Ecclefechan: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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GBP 45 - 100 Kirkconnel Hall Hotel
 Situated just 10 miles north of Gretna and well located in a scenic area of south-west Scotland, Kirkconnel Hall is a magnificent 15th century manor s… MoreGBP 39 - 65 Ecclefechan Hotel
 Less than a mile from the M74, the Ecclefechan Hotel nestles in a country village. The Grade C Listed building offers modern facilities, including fre… MoreGBP 35 - 95 Cressfield Country House Hotel
 With a beautiful rural setting in the spectacular Scottish countryside, this small, family-run hotel is halfway between Lockerbie and Gretna Green, ju… More | ||||||||||||||||||
Ecclefechan: Guide
Ecclefechan is a small town in the south of Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway, most commonly know as 'Fechan' to the locals.
Ecclefechan lies in the valley of the Mein Water, a tributary of the River Annan, 5 miles (8 km) north of Annan and 8 miles (14 km) north of the English border
The famous writer Thomas Carlyle was born there on December 4, 1795. Carlyle left Ecclefechan at the age of 13 and walked the 84 miles to Edinburgh in order to attend university. This was just one of many remarkable achievements, as he went on to establish himself as one of the 19th century’s leading voices on morals and social equality. You can find out more about Carlyle’s life and work through the fascinating collection of portraits and personal belongings.
Carlyle went on to become one of the most powerful influences on 19th century Britain. He rubbed shoulders with Darwin and Dickens. Yet he never forgot his roots and insisted that Ecclefechan should become his final resting place, He was buried there on the 5th February 1881 and still lies there today, in the local churchyard where the grave of Archibald Arnott (1772-1855), Napoleon's doctor on St Helena, can also be found. Carlyle's birthplace "The Arched House" remains a tourist attraction and has been maintained by the National Trust for Scotland since 1936. It is open to the public from May to September, between 1.00pm and 5.00pm from Thursdays to Mondays.
Ecclefechan has a population of 746 (c. Central Register Office 22 Apr 2006) and lies at the foot of a large Roman Fort (Burnswark) which dominates the horizon with its flat top. The High Street of the village has a burn which runs through a culvert below it. This culvert was constructed in 1875 by Dr George Arnott at his own expense.
Ecclefechan has two shops; in which is also a Post Office, a hairdresser, a church, a doctors surgery and a primary school "Hoddom Primary School". It also has three hotels: "The Ecclefechan Hotel" which dominates the High Street and whose white-painted frontage dominates the main junction in the village; the "Cressfield Hotel" which has an adjoining caravan park with full amenities; "Kirkconnel Hall Hotel" which sits to the north. More information on any of these hotels can be found on the internet.
Local produce includes Ecclefechan Tart and a good blended whisky called "The Fechan" whose label denotes the Arched House.
Robert Burns (1759–1796) composed a song entitled The Lass O' Ecclefechan. Ecclefechan also has links to the Guinness family, the story of the Whistling Ploughboy of Ecclefechan under the title "A Guinness With a Difference" was produced by ministries and charts the ploughboy's influence under God on the Guinness family.
Other points to note: "Oor Wullie" of The Sunday Post fame once got a day off school for spelling "ECCLEFECHAN" correctly and the Jocks and the Geordies of the Dandy once reminisced the Great Battle of Ecclefechan.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Ecclefechan". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.