# Biggar (Scotland)

Biggar is a market town historically in Lanarkshire and now within Clydesdale. It's nowadays a commuter town for both Edinburgh and Glasgow, and in 2020 had a population of 2640. Its attractions are a rare combination: a gasworks museum and a puppet theatre.

## Get in

Stagecoach West Scotland Bus 101 / 101A runs from Edinburgh via Penicuik and West Linton to Biggar, 80 min, hourly M-Sa but only four times on Sunday. Three or four buses a day continue from Biggar to Lamington, Abington, Moffat, Beattock and Dumfries, 1 hour 50 min.
Stuart's Coach 91 / 191 runs hourly from Lanark via Thankerton and Symington to Biggar, 30 min.
Borders Bus 91 runs six times a day from Peebles, taking 40 min via Stobo, Broughton and Skirling.
There isn't a bus station, the main stop is midway along the broad High Street, corner of John Street.
By road from Edinburgh follow A702 along the flank of the Pentlands. From the south follow M74 over Beattock to Jcn 13 Abingdon services then take A702.
From Glasgow there's a choice of routes. The usual recommendation is M74, and stay on it to Abingdon then double-back north on A702. Outside rush hour, you can save miles and fuel but probably no time by cutting off at Jcn 8 via Carluke and Lanark. You can also leave Glasgow on M8 to Jcn 6 then follow A73 towards Carluke.

## Get around

The town's attractions are all within a short walk.
Big Red Taxis$^{[deadlink]}$ are based in Coulter, ☏ +44 7773 117393.

## See

* 55.6232-3.52791 Gasworks Museum, Gas Works Road ML12 6BZ, ☏ +44 1899 221070. Closed. Until the 1970s, Britain used "town gas" — mostly coal gas produced by roasting coal without air, mixed with water gas from spraying steam on the coals. The blend was optimised for heating and cooking, rather than for gas lighting or coke production as earlier processes had been. It was rich in carbon monoxide and often the get-out option of the sad or desperate. Every town of any size had a gasworks and a hulking gasometer - a collapsible tank that rose or sank with storage requirements. Then North Sea gas became widely available, the nation's appliances were converted to use it, and all the gasworks became redundant. Most were demolished and the sites redeveloped, but the Biggar site and equipment were preserved. (updated May 2022)
* 55.6249-3.522 Biggar & Upper Clydesdale Museum, 156 High St ML12 6DH, ☏ +44 1899 221050. Apr–Dec: Tu–Sa 10AM–5PM, Su 1-5PM; Jan–Mar: Sa 10AM–5PM, Su 1-5PM. Wide ranging exhibitions of local life. Adult £5, conc £4, child £2. (updated May 2022)
* 55.617-3.5253 Boghall Castle is a contender for the title of "Borders worst-ruined castle" though it faces stiff competition. It was built in the 14th century over an earlier motte-and-bailey, but only the foundation stumps of two towers remain.
* 55.6104-3.55934 Coulter Motte is probably early medieval, a hillock at a crossing of the River Clyde. It would have been fortified with wooden palisades but never converted to a stone castle such as Boghall.
* 55.7237-3.5095 Little Sparta, Stonypath, Dunsyre ML11 8NG, ☏ +44 7826 495677. Jun-Sep: Th-Su 4PM. Extensive garden created by the writer Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006) and populated with his artwork. The name is a jibe at Edinburgh, "Athens of the North". Adult £9, concession £6, child £5. (updated May 2022)
* Dawyck Botanic Garden: see Peebles for this garden 12 miles east of Biggar in the upper Tweed valley.

## Do

* 55.6242-3.51481 Purves Puppets, Broughton Rd ML12 6AN, ☏ +44 1899 220631. Victorian-style puppet theatre with shows aimed at younger children. Also has a tearoom. (updated May 2022)
* Biggar Corn Exchange, 126 High St ML12 6DL, ☏ +44 1899 221555. Community theatre, opened in 1861, with local amateur acts and visiting professional performers. (updated May 2022)
* 55.6196-3.51662 Biggar Golf Course, Broughton Rd ML12 6HA, ☏ +44 1899 220319. 18-hole parkland course run by South Lanarkshire Council. White tees 5662 yards, Par 68. (updated May 2022)
* Rugby: Biggar RFC play in Scottish National League One, the country's second tier. They play at Hartree Mill sports ground, towards Boghall Castle.
* 55.5917-3.66263 Tinto is a prominent 711 m (2333 ft) hill on the west bank of the Clyde. From the north there's an easy, well-worn path from the A73 near Thankerton; from the south it's a steep scramble from Wiston. A large Bronze Age cairn is at the summit. There's an annual hill run: the next is probably 3 Nov 2024, tba.
* 55.5462-3.50344 Coulter Fell is 748 m (2454 ft) but part of a ridge of the Southern Uplands, hence less prominent than the isolated Tinto. Approach via the lane from Coulter village, and expect boggy going.
* Biggar Show is in July at the showground north edge of town: Highland Dancing, tractors, horse-jumping, prize sheep, bagpipes, what's not to like? The next is probably on Sa 19 July 2025, tbc.
* Biggar Rally celebrates the cars, buses and trucks produced by Albion Motors. This was founded in 1899 by Thomas Blackwood Murray (who hocked the family estate in Biggar to fund it) and Norman Osborne Fulton, with works in Glasgow. A series of ramshackle buggys was followed by a wide portfolio of commercial vehicles, so the Albion sunrise logo became familiar to anyone waiting at a bus stop. In 1951 they were taken over by Leyland Motors (later British Leyland), but still marketed under the Albion brand until 1972. The next rally is probably Su 10 Aug 2025, tbc.
* Biggar Little Festival is held over ten days in autumn, with a food and crafts fair on the opening Sunday. The next is probably F 17 - Su 26 Oct 2025, tbc.

