PLACES TO VISIT

Once you've finished hauling yourself round the Southern Uplands and made it to the summit of Green Lowther, the area in and around Wanlockhead and Leadhills has - for somewhere relatively small and remote - a surprising number of things to do and places to visit.

THE LEADHILLS AND WANLOCKHEAD RAILWAY

Billed as the highest 'adhesion railway' in Britain (no, I don't know either), the narrow gauge railway that runs from the outskirts of Leadhills to the outskirts of Wanlockhead (if places so small can actually be deemed to have 'outskirts') is a 20 minute delight.

Operated and managed by a team  of dedicated volunteers and enthusiasts, the railway welcomes visitors every weekend during the summer months. The journey takes you from the station at Leadhills to the terminus at Glengonnar Halt (in the - albeit distant - shadow of the radar station atop Lowther Hill) before returning to the station. The train takes you past the disused Glengonnar Mine where minerals were first excavated in the 1450s. The original Caledonian line went to Elvanfoot and from there joined the main Glasgow-Carlisle line. The closure of the mines in 1938 signalled the end of the railway and it was more than 40 years before the Leadhills locals built the current narrow gauge track on the original bed. If you do mange to visit make sure to visit the wee museum and the brilliant signal box which controls all train movements using levers rescued from Arrochar and Tarbet and dating from the 1880s. They really don't make 'em like that any more!

THE WANLOCKHEAD INN

The highest pub in Scotland presided over by hosts James and Elaine McKelvey. The words 'homely' and 'cosy' could well have been invented for the Inn - check out the open fire in the main bar (although it probably loses some of the effect in mid-July). Mind you, if local folkelore is to be believed, the words 'riotous', 'rumbustuous' and 'so drunk I didn't wake up till the middle of the following week' could also have been invented for this the only hostelry in Wanlockhead.

You won't have a choice as to whether you visit the Inn or not, The McKelveys have very kindly agreed to host the RADAR RIDE HQ for a second year. That'll be bacon rolls all round then!

HIDDEN TREASURES MUSEUM OF LEAD MINING

A fascinating glimpse into the mining and industrial heritage of the Southern Uplands is on display at this beautifully designed museum in Wanlockhead. From lead, zinc and copper to silver and gold, its not for nothing that the area around Leadhills and the Lowther Hills is known as 'God's Treasure House in Scotland'. And they do a mean cake and cappuccino for when you drop down from the heights of Green Lowther.