Murder, mystery, heroes and history: just some of the subjects explored in a new historical walking tour featuring the town of Moffat as its central character. Dumfries-based tour creators and researchers Mostly Ghostly Tours are thrilled to be launching Dark Tales of Old Moffat – the latest in their exciting collection. The tour debuts on Sunday 30th July and will run regularly with five outings planned during the World Gold Panning Championships.
Starting at the famous Moffat Ram, guests are invited to explore a darker, more curious side to this wonderfully vibrant town. Set in various evocative locations, the team will uncover aspects of Moffat’s gripping past featuring some of the key figures and events that have helped shaped its history.
Team Founder Kathleen Cronie commented:
“We love Moffat and have had the most amazing time researching content for our new tour. We’ve learned so much over the past year and are really excited about sharing some of our findings with guests. The tricky part has been deciding what to leave out – there’s so much choice and plenty of scope for a further event!”
One story is especially poignant and charts the final hours of two brave postmen – John Goodfellow and James McGeorge – who battled through the most hostile conditions in order to fulfil their duties. On February 1st 1831, the men sadly lost their lives – their story however, lives on…
Team Member John Hill said:
“The Postie’s story touched all of our hearts: the bravery and determination shown by these two men will feature prominently in our new tour. We feel passionately about highlighting the sacrifice they made and hope to encourage guests to learn more about them.”
Kathleen added:
“A beautiful memorial cairn was erected in their memory and spearheaded by Moffat Museum, a fund has been set up to support much-needed renovations. With that in mind, we’re donating £1 from every full price adult ticket with a further event planned for next year.”
The team have received some great support locally as Kathleen explains:
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the support received from local individuals, community groups and businesses, offering help and putting us in touch with like-minded contacts, suggesting ideas for content and just making us feel incredibly welcome. We feel lucky to have made some very good friends.”
Using dramatic stories and locations, the team aim to raise the profile of alternative tourism in Dumfries & Galloway by showcasing the region’s rich tapestry of local history and tales of the unexpected. Kathleen summed up:
“In the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, we aim to promote Moffat’s fascinating past in dramatic style, encouraging visitors and local people to sample the town’s dark delights. We feel proud to be complimenting what is already a buzzing social calendar and hope to give visitors and local people a unique new reason to visit Moffat!”
- Mostly Ghostly www.mostlyghostly.org
- Dark Tales of Old Moffat launches on Sunday 30th July at 8pm and will run at regular occasions. A number of tours are planned during the World Gold Panning Championships.
