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A row of stone cottages and a pale painted house along a quiet street in Douglas, flower tubs by the doors.
Scottish Borders

Douglas Village

The small Lanarkshire village where the Black Douglas family began, with the old kirk of St Bride's, a heritage museum and the last tower of Douglas Castle.

Welcome

Douglas is a small village in the hills of South Lanarkshire, but its name echoes through Scottish history.

This is where the mighty Douglas family began, and its most famous son, James Douglas, was Robert the Bruce's most feared warrior: the Good Sir James to the Scots, and the Black Douglas to the English.

The heart of the village is St Bride's, a 14th-century church with medieval effigies of the Douglases, including James himself. Its clock is said to have been a gift from Mary Queen of Scots. Nearby, the Douglas Heritage Museum, in the old Dower House, is run by volunteers and opens on weekend afternoons from April to September, telling the story of the family, the village and the Cameronian regiment raised here in 1689.

Of Douglas Castle itself, only a single tower on a mound survives.

A little further outDuke’s DeliA deli and cafe on Castlegate in Lanark, with coffee, wine, cheese boards and good food to eat in or take away, and hampers.20 min by roadSee itA filled flatbread with salad and a glass of water on a wooden table at the Duke's Deli in Lanark.
Before you go

A village, open at any hour; the heritage museum opens on weekend afternoons from April to September.

Where
Off the A70, South Lanarkshire.
St Bride's
14th century.
Museum
Weekend afternoons, April to September.
Where it is

Off the A70 in South Lanarkshire, about 45 minutes south of Glasgow, with free street parking.

Close byDouglasdale.
  1. The loch on the Douglas estate, still water mirroring an island of trees under a blue sky, with reeds in front.The Walk to Douglas CastleA gentle walk from the village of Douglas beside a loch to the last tower of Douglas Castle, the old seat of the Black Douglases.1 mile4 min by road
  2. Mural depicting "Heselrig's House Raised to the Ground" as "Wallace's Story ContinuesWallace MuralWallace's story in Lanark.12 miles20 min by road
  3. River Clyde flowing past New Lanark's mill buildings and wooded banksThe Falls of ClydeWaterfalls above New Lanark.13 miles27 min by road
  4. Museum of Lead Mining Visitor Centre sign on a stone gable wallMuseum of Lead MiningAn underground mine and three miners' cottages, in the highest village in Scotland.17 miles24 min by road
Directions
A filled flatbread with salad and a glass of water on a wooden table at the Duke's Deli in Lanark.RestaurantsDuke’s Deli12 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near the village, and when each is next free.

Crossbasket Castle, GlasgowCrossbasket Castle
  • To stay
  • In Scottish Borders
  • 19 miles from Douglas
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in the Scottish BordersAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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