are so intimate… I assume you do your own drone shots?
@@frednorman1 Yes, keep making little money from youtube when you can be very wealthy the way you do these. If you have the skills, then use them. It is your gift. Not many are good like you. Of course she does her own drone shots. Do you see anyone living or traveling with her??? NOPE!
@@ruthaisling Then again, maybe they don't like the color ..."RED"!!! 😁 Bulls don't like it. Maybe sheep too. 🤣
I love the fact that you named your van.
Sccotland is far more beautiful than I ever expected!!
It truly is beautiful!
How many times can you say "The Highest Village in Scotland" in a single episode? 😊 Seriously, it's good to see that Wanlockhead is also home to the highest pub in Scotland. And that you get overnight parking with facilities simply for enjoying a reasonably priced meal. What a deal!
Hi Ruth, firstly I live your videos. Snow tyres in Scotland, yes many of my friends used to switch to snow tyres for the winter when I lived in Scotland, especially the guts who were keen skiers, typically these were a softer rubber compound which wears out quicker than normal but doesn't get as brittle bin the cold and this provides better grip, along with a more chunky treat pattern. As a boy from Keith I used to work at Strathisla distillery and travelled to many of the Speyside sites you've featured so now I live in Australia it's great to see my homeland and some of the places I used to work as well as this video in Tomintoul another area I know well because I used to visit the Lecht to ski often accessing it from both sides , when I stayed in Keith from the Tomintoul side and when I stayed in Banchory from the Deeside side. Not much opportunity for skiing here in Perth WA unless I fly over East or to Japan. I couldn't ski now anyway with a knee injury. Keep up the great work, I'm loving your content from Scotland and your Europe trips, again visiting places I've been in the past, great work. It's making me homesick but I enjoy hearing your accent and always learn something new watching you channel, thanks.
I I m so pleased you’re enjoying the channel in Australia and how interesting that you worked at Strathisla!!
In Sweden there are many cattle grids and they are called "färist". Most Swedes have seen them, but many do not know what they are called.
Thanks for sharing!
My mum had some friends who moved to Leadhills in the 90's to open up a cafe.. a good number of weekends were spent up there & in Wanlockhead.
That's a nice place for a cafe, is the cafe still open?
You're as they say in Scotland a breath of fresh air
Thanks for sharing Ruth I only know the Scottish Borders a little 😀 very interesting your a grand bonnie lassie xx 😘
Thanks to your videos my bucket list is growing. Safe travels, Ruth!
Thank you 🙏
I have lived in Scotland for about 15 years and never thought of the South being higher than the Highlands.....maybe you should become a tour guide for lesser known places in Scotland
I was also surprised when I found out! I love visiting lesser known places so I'll try and share lots here on this channel
Also the highest golf course in Scotland!
Is it?! Can't believe I missed that!
In Texas, we call them “cattle guards.” We also have large areas where there are no fences and the cattle roam. Most areas, however, are fenced.
Cattle guards, that's interesting, it's the first time I've heard that! Thanks for sharing
Yes. I live in Kansas in the united States of America. We have cattle gates here also.
Wanlockhead, Scotland’s highest village, looks great.
It does indeed!
It looks beautiful. Scotland is such an amazing country to visit. I've been several times and have enjoyed it every time.
I'm so glad you enjoyed your trips to Scotland!
Truly magnificent outstanding scenery, heritage and culture, looking forward to visiting, all the very best, health and happiness, thank you for what you do.
Thank you! ❤
Thanks Ruth. The borders are often overlooked. I hope you bring lots more videos from you local area...it looks perfect for cycle touring.
There is some fab cycling, the roads are very quiet!
I've never really thought about visiting Scotland until I came across your videos. I really enjoy them keep it up.👍👍
Thanks Eddie, please visit Scotland sometime!
Funni I have looked at Leadhill and Wanlockhead recently, in looking for a remote cottage to buy, it's a beautiful landscape, thanks as ever for your enthusiasm 🥰
Oh that would be a lovely area to live. So many cute cottages around there 😍
I ended buying in Ayr lol but beautiful coastline @@ruthaisling
We have cattle grids in Western Canada, where they are signposted as 'Texas gates'. I wonder what they are called in Texas? 'Canada gates' perhaps? 🇨🇦
That's interesting to know!! Haha, yes they must be 😂
😂 In Spain Cattle grids are called "pasos canadienses" , you Can even find it at Wikipedia. My English is basic but I think it can Be translated as Canadian Passages 😊
So nice to finally see a videos of your travels through Scotland!
Glad you like them! More to come!
Thanks Ruth for showing us that fabulous area, I love That region but never ventured off the A76 on my way back to Dumfries. I will definitely visit this time. I am currently on Arran. Enjoy the rest of your journey.
I hope you are enjoying your time on Arran! Fingers crossed for some better weather this week
Cattle GUARDS in the US function the same way as cattle grids. Might have a bit more space between bars…
Excellent video, very informative. That road through the hills looks beautiful. Definitely worth a visit.
If you get a chance, I definitely recommend a trip
Great video Ruth, the scenery down there is fantastic, I was in Moffat at the weekend then up to St.Mary's loch. Thanks for the comprehensive content, I must get down there for a wee trip on the train.
Hope you had a great trip. Did you have some Moffat toffee?
Hi Ruth, no, I didn't get any toffee, the weather was a wee bit unsettled so we just sat in our car and had a sandwich and a cuppa. The scouts were at St.Mary's loch so we did some people watching.
This was such an interesting video! Love learning about the history! So scenic! Thank you for the tour Ruth!❤
Glad you enjoyed it!
Ruth a great vlog. This is an area I enjoy visiting. My Mum and her family are from Moniaive. I have fond memories of visiting the area om summer holidays etc. There is a lot of history in the area and uch to see.
Dumfries and Galloway is such a lovely area, it's a shame it's often overlooked!
Brilliant video thanks for sharing x
Thanks for watching!
Beautiful scenery, quaint little town. Thankyou Ruth for all the info, looking forward to your next place to visit. 😊
I'm glad you enjoyed it, next travel video will be on an island!
I stumbled across this video and am glad I did. This is a part of Scotland I didn’t know about until now. There is so much beauty and history to learn and see. I’m in Tennessee, I may have seen cattle grid at the end of a farm house driveway, but never on a road…
Many people tend to miss the whole area of Scotland south of Glasgow. It's where I grew up and there is lots to see, I'll share more in future videos!
Good video. Used to drive that road regularly as I lived near Drumlanrig Castle.
Thank you, it's a lovely area!
Beautiful scenery
The nature is so lovely in Scotland. I don't think the cattle grid are possible to move easily, but I'm not a farmer, so I'm not sure!
Thanks for highlighting this often overlooked area! I spend a lot of time working in south west Scotland and my time there has inspired me to try walking the SUW - when I can get enough time off!
Yes, it's a bit of an undertaking!
It’s lovely when the heather is out, did you do any gold panning, been here many years ago, thanks for a trip done memory lane, great video as always xxx❤
Thanks for watching Linda! I didn't do any gold panning this time, but I did see some people doing it in the nearby river before I entered Wanlockhead!
Fascinating ❤. Often driven past the area but never visited. I must change that!! Thanks 🙏
Dumfries and Galloway is definitely worth a visit!
Visited there early on in the year You can also stay at the hotel in Leadhills in a campervan if you buy a meal, this being the highest hotel in Scotland too
That's great to know Steve! I did visit the highest hotel too but it was very busy and hard to film anything 😂
@@ruthaisling Definitely an underrated area and it’s beautiful around there Looking for to seeing more videos
I think we are following you around Ruth! We were at Muckleflugga recently, as were you, and next week we go to Dumfries and Galloway for 8 days, so will pay a visit to Scotlands highest village. Great minds think alike, eh? 😂😂
Great minds definitely think alike! Where else do you plan to visit in Dumfries and Galloway?
We are staying near Newton Stewart. Not been to the area before, so want to fit in as much as possible, but Mull of Galloway is on the list and the Forest Drive is it? 😊
Soz ruth my comment for shetland came up on this vid 😂....ps wanlock is one of our favourite motorcycle runs being fairly local...cheers dave
What a fab place to ride a motorcycle, especially through the mennock pass 😍
I'm a motorcyclist too, and totally agree with you. Thanks to Ruth, that part of Scotland is now on my wishlist for an epic ride. Cheers
Looking great and beautiful. I definitely planning to visit this summer. Thanks for all information. Subscribed 👍
Glad it was helpful, enjoy your trip!
Thank you for this interesting video. We always look for places away from the tourist routes when visiting Scotland. We put it on our list!
Great!
Brilliant!! I , like you love finding hidden gems like this one is defo going on my to do list 👊👊
It's so fun isn't it! It's amazing all the great things to see in such a small area
Ruth this video was amazing
Thank you Ruth 😊 Very interesting. Little info for you regarding the scenery. That basket of eggs rolling terrain was formed in the last Ice age as the ice scoured the land. You are not too far from the douthern limit of the ice there.
That's interesting, thanks for sharing!
If that lead thing you spoke of is still the case then the animals that eat grass will be full of lead to I'd assume. Great video Ruth. Love watching them. Still catching up on your previous ones.
Yes I wonder about that too
Lovely video and I have saved the locations. I have a campervan and great to know the pub takes campervans.
Glad it was helpful!
Another well put together video
That’s very kind John, thanks!
Hi ruth ....from cumbria mate an i on motorcycles did route you took may 2022....without doubt my favourite shetland we did skaw most northerly east👌👌 at the time they had started to do the foundations for the new spaceport..we island hopped to orkney then scrabster thanking we had mostly good weather... we actually stayed in BRAE...but the chippy was closed...😣atb dave 👍👍
Wow sounds like a fab trip you did!
Hi Ruth, we have been watching quite a few of your KZhead videos lately and all of them are thoroughly enjoyable. You commented if anyone has undertaken the Southern Upland Way walk! A friend and I completed it in two stages, breaking it in Moffat. We didn't camp and walked from Portpatrick from accommodation to accommodation. I am more than happy to share the experience of the planning etc and everything else about the adventure. He hardly met anyone else on the walk (less than 10 people) and have still not met anyone else that has done it!! following this walk we did the Speyside way (including Tomintoul and Dufftown spurs) and Offer's Dyke. I am as I type this planning the Pennine way walk for this September/October.
Thanks for sharing, I am so surprised you met less than 10 people on the walk, I didn't imagine it would be so quiet.If I ever do it, it would be very helpful to chat about it! Good luck for your next walk!
Cattle grids are common in the rural areas of the western Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.
Thanks for sharing about where you live!
Great video as always Ruth! Been gold panning in and around Wanlockhead many a time :)
Did you find any gold?
@@ruthaisling yeah every time :)
Great video Ruth. Despite living relatively close by, in Ayrshire, I've only visited Wanlockhead two times but a beuatiful, remote place. I'm surprised Scottish Tourist Board (STB) haven't recruited you!
Haha maybe someday!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful adventures with us. Stay safe and take care.
Thank you for watching!
The rounded hills and mountains without corners are mysterious. Even when it is cloudy, there is a sense of transparency, similar to the transparency of the highlands of Shinshu, such as Kamikochi and Kobuchizawa in Japan. The idyllic scenery is refreshing, and the nature is so precious that it makes me want to live here when I retire. I heard that there is a valley in Scotland called "Coogburn Valley,（日本読みでクーグバーン渓谷？）" which also has a spectacular view.
I'm glad you like the Scottish scenery. I still haven't made it to Kamikochi, I once travelled to the bottom of the ropeway but the weather forecast was so bad for that day that I decided not to go as I probably wouldn't have been able to see anything. Hopefully will get there someday! I will search about that valley you mentioned, thanks for sharing!
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed it
My mother was a 'Doonhamer' so I recognise parts of your video from childhood excursions in the 50s and 60s. Curious to know how you intend to heat your van when it gets colder. Love the videos.
I'm not sure how much I will use the van in winter yet! If I will use it, might go to campsites and use a plug in electric heater or install a diesel heater
I stop off in crawford and abington when heading north ruth. Lovely little villages with great scenery, especially when you have the snow👍😎
I'll need to visit again in the snow!
