Overview of Tibbie Shiels Inn

An old coaching inn on the southern shoreline of St Mary's Loch, Tibbie Shiels Inn lies at a bridge which separates this loch from the Loch of the Lowes to the south, 2 miles (3 km) south of Cappercleuch. The inn was established here by Isabella 'Tibbie' Shiels (1783 - 1878) who had moved here in 1823 with her husband, Robert Richardson, who was a mole-catcher. Richardson died the following year and Tibbie Shiels began to take in lodgers. Over the years she extended her cottage, which still offers food and accommodation, but has grown to include a public house and function room. The inn now lies on the Southern Upland Way.

James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd (1770 - 1835), was a regular visitor and he brought his friends, including Professor John Wilson (1785 - 1854) and Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832). Other notable visitors have included Thomas Carlyle (1795 - 1881), William Gladstone (1809-98) and Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94).