A village of South Lanarkshire, Dolphinton is located 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Biggar, 11 miles (18 km) northeast of Carstairs, 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Leadburn and 27 miles (43 km) southwest of Edinburgh. The local manor belonged in the 12th century to Dolfine, elder brother of the first Earl of Dunbar.
The North British Railway opened a station to the north of the village in 1864, the terminus of their Leadburn & Dolphinton Branch. Three years later the Caledonian Railway opened another station as the terminus of their Carstairs & Dolphinton Branch. The two stations were linked, but represented the need to secure 'territories' by the companies involved, rather than serving a rather small village. The former line closed in 1933, the latter in 1950.