Loch Neldricken

Loch Neldricken lies in Galloway’s hills south-east of Merrick, south of Craig Neldricken and west of Craignaw. A long promontory almost divides the water in two, and the short Mid Burn carries its outflow into Loch Valley. From there Gairland Burn leads down to Loch Trool. The loch sits in a quiet glen surrounded by steep slopes and rough grazing. The loch appears in SR Crockett’s novel The Raiders, where an inlet on its western shore is called ‘Murder Hole’. Crockett moved the real site of the name a few kilometres to a well on the Glen Trool to Straiton road, where robbers once dumped their victims. Recent water tests show the loch has recovered from acid damage: its pH rose from about 4.4 in 1978 to 5.4 in 2003, while dissolved organic carbon levels also increased between 1983 and 2003. Visitors reach the loch along forest tracks or hill paths that start from the Glen Trool area. The water is bordered by heather moor and birch scrub, with views of Merrick and Craignaw on clear days. Anglers sometimes fish for brown trout, and walkers use the loch as a stopping point on routes through the Merrick Kells range. The inlet marked ‘Murder Hole’ on maps is a quiet spot where the water laps against low rocks beside the path.