ものすごく美しい世界だ😲🌏 ルースさんの故郷、素晴らしいですね✨ こういう山々の中の自然豊かな所で暮らしたいです🏔️ 今日も素敵な景色をありがとうございます😊
山の景色を気に入っていただけてうれしいです。日本にも美しい山がたくさんある！
Amazing! This area of Scotland, around Wanlockhead & Leadhills, is one of the most lush, green & beautiful areas of Scotland I have ever seen.The landscape there reminds me a bit of Ireland! It is truly lovely! It also has a very interesting history there! Fascinating! Also, it was so cute seeing sheep just walking down the middle of the road in the Village as well! LOL.Only in Scotland!! The Village of Leadhills, with its cute wee train, is also lovely! The old Cemetery is very intriguing, especially containing the grave of John Taylor, living to the age of 137 years! Wow! I have never heard of anyone living to that ripe old age! He sure must have eaten a lot of porridge! LOL. Incredible! Lastly, the wee Pub at Wanlockhead was so charming & the food looked really delicious there! Aye lassie! Thank you for sharing another delightful Scottish adventure!
Thank you for watching another video! I love reading your comments haha! I wonder if John Taylor did eat porridge 😂
@@ruthaisling My pleasure I'm sure! Thank you for your appreciation of my Comments & my humor. LOL. Blessings to you lass!
Amazing place, I really must visit. I could watch your videos all day, so very well done
Thank you very much!
Catlle grids are quite popular here in Asturias and probably all spain, but mostly (or always) in little roads that climb to mountain pastures where the cattle is drive at summer. Of course to our standars this village is pretty low but at that latitude the climate must be almost extreme. Your videos are great, i'm in love with scotland for so long and you are really nice, so: new subscriber here!
Thanks for watching the videos!
In Scotland, there was an image of a wide mausoleum, but there is a town at an altitude of more than 400 metres, I think it's a wonderful place.
It was a great place to go on a road trip
One Rock Head, a townscape that feels like you've gone back in time on a time machice. The town I want to visit, One Rock Head, has been input into my heart, thank you Ruth-san. タイムマシーンに乗って昔に戻ったような町並みワンロックヘッド, 時が止まったかのような静けさ、素晴らしいですね、羊の放し飼いしてると言うことはスコットランド名物料理のハギス発祥の土地かな？行きたい町ワンロックヘッド、私の心にインプットされました、ありがとうルースさん🤗
I'm glad you enjoyed the video about Wanlockhead! Thank you for watching and I hope you can visit someday!
Just beautiful thanks for your post
Thanks Hamish!
I come from Australia & because there’s a huge amount where there is either no or minimal population some of the farms/stations are thousands of kilometres in or hundreds of thousands kilometres in size & a way to keep the animals in are via 4:29 cattle grids.
Wow, that's hard to imagine farms being so big!!
Lead Mining....hmmm? I see? Maybe that's where the lead came from for my clinic. Shrug. :)
I didn't know they do lead mining in Scotland. But, then again, I didn't know there was a really cute youtuber name, Ruth over there either. Shrug. :)
I’ve just moved to Biggar so if ya passing come for a brew love the vids been to warlock head and funny I wan to the castle yesterday loved it. 😂
That's a nice place to live. That's funny you went there yesterday! 😂
I have been in your beautiful country one month ago and i have to say i don’t regret any moment . The father of my son in low is english and he told me, you’ll see, you will want take a picture all the time. He was right. Fantastic sceneries, kind peoples and by any chance lovely weather. Every was perfect ( sorry for my english i’m french )
I'm very happy to hear you enjoyed your trip so much, please come back to Scotland again sometime
We came across your videos one night and have thoroughly enjoyed them. The first video we watched was your distillery visits. Love your presentations. You are so sweet. Love the way you are so excited with the natural vistas and animals. Truly hope you come across a real otter 😁. We do indeed have cattle grids. We live in Osoyoos , British Columbia, Canada.
Thank you for your nice comments and for watching the videos Denise!
We used to go there a lot growing up. Drumlanrig for the adventure playground in the woods and then Wanlockhead to go down the mines - well, we had to earn our keep! 😉 Actually, the last time I was there was doing a section of the Southern Upland Way with my brother. It rained. A lot!
I remember going to the Drumlanrig adventure playground too, it was so much fun! Oh no, classic Scottish weather haha!
I think its nice when place's get overlooked as that way they do not get spoilt and keep there uniqueness , you missed the famous water powered Wanlockhead beam engine that pumped out water from the mines 😊,
A reason to go back!
