Beattock

The village of Beattock is located in the southern lowlands of Scotland, and lies within the administrative area of Dumfries and Galloway. It was an important stabling point for horses in the olden days with a coach house at one end of the village. It also boasts a bridge designed and built by Thomas Telford.

Beattock was once served directly by both the A74 road and the West Coast Main Line (WCML) which both run through the village, but the road has long since bypassed Beattock and been converted to motorway, whilst the railway station was closed in the 1950s, although there are plans to reopen it.

10 miles (16 km) to the north of the village in the neighbouring administrative area of South Lanarkshire is Beattock Summit, which at 315m (1033 ft) is the highest point on both the M74, and on the WCML in Scotland. The village was once given importance as steam trains needed to attach a banker locomotive from Beattock engine shed to the rear to assist them by pushing their heavy trains up the daunting incline that is Beattock bank. This was itself made famous in the poem by W H Auden written in 1936 specifically for use by the GPO Film Unit, when it was set to music by Benjamin Britten. The poem is called The Night Mail and one portion of the poem runs: This is the Night Mail crossing the border, Bringing the cheque and the postal order, Letters for the rich, letters for the poor, The shop at the corner and the girl next door. Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb The gradient's against her but she's on time. Past cotton-grass and moorland boulder Shovelling white steam over her shoulder, Snorting noisily as she passes Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.

A new book about Beattock by Dumfries journalist Frank Ryan gives an overview of the village and surrounding parish of Kirkpatrick Juxta. "Beattock: The Anatomy of a Dumfriesshire Parish" includes chapters about the Romans, railways and roads that have helped to mould the history of the area. Farming, famous folk, churches and Border feuds are also featured in the well illustrated volume, published in 2007 by Dumfries and Galloway Libraries, Information and Archives.