Loudoun Hill 2026

The annual Loudoun Hill Commemoration was held on 16th May 2026. A small crowd assembled at Loudoun Hill to commemorate victories by William Wallace and King Robert Bruce. Strathleven Artizans and members of the Society of William Wallace led the short march to the Spirit of Scotland sculpture to hold a joint commemoration. First up was Gordon Aitken who spoke about Wallaces ambush of an English baggage train full of stolen goods bound for Kilmarnock and how Wallace and his men defeated the English escort with Wallace dispatching Sir John Fenwick, their commander, in revenge for killing his father. Next up was Duncan Thompson,chairman of Strathleven Artizans, who spoke about the Bruce being involved in a more formal battle here. Planning his battle tactics against Sir Aymer de Vallance, Bruce showed the skills of a master tactitian by drawing the English army into a trap and winning a great victory. Floral tributes were then laid to the fallen on both sides. The ceremony drew in some tourists, keen to know what was going on, and could they watch? They were welcomed to join in. Gordon finished off by talking about the online petition to keep the Wallace safe conduct letter here in Scotland which, hopefully, will gain us more signatories. A nice wee afternoon out in a beautiful setting, and the weather behaved itself, always a bonus.