見るからに空気が澄んでいる感を感じるような美しい風景を見せていただいて…思いっ切り深呼吸したくなった〜✨
ビデオを気に入っていただけてうれしいです。応援ありがとうございました。
Lovely video Ruth! I must be running out of Scottish ones I've not seen now. Will you take us to Castle Douglas? Is there a castle? Really enjoy your trips 😍
Yes there is a lovely castle there called Threave Castle, you need to catch a boat to get to it
Ruth we do have catel grids
Ill be going on my next visit to Scotland , Thanks , X
Great!
New to your videos but have enjoyed them very much.
Glad you like them!
A drive to Tomintoul would make an interesting video and it fairly high too 1164 ft.
Thanks for the recommendation
Nice video. Steve Marsh (A fellow Scottish KZheadr) posted a video on his channel a few months ago visiting the same places 👍
It's great that more people are visiting Dumfries and Galloway!
Beautiful!!!
Thank you!!
めっちゃ美しい景色ですね～。
Thanks Ruth
Thank you for watching!
I can't believe it's the same time. July 30th jp
Another great video, Ruth…you’re a brilliant tour guide!! Did you manage to befriend any sheep on your travels?! Oh, and were you able to get a full refund from your credit card provider, after your details were hacked?
Hi Roddy, thanks for the kind words! The sheep tend to run away whenever I get close haha. It was my Halifax credit card through Bank of Scotland and yes luckily I got a full refund of the amount!
@@ruthaisling Phew, that’s a relief! Perhaps the sheep were camera shy haha
待ってました❤🎉楽しみです🎵
The pub's claims are misleading as it only actually opened 2003 and there was a higher pub in the village that closed in 1990s. However, it is now definitely that highest pub in Scotland and because of that I forced myself in to buy myself a pint. It seems odd that there are several pubs in England that are higher than the Wanlockhead Inn as Scotland has so many mountains. The museum and library were well a visit but the runnel tours weren't available when we went a few years ago. The kids wanted to have a go at panning for gold but were less keen when their hands turned blue because of the cold water. We also enjoyed our visit to Drumlanrig Castle and were the only people on the tour so we got really good service.
It sounds like you did the exact same trip as I did in this video! I wonder where the previous highest pub was in the village...!
I wonder who parked her cute red van next to the burger place? hmmm? heehee. Could it be the lovely "Ruth"? maybe? :)
Is it hard being so beautiful, Ruth? heehee :)
Surprisingly your home country has a lot of beautiful natures and castles and animals I don’t usually see those “cattle grids” in my town But I’m wondering it’s movable or not?🤔 Anyway, great to see peaceful video Ruth😊
They’re not movable Quite common throughout the UK particularly in mountainous areas
They are not movable but if you need to get cattle and sheep past the grid there is a gate at the side. There is also a little ladder or ramp in the pit below the grid to allow small animals like hedgehogs to escape if they fall in. Cattle grids have to be very strong otherwise they get shaken to pieces by the traffic passing over them.
@@andrewholland990 Thank you so much for explanation 😊
@@stevebrown6665 I see🙂 Thank you for let me know it
I am Japanese. but I have been Glasgow and Edinburgh.. quite many times.. やはり綺麗ですね〜ハイランド地方
I am happy to hear you have visited many times, please visit again!
スコットランドの素晴らしい景色をありがとうございます! わたしの住むイタリアも夏になると放牧されたヒツジやウシが道を歩いたりしますが、こういうgridは見たことないです。なるほど、これならヒツジもウシも通れませんね。😁
ワンロック行くまでの道のり、樹木が育たない不思議な景色と🐑羊まるで絵はがき、絶対行く価値ありますね✨動画配信満喫しました👏👏👏👍
まるで絵葉書のようだ！😂
緑💚が眩しい!. ｽｺｯﾄﾗﾝﾄﾞがこんなに低いとは知りませんでした!!.さすがは一番古い工業国!.ちゃんと細かく(UK人ってﾏﾒですよね)保存もして次代に残すとこはさすがですよね😊.
Ruth your amazing
i am lucky enough to live 15 minutes from here, only problem i see is the amount of campfires on the way up
Yeah I sae a lot of those too unfortunately
Maravilloso ❤
I will never get there now. So, thanks, vicariously.
Thanks for watching!
Cracking video
Thank you! ♥
Visited these villages many years ago. Such a shame about the grippy no photograph policies of the attractions.
They said flashes on cameras might damage the books, but I don't use any flash on my camera 🤔