A week-long festival celebrating a Dumfries and Galloway river, and its connections to community, culture, and climate resilience, takes place this September. ImMerse Festival returