Lockerbie - town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, UK

Lockerbie is a town in Dumfries and Galloway in southwest Scotland, with a population of 4190 in 2020. It's on the road and railway between Carlisle and Glasgow, and grew up as a "planned town" from the 18th century. But its name is forever linked to the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 above the town on 21 December 1988.

Understand

Pan Am Flight 103 was a regular service from Frankfurt via London Heathrow and New York JFK to Detroit. It involved a change of plane at Heathrow for the transatlantic sector, and on 21 Dec 1988 this aircraft was Clipper Maid of the Seas, a "Jumbo" Boeing 747-121. The winter night had fallen when it left on time, taking off at 18:25. At 19:02 over Lockerbie it was decapitated by an explosion: the nose with the flight crew fell into a field east of town at Tundergarth, where it became the defining image of the tragedy. The rest plunged into the houses both sides of the railway track in the south part of town, and the fuel caused a huge explosion. All 243 passengers and 16 crew were killed, and 11 residents of Lockerbie.

An immense forensic investigation combed the area for evidence. This pointed to a bomb placed in an unaccompanied suitcase flown to Frankfurt from Luqa airport Malta, wrapped up in clothing purchased in Sliema. The shopkeeper identified Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, a Libyan. This man had entered Malta on a false passport and left Luqa for Tripoli at the same time as the departure to Frankfurt, so he had an opportunity to switch tags on the fatal bag. In 1991 he was indicted for 270 murders, along with Lamin Khalifah Fhimah the Libyan airlines manager at Luqa.

There was then a great game of diplomatic and legal chess, with UN sanctions against Libya, a pariah state under its leader Muammar Gaddafi. In 1999 Gaddafi handed over the two men at a neutral venue, Camp Zeist near Utrecht in the Netherlands. Scotland claimed jurisdiction under its separate legal system, and a panel of three Scots judges convened at Camp Zeist in their Calvinist robes and cravats. Both the accused declined to testify. In 2001 al-Mehgrahi was found guilty but Fhimah was acquitted.

Appeals came and went and al-Mehgrabi spent 10 years in Scottish jails protesting his innocence. He was released in 2009 terminally ill with prostate cancer, but the Libyan climate revived him, and he survived until 2012. There have been plenty of alternative theories but it's difficult to avoid the conclusion that he did what the judges decided he did, but was acting on behalf of others who were never brought to justice.

Get in

Lockerbie is along the main Carlisle - Glasgow road A74(M). Bikes and non-motorway traffic should take B7076 the old road parallel.

North, the motorway and old road run level to Beattock village (turnoff for Moffat) then climb over Beattock summit at 1033 ft / 315 m before descending the Clyde valley to Abington (turn-off for Edinburgh), Hamilton and Glasgow. The summit can be wintry but it's very rare for the motorway to close. It's sometimes Scotland's lifeline when all other roads are blocked.

The town is on the main London - Glasgow railway line, but most trains thunder through non-stop. From London or the Midlands change onto the hourly Transpennine trains, which run from Liverpool or from Manchester Airport and Piccadilly via Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme (for Lake District), Penrith and Carlisle. They continue from Lockerbie either to Motherwell and Glasgow Central, or to Edinburgh.

Change at Carlisle for the train from Newcastle via Hexham, and the slow train from Glasgow Central via Kilmarnock, Sanquhar, Dumfries, Annan and Gretna Green.

Trains are disrupted until 5 June 2023 as Carstairs junction is being re-engineered, and trains towards Glasgow are diverted via Kilmarnock.

Lockerbie railway station 📍 is in town centre. There's a staffed ticket office but no machines. There are toilets and a waiting room, and step-free access to both platforms.

Stagecoach West Scotland Bus 81 runs from Dumfries M-Sa every 30 min, every two hours Sunday, taking 20 min via Torthorwald to Lockerbie High St and continuing to Broomhouses industrial estate.

Houston's Bus 382 trundles 3 or 4 times a day from Carlisle, taking 80 min via Gretna, Kirtlebridge and Ecclefechan; the train takes less than 20 min.

Houston's Bus 380 runs every couple of hours from Moffat, taking 35 min via Beattock and Newton Wamphray.

Inter-city buses for Glasgow and Edinburgh rush past on the motorway and don't stop here. Change at Moffat for the Glasgow - Dumfries service.

Get around

You can walk round town, including the mile to the cemetery, as A709 Dumfries Road has a sidewalk that far. You need wheels for anything further out.

Taxis in town are Sandy's Cab (+44 7851 723643), PA Taxis (+44 7591 648400) and AC Taxis (+44 7597 199357).

See

• Lockerbie Air Disaster Memorial Window, Town Hall, High St, Lockerbie DG11 2ES, 55.1216°, -3.355°. M-F 09:00-16:00. This triple window depicts the flags of all the nations of those lost. It's within the Council lesser chamber and best seen from within. It's normally accessible in office hours but you may have to work around council business. Free 2022-05-13
• Dryfesdale Cemetery, Dumfries Rd, Lockerbie DG11 1HZ, 55.1155°, -3.3782°. Visitor centre Mar-Oct daily 10:00-15:00. This contains the town's main memorial to the Flight 103 disaster, with a Garden of Remembrance, a memorial monument, and stones for the individual victims. The cemetery is always accessible. Dryfesdale Lodge is the visitor centre. 2022-05-13
• Hallmuir POW Chapel, 55.0996°, -3.3671°. Hallmuir in the Second World War housed Italian POWs, who used this hut as a chapel. From 1947 it housed Ukrainian POWs who'd fought for Germany in the Waffen SS - these were the lucky ones who missed the general deportation agreed at Yalta, to be put to death or sent to gulags in Stalin's USSR. Some 465 of them were held at Hallmuir and they embellished the hut as an Orthodox chapel, and it continued in use after they left. Most avoided returning to the USSR and became part of the Ukrainian diaspora. In 2022 the chapel is being used as a collection point for aid to Ukraine. 2022-05-13
• Thomas Carlyle's Birthplace, High St, Ecclefechan DG11 3DG, 55.0592°, -3.2643°, +44 1576 300666. Closed until further notice. Carlyle (1795-1881) was born in this unassuming 18th century house. He went on to become the leading historian and essayist of his age. 2022-05-12
• Lochmaben Castle 📍 is a well-ruined 14th century bastion, abandoned in the 17th century. It's free to view 24 hours. You might question how its Hereditary Keeper the Earl of Mansfield is discharging his responsibilities, but on his watch no enemy has seized this rubble.
• Elshieshields 📍 is another 14th century turret, but renovated into a family residence, lately the home of historian Steven Runciman (1903-2000). The house is available to let as a private study and spiritual retreat, if you happen to be Russian Orthodox, and the grounds may be open to stroll.
• Wallace's House 📍 is a natural redoubt on the edge of Ae Forest, a promontory surrounded by deep gullies and reinforced by an earthwork rampart and dyke. It's believed William Wallace and his men were based here in 1297 as they planned to capture Lochmaben Castle (predecessor to the present ruin). But this redoubt is probably centuries older.

Do

• Lockerbie Ice Rink, 14 Glasgow Road, Lockerbie, DG11 2AR, 55.127068°, -3.360483°, +44 1576 202197. This is closed until Oct 2022. 2022-05-13
• Eskrigg Reserve, Quaas Loaning, Lockerbie DG11 1HY, 55.1102°, -3.3721°. 24 hours. Pleasant woodland walks around an old curling pond, which was restored in 1988 to support wetland wildlife. Free 2022-05-13
• Golf: Lockerbie GC (dead link: January 2023) is on Corrie Rd just east of town. Lochmaben GC is five miles west. Several more around Dumfries.

Buy

• Tesco is the main store, by the railway station. It's open M-Sa 07:00-22:00, Su 08:00-22:00.
• Cobwebs, 30 Townhead Street, Lockerbie DG11 2AG, +44 15762 202554. M-Sa 10:00-16:00. Antiques, repros, curios and second-hand furniture. 2022-05-13
• Farmers Market is in Town Hall on the third Saturday of the month Sept-Dec and Feb-July, 09:30-13:00.

Eat

• Just Be Bistro, 53 High St, Lockerbie DG11 2JH (by Town Hall), +44 1576 205715. Tu-Su 09:00-16:00. Friendly place, good for a quick bite before taking the train. 2022-05-13
• Café 91, 91 High Street, Lockerbie DG11 2DA (100 yards south of town hall), +44 1576 202379. M-Sa 09:00-17:00, Su 10:00-16:00. Cozy, casual café popular with locals. 2022-05-13
• Lucky Rainbow is a Chinese takeaway at 46 High St, open Th-Su 16:30-19:00.

Drink

• Royal Bar, 6 Station Road, Lockerbie DG11 2HA (by railway station), +44 1576 202374. M-W 11:00-23:00, Th-Su 11:00-00:00. Cosy, casual trad pub with pool table and darts. 2022-05-13
• Black Bull, 13 Station Road, Lockerbie DG11 2HA (by railway station), +44 1576 202647. M-W 11:00-23:00, Th-Sa 11:00-00:00, Su 12:00-23:00. Bar with a pleasant beer garden. 2022-05-13
• The Brig, 35 Bridge St, Lockerbie DG11 2EH (100 yards east of railway station), +44 1576 202342. M-W 11:00-23:00, Th-Su 11:00-00:00. Bright buzzing place. 2022-05-13
• Brewery: Lowland Brewing on Well St make a range of ales. No tours.
• Distilleries: see Dumfries#Drink for two in Dalton - Ninefold make rum and Oro make gin. The nearest whisky distillery is in Annan.

Sleep

• King's Arms Hotel, 29 High Street, Lockerbie DG11 2JL (by railway station), +44 1576 202410, info@kingsarmshotel.co.uk. Clean welcoming trad hotel in town centre, pet friendly. B&B double £85 2022-05-13
• Crown Hotel, 95 High Street, Lockerbie DG11 2DA, +44 1576 228530. This remains closed. 2022-05-13
• Townhead Hotel closed and was sold in March 2022. It's not yet known if the new owner will run it as a hotel.
• Somerton House Hotel, 35 Carlisle Road, Lockerbie DG11 2DR, 55.1122°, -3.3551°, +44 1576 202583. Comfy smart midrange place in a Victorian mansion south side of town, dog-friendly. B&B double £90 2022-05-13
• Sure Hotel (Best Western; formerly Queen's Hotel), Old Annan Road, Lockerbie DG11 2RB, 55.1088°, -3.3525°, +44 1576 202415. Mid-price chain hotel in Victorian villa, good scores for comfort, service and food. B&B double £90 2022-05-13
• Dryfesdale Hotel, Dryfebridge, Lockerbie DG11 2SF, 55.1389°, -3.3683°, +44 1576 202427. Mixed reviews for this hotel north side of town. B&B double £80 2022-05-13
• Bishopcleuch Guest House, Boreland Rd, Lockerbie DG11 2RH (On B723), 55.1451°, -3.3482°, +44 1576 203652. Charming B&B in a farmhouse north of town, a hidden gem. B&B double £120 2022-05-13
• Riverside Mill, Dalton Hook, Lockerbie DG11 1DG, 55.0717°, -3.3947°, +44 1576 510016. Peaceful clean B&B on River Annan 5 miles southwest of town. Cash or cheque only, no cards. B&B double £80
• Lochmaben has Crown Hotel.
• Ecclefechan has Ecclefechan Hotel, Kirkconnel Hall Hotel and Cressfield.
• Days Inn, Annandale Water, Lockerbie DG11 1HD (A74(M) Exit 16), 55.2205°, -3.4107°, +44 844 225 0789. Functional motel on motorway, mostly a pit stop on the way to Glasgow, but has access to the old road. Double £50 2022-05-13

Connect

Lockerbie and the A74(M) have 4G from all UK carriers, but there's little signal on the side lanes. As of March 2022, 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

• Dumfries is where the poet Robert Burn spent his final years.
• Annan is where they brewed "the devil's porridge", a military secret.
• Gretna is still an English wedding destination, but the Scots never needed to elope there.