Annan
Discover Annan
Annan is a market town in Dumfries and Galloway in southwest Scotland, with a population of 8700 in 2022. Many town buildings are a warm red sandstone, but the main visitor attraction is the First World War munitions complex that made "the devil's porridge". This agricultural area was the powerbase of the de Brus family, with Robert the Bruce (1274-1329) winning an early victory nearby over the English-backed Balliol on his path to the crown of Scotland. The town grew up at the navigable limit of the River Annan, which flows into Solway Firth, and the poet Robert Burns worked here for a time as an exciseman. The philosopher and writer Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) went to school here and was utterly miserable.
Taste of Annan...
As of Jan 2025, Annan and its approach roads have 4G from Three, and 5G from EE, O2 and Vodafone.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsTrains run from Carlisle via Gretna to Annan (22 mins) and Dumfries every hour or two M-Sa, every couple of hours Sunday. Some of them continue north from Dumfries via Sanquhar and Kilmarnock to Glasgow Central, but it's usually quicker to take the fast London - Glasgow train and change at Carlisle. 54.983-3.2621 Annan railway station is 400 yards south of High Street. There's no ticket office or machines here, so get aboard and buy from the conductor. Annan's old locomotive turntable is still in service in the National Railway Museum in York. Annan is bypassed to the north by the A75 Carlisle to Stranraer road with links into town at either end. Near Gretna the A75 joins the A74(M) motorway, which becomes M6 as it crosses into England. National Cycle Route 7 passes through Annan on its way from Inverness to Sunderland, with a footbridge over the river to carry it to the south of the town. Stagecoach Cumbria Bus 79 runs from Carlisle via Longtown and Gretna to Annan, taking an hour....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
The town is compact and can be explored on foot, but you could do with a bike to reach Ruthwell or the Devil's Porridge. The main taxi operator is Auberge (☏ +44 1461 207676). As of Jan 2025, Annan and its approach roads have 4G from Three, and 5G from EE, O2 and Vodafone.
Where to Stay
As of Jan 2025, Annan and its approach roads have 4G from Three, and 5G from EE, O2 and Vodafone.
Money & Budget
As of Jan 2025, Annan and its approach roads have 4G from Three, and 5G from EE, O2 and Vodafone.