## Buy

* Coop Food is at Old Auction Market a block south of High St, open daily 07:00-22:00. Sainsburys on High Street has closed down.

## Eat

       "Ally bally, ally bally bee, Sittin' on yer mammy's knee, Greetin' for a wee bawbee, Tae buy some Coulter's Candy."
       - This sugary child-pacifier was named for its maker Robert Coltart (1832–1880) of Melrose, not for Coulter village, but he sold it in all the Border towns.
* Townhead Cafe is a fish & chips takeaway at 187 High St, the north end, open Su-Th noon-9PM, F Sa noon-10PM.
* Cones and Candies (Taylor's of Biggar), 129 High St ML12 6DL, ☏ +44 1899 220139. M-Sa 11AM-4PM, Su noon-5PM. Biggar-made ice cream and traditional sweets. They can mail. (updated May 2022)
* Crown Inn, 109 High St ML12 6DL, ☏ +44 1899 220116. Daily: food 11AM-8PM, bar until 1AM. 17th century coaching inn, now a gastro pub with a Sunday carvery. Dog friendly. mains £10 - 30. (updated May 2022)
* Taj Mahal gets great reviews. It's at 101 High St next to Crown Inn and open Su-Th 4:30-11PM, F Sa 4:30PM-midnight.
* The Barony, 55 High St ML12 6DA, ☏ +44 1899 221159. W-Su noon-2PM, 5-8PM, F Sa to 9PM. Slick place serving Scottish-European food. (updated May 2022)
* The Oriental serves Chinese Tu-Su 16:00-21:00. It's at Park Place south end of High St.

## Drink

* Fleming Arms is at 141 High St next to Elphinstone Hotel. It's open daily 11AM-23:00.
* Cross Keys is at 1 High St, open M-Sa 11AM-11:30PM, Su 12:30-11:30PM.
* Broughton Ales are brewed in Broughton village 5 miles east. No tours.
* Biggar Gin is distilled just south of town. Distillery tours can be booked via the company's web site.

## Sleep

* 55.6181-3.51191 Biggar Caravan Park, Park House, Broughton Road ML12 6HA, ☏ +44 1899 220319. open Feb-Dec. Simple clean site next to golf course and within walking distance of town. Dogs welcome, max two per pitch. Some pitches are long-stay. Two-person tent £12.50, hook-up £22. (updated May 2022)
* 55.6238-3.52452 Kirkstyle Hotel, 72 High St ML12 6BJ, ☏ +44 1899 220552. This 8-room hotel on High St gets great reviews for comfort and service. B&B double £100. (updated May 2022)
* 55.6249-3.52183 Elphinstone Hotel, 145 High St ML12 6DL, ☏ +44 1899 220044. Friendly, value place with 11 rooms midway along High St. B&B double £80. (updated May 2022)
* 55.6013-3.56014 Cornhill Castle Hotel, Coulter Rd ML12 6QE, ☏ +44 1899 220001. Plush baronial lodge built in 1851 and often used for weddings. The restaurant is open to non-residents F-Su. B&B double £170. (updated May 2022)
* 55.6466-3.58225 Shieldhill Castle Hotel, Shieldhill Rd ML12 6NA, ☏ +44 1899 221331. The original building is from 1199, though most is Georgian or later. Upscale accommodation, often hosts weddings, and they're also pitching to the ghost-seeker trade. B&B double £170. (updated May 2022)
* 55.62677-3.527026 The Old Mill, Bed & Breakfast, Burn Braes, ML12 6LY (in the Burn Braes, right beside the carpark), ☏ +44 7462 088213, biggaroldmill@gmail.com. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 11:00. A newly renovated old corn mill that still holds the complex gearing mechanism that once churned the waterwheel centuries prior. It's home to both a double suite, family suite, and a breakfast/public area. £85 — £140. (updated Dec 2024)

## Connect

As of May 2022, Biggar has 4G from EE, O2 and Vodafone, but only a basic mobile signal from Three. 5G has not reached this area.

## Go next

* West to Lanark and the social and industrial history of New Lanark.
* East into the Tweed valley at Peebles, and follow it to the great abbeys of Melrose, Dryburgh, Jedburgh and Kelso.
* North along the flank of the Pentlands is unmissable Edinburgh.