Closeburn is a village and civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in Dumfries and Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...

, Scotland. The village is on the A76 road

A76 road

The A76 is a major trunk road in south west Scotland.Starting at Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire, the A76 goes through or immediately by-passes Hurlford, Mauchline, Cumnock, Pathhead and New Cumnock before entering Dumfries and Galloway and continuing through Sanquhar, Mennock, Enterkinfoot,...

 2+1/2 mi south of Thornhill

Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway

Thornhill is a town in the Mid Nithsdale area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, south of Sanquhar and north of Dumfries.A monument to the explorer Joseph Thomson , who lived in neighbouring Penpont and Gatelawbridge, can be found close to the school...

. In the 2001 census, Closeburn had a population of 1,119,

Between 1849 and 1961 the village had a railway station. Although Closeburn railway station is now closed, the Glasgow South Western Line

Glasgow South Western Line

The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either via Dumfries, or Stranraer via Ayr, with a branch to East Kilbride.- History :...

 still runs through the village. The nearest stations are at Sanquhar

Sanquhar railway station

Sanquhar railway station is a railway station in the village of Sanquhar, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Glasgow South Western Line. The old station buildings are in use as a holiday home. the station was re-opened together with , , , and...

 and Dumfries

Dumfries railway station

Dumfries railway station serves the town of Dumfries in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located on the Glasgow South Western Line and is managed by First ScotRail who provide all passenger train services...

.

The village is the former location of Wallace Hall Academy

Wallace Hall Academy

Wallace Hall Academy is a secondary school located in Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway in the southwest of Scotland, currently with a roll of over 600 pupils aged from 11 to 65. In 2005 it was awarded the Schools of Ambition award...

, founded in 1723 and now based in Thornhill. The former schoolhouse, built in 1795 and incorporating the original buildings from the 1720s, is a Category A listed building.

Situated 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) east of the village is Closeburn Castle

Closeburn Castle

Closeburn Castle is a tower house, probably of the 14th century, but possibly older, and is one of the oldest continually inhabited houses in Scotland...

, a Category B listed tower house

Tower house

A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...

 that was until 1783 the family seat of the Kirkpatrick family

Kirkpatrick Baronets

The Kirkpatrick Baronetcy, of Closeburn in the County of Dumfries, is a title in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. It was created on 26 March 1685 for Thomas Kirkpatrick, with remainder to heirs male whatsoever...

.

The River Nith

River Nith

The River Nith is a river in South West Scotland.-Source, flow and mouth:The Nith rises in the Carsphairn hills of East Ayrshire, more precisely between Prickeny Hill and Enoch Hill, 7 km East of Dalmellington...

 is on the western boundary of the parish of Closeburn. The eastern part of the parish contains several hills, including the 2286 feet (697 m) Queensberry

Queensberry (hill)

Queensberry is a hill at the southern end of the Lowther Hills in southern Scotland....

, at the southern end of the Lowther Hills

Lowther Hills

The Lowther Hills, also sometimes known as the Lowthers, are an extensive area of hill country in the Southern Uplands of Scotland, though some sub ranges of hills in this area also go under their own local names - see "Hill Walking" below. They form a roughly rhomboidal or lozenge shape on the map...

, part of the Southern Uplands

Southern Uplands

The Southern Uplands are the southernmost and least populous of mainland Scotland's three major geographic areas . The term is used both to describe the geographical region and to collectively denote the various ranges of hills within this region...

. Several streams flow through the area, and the gorge and waterfall at Crichope Linn

Crichope Linn

Crichope Linn is a gorge and waterfall near Gatelawbridge in Dumfries and Galloway, southern Scotland. Linn is the Scots language word for waterfall....

, 3+1/2 mi north-north-east of Closeburn was chosen by Walter Scott

Walter Scott

Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....

 in his novel Old Mortality

Old Mortality

Old Mortality is a novel by Sir Walter Scott set in the period 1679–89 in south west Scotland. It forms, along with The Black Dwarf, the 1st series of Scott's Tales of My Landlord. The two novels were published together in 1816...

as the lair of John Balfour of Burley.

The hamlet of Gatelawbridge

Gatelawbridge

Gatelawbridge is a hamlet in the region of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, two and a half miles east of Thornhill and near the gorge Crichope Linn. The origin of the name is unknown though in the past the locals called it Gateley Bridge, so perhaps it takes its name from a type of bridge over the...

, 2+1/2 mi east of Thornhill, is on the boundary of Closeburn and Morton parishes near Crichope Linn.