The wild goats of Langholm and Newcastleton Hills have been a treasured part of our daily lives for hundreds of years. These magnificent creatures bring joy to anyone fortunate enough to spot them gracefully traversing across the fell. With a number young kids among them, they embody the true nature of life and resilience in our rural setting. Indeed, these harmless beings coexist peaceably with all creatures on the fell, inflicting harm upon no one.

Wild goats have roamed the windswept mountains, exposed hills and remote places of Scotland for centuries. It is chronicled that there were herds around Ben Lomond in the time of Robert The Bruce (1274-1292). In 1590, Mad Colin Campbell and his followers encountered wild goats in Glen Lyon and the island of Eileen nan Gobher (Isle of Goats), was reported to have had a herd during Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite rebellion (1745-6).

A long established herd, hefted to the 30,000 acres of Langholm and Newcastleton Hills in southern Scotland has been assessed by the British Primitive Goat Research Group as conforming to the hardy, primitive landrace type that developed from animals brought to the British Isles in the Stone Age by early nomadic herds’ people. Dr Shirley Goodyer of the research group, commented that this makes this particular herd both biologically and culturally significant.

We must not forget that preserving biodiversity contributes to overall ecological balance, and these wild goats form a part of our area's diverse wildlife.

Let the wild goats of Langholm and Newcastleton Hills continue to roam freely, as they have for centuries, a living testament to our shared history and the earth's wondrous biodiversity.