Moffat, Scotland

We stopped off at Moffat on the way down to England last week, just to stretch our legs a wee bit really but the last time I stopped off there I hadn’t realised that the author D.E. Stevenson had lived in the town and is buried in the local cemetery. If you’re a fan of D.E. (a Dessie) and it’s not so easy for you to get to Moffat you might be interested to see what the town is like. I think she was very fond of the place.

A street in Moffat, Scotland

It’s a really small town but it is set in lovely countryside and I can see that it would be a pleasant place to live, it’s far enough away from big places to make small privately owned shops commercially viable so it’s more interesting than lots of bigger towns. Mind you having said that it has an Edinburgh Woollen Mill shop and I was amazed to find that there was one of those in almost every English town that we visited, even Braintree. Moffat even has a bookshop which sells new and second-hand books, and even buys books back from you after you’re finished with them!

A side street in Moffat

The photo below is of a small street at the end of the main street and the houses are very typical of Scottish houses which are about 100 years old.

Moffat, Scotland

The buildings are very definitely Scottish architecture, it isn’t just the fact that they’re built of stone and not brick.

Post Office in Moffat, Scotland

We walked around a lot of the cemetery but couldn’t find D.E.Stevenson. I thought she would have been signposted! I think she’s in there somewhere though and if you have to be buried then I suppose it’s not a bad spot to be, the trees and hills are pretty anyway and the countryside on the way into the town is lovely.

Moffat cemetery.

Next time we pass, I’ll have to do my homework first and find out exactly where D.E. lived and then I can take a photograph of the house and the plaque.

From there we drove on to Lincoln and by then it was chucking it down with rain. They get hardly any rain there and I believe that the farmers had been complaining of drought but obviously the rain wanted us to feel at home as Fife has had the wettest summer for nearly 100 years, in fact it has been the wettest place in Britain. I get the distinct feeling that rain clouds are following us about. If I’m not careful I’ll begin to feel like the Queen as rain almost always fell when she visited places in Africa in the past – only there it’s a sign of good luck!

15 thoughts on “Moffat, Scotland

  1. What a beautiful place to be buried. I love your description of Moffat – I think it sounds like the perfect place to live. And it’s so green and pretty!
    I wish you could come visit Arizona and bring your rain making skills here – it is so dry and still 92 degrees F. I’m so ready for it to be over!

    • Anbolyn,
      If only I could snap my fingers and be in Arizona, I’m sure I’d make it rain. But 92 degrees F is something I’ve never experienced, no wonder you’re ready for a bit of cooler weather!
      I was reminded of that Ab Fab episode when Patsy and Eddy went to India but I could only find it in a compilation. It’s about 2.34 seconds into this You Tube clip, don’t blink or you’ll miss it! That would be my reaction to your Arizona heat! I’d collapse at the airport!

      http://youtu.be/Mt3EYkGbN2U

  2. Lovely area. You’ve seen the photos of my daughter’s little castle-ette in Dollar, haven’t you? I love the charm of the area, but the weather really puts me off. I just can’t tolerate that constant chill rain/threat of rain. For a few days of vacation, it’s marginally bearable, but for a lifetime I’d go bonkers.

    I have seasonal affect disorder and dismal weather throws me into depression. Happy to say that I haven’t had that problem since I moved to Hawaii 22 years ago. Need my sun and balmy breezes.

    • Pearl,
      I don’t think I have seen the photos of your daughter’s castle-ette! I remember you said that she lived near Stirling though. We visited Dollar during the summer as it’s nearby and the hills are lovely around there. We thought we might move there when Jack retires but decided that it is just too far from civilisation, there didn’t seem to be much of a community although the people in the Episcopal church were very friendly.
      People with SAD have a miserable time of it in Scotland, having to sit for hours under sun lamps. You’re definitely in the right place. The weather here can be very depressing even when you’re used to it. I sometimes wonder how we all survive!

  3. Playing Catch up today! I have ancestors in the Moffat cemetery on Edinburgh Road, Moffat. My mother’s family came from Moffat before they moved to Glasgow. Some of them are in the old cemetery at the bottom of the main street too. Nice place! Love that bookshop!

    • Evee,
      I’ve been catching up after being away too. I saw your big advert for ‘pining’. I was dumfoonert, thanks so much. Do you do all the snazzy things on Evee’s Blog yourself? I’m not that talented I’m afraid.
      What a small world, I didn’t realise that there was another cemetery in Moffat. I’ll need to check that one out next time we visit, and visit the bookshop again of course!

  4. Hi, i live and work in moffat, i came across your post whilst looking for photos. I beleive you were looking in the wrong cemetry for d.e stevenson. In your pucture of the houses that are over 100 years old the cemetry that lies above the houses is the old cemetry which actually is double layered. This is where she is buried but ot sure what layer. Hope this helps next time you visit. Xx

    • Lorilee,
      Thanks for the info. We didn’t spend much time in Moffat as we just stopped off there briefly on our way to England but I’m planning to go back around Easter so I hope to get a photo of her grave then. Thanks for stopping by.

      Katrina

  5. By accident I stumbled on this website. I was born and bred in Moffat and while working in my dad ‘s shop used to serve D E Stevenson (pen name). This lady was a very nice person but her real name was Peploe, her husband was a retired army major, a lovely couple ! I think I am right in saying she was a distant relative of R L Stevenson, hence the pen name. If you need help I know who will advise you about the grave. Shona Burnett in the county council office in nearby Lockerbie , she helped me. Shona has plans for cemeteries in the area of Dumfries and Galloway and is very helpful. I have lived in Canada for 58 years.. Happy hunting…………………..sincerely John Mundell.

    • John Mundell,
      Thanks for taking the time to comment with your very interesting information. I knew she was a relative of RLS. I think Stevenson was her maiden name and Peploe her married name, I wonder if he was a relative of the famous Scottish artist – S. J. Peploe? The next time I’m down that way I’ll look up Shona Burnett for help. I’m in Fife, the east of Scotland, I’ve been here about 35 years now, but the west is still home.
      Regards,
      Katrina

  6. I live in Moffat and find it difficult at times. It looks quaint but I would love to move somewhere else. I don’t have any money. There again ‘out of the frying pan in to the fire’ I don’t think it is a good place if you are on your own unless you are perfect.

    • robert,
      Moffat does seem very remote and I can imagine that it’s the sort of place that is best for older people. It doesn’t look like there would be much going on there. It does have lovely countryside around it though. Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to comment.

      Karina

  7. My family left Moffat quite some time ago and immigrated to Canada around 1875. We have a pretty good sized clan going but unfortunatly not a lot of gathering. We have spread out across north america through the years.
    Our history here has been kept well for generations and i have looked at a few sites for historical information about the town Moffat.
    If you have any leads it would be appreciated or questions you might have ill try to answer them.

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