Mining history

Day 40 was a gentler day after the rigours of yesterday. Setting out from our wee cottage in Wanlockhead, an old mining village, we marvelled at the industrial history, including a water-powered beam engine and the remains of a lead ore crushing plant where children began work as early as eight years old. In former times, Wanlockhead lacked a cemetery – bodies were taken over the hills by horse and cart on the old corpse road, which is now part of the Southern Upland Way. Beautifully graded as a walk, although I wouldn’t have liked to take a horse and cart over some bits of it. Before the mining, this remote area was a hide-out for Covenanters seeking to escape from religious persecution. It's never been an easy life here.

Track of the Day reflects the history of mining and hard labour of these parts: it’s “Sixteen Tons” by Merle Travis (in the Tennessee Ernie Ford version).