Lanark

Lanark is a small market town in Clydesdale, South West Scotland, and is nowadays a commuter town for Glasgow. The prime reason to visit is for the nearby UNESCO world heritage site of New Lanark. It was at Lanark that William Wallace (1270-1305) first strode into history, leading a 1297 uprising against the English and killing the Sheriff. This escalated into the First War of Scottish Independence, and Wallace triumphed a few months later at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.

Wellgate, Lanark

For other places with the same name, see Lanark (disambiguation).

Get in

Trains run from Glasgow Central (lower level) every 30 mins via Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke to Lanark, taking an hour. From Edinburgh or England, change at Motherwell.

By bus: Stuarts Coaches Bus 240X / 241X runs from Glasgow Buchanan Street via Wishaw and Carluke to Lanark, hourly M-Sat.

Stuarts Coaches Bus 91 runs hourly M-Sat from Lanark via Symington to Biggar, which has an hourly bus to Edinburgh.

Stuarts Coaches Bus 30 / 31 runs M-Sat 3 or 4 times a day from Lanark via Thankerton, Symington, Abington, Crawford and Leadhills to Wanlockhead.

Whitelaws Coaches Bus 258 runs every couple of hours M-Sat from Lanark via Kirkmuirhill to Lesmahagow - this is on A74(M) with buses between Glasgow and Dumfries.

🌍 Lanark train & bus stations are on Bannatyne Street.

By car: Lanark is near the junctions of the A70, A72 and A73. New Lanark is signposted on brown tourist signs from the M8 and M74 motorways.

Get around

To New Lanark: Stuarts Coaches Bus 135 runs between town and New Lanark, M-Sat hourly and two per hour Sunday. It's a ten minute ride, or a two mile walk.

Taxi: a ride within town will cost around £5, to New Lanark will be about £10. Several firms are based along the High Street:

• Cameron Taxis 68 High Street, ML11 7ES, tel [phone]
• Clydewide Taxis 99 High Street, ML11 7LN, tel [phone]
• Ellen's Taxis 68A High Street, ML11 5JU, tel [phone]

See

• See 🌍 New Lanark for the nearby mill village, and waterfalls along the Clyde.
• 🌍 Girnin Dug, Castlegate, ML11 9DZ. A statue of a dog, erected in the 1840s by its owner. He suspected that his dog had been poisoned by a neighbour, so put up this statue on his roof, its reproachful expression directed to the home of the offending neighbour. 
• 🌍 Lanark Museum, 29 Bloomgate, ML11 9ET, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 1030-1630 every Friday and Saturday. Tells the history of the town, which is one of Scotland's oldest burghs. 
• Nothing remains of Lanark Castle except a marker at the end of Castlegate.

Do

• There's a Golf Club east of town off Whitelees Rd, and a 🌍 Tennis Club north of the centre on Chapland Road with floodlit all-weather courts.
• 🌍 Scottish Equestrian Centre, Lanark Race Course ML11 9TA, ☎ [phone]. Activity based stays: riding lessons, hacking, forest trails, ponies. With its own hotel and B&B on site.

  The Centre is on the old race course, which closed as a racing venue back in 1977. The nearest racetrack is at Hamilton Park, which has flat-racing May-Oct. (updated Jan 2019)

• Lanark Lanimers. "Lanimers" means Land Marches, or beating the bounds of the burgh. A ceremony has been held each year since 1140, usually on the Thursday between 6 and 12 June. Dressing up, parades, pipe bands and suchlike. The next event is Thurs 6 June 2019. In recent years there's also been a winter parade in late Nov. (updated Jan 2019)

Buy

There's a Tesco and a Morrisons in town centre.

Eat

• 🌍 Prego, 3 High Street, ML11 7LU, ☎ [phone]. Tu-Su 12:00-14:00 and 17:00-23:00. Offers pizza, pasta and seafood, and other Italian cuisine. (updated Jan 2019)
• 🌍 Route 36, 36 Wellgate, ML11 9DS, ☎ [phone]. W-F 12:00-14:30 & 17:30-21:00, Sa Su 12:00-20:00. American diner: burgers, hot dogs, ribs, fries, nachos and sundaes. (updated Jan 2019)
• There's an Indian restaurant Jholpai at 1 Hope St (daily 17:00-22:00) and a Chinese takeaway by the railway station (W-M 16:00-23:00).

Drink

• 🌍 Clydesdale Inn, 15 Bloomgate, ML11 7ET, ☎ [phone]. Su-Th 09:00-23:00, F 09:00-01:00, Sa 09:00-00:00. No longer a Wetherspoon and the food has taken a dive, but still a decent drink. (updated Jan 2019)
• 🌍 Maisies Bar, 12 Wellgate, ML11 9DT, ☎ [phone]. Known locally as the "braw wee pub", Maisies is a small bar in the town's Wellgate. (updated Dec 2015)

Sleep

• 🌍 Cartland Bridge Country House Hotel, Glasgow Road, ML11 9UE, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 11:00. Situated within a Category A listed building, the hotel was once known as the Baronald House from the time it was built in the late 1800s until 1939 when it was requisitioned by the War Office as part of the war effort. After the war it became a home for inebriates (alcoholics) but was closed in 1954 and in 1962 reopened as a hotel. There are a total of 18 bedrooms, each with en suite facilities. There are several dining rooms, function rooms and a bar. Food is served throughout the day, with breakfast included in the price of most rooms. The hotel is operated by Best Western. (updated Dec 2015)
• And see "Do" listing for the Equestrian Centre.

Connect

Go next

• Follow A70 west towards Alloway near Ayr, birthplace of Robert Burns, or to Ardrossan the ferry port for the Isle of Arran.
• East, head via Peebles into the Tweed valley and Scottish Borders, with fine ruined abbeys at Melrose and Jedburgh.
• Glasgow and Edinburgh are just over an hour away.

Routes through Lanark

Hamilton ← Crossford ←	W  E	→ Biggar → Galashiels
Cumbernauld ← Carluke ←	NW  SE	→ Abington
Ayr ← Douglas ←	SW  NE	→ Carstairs → Edinburgh
Glasgow ← Motherwell ←	NW  S	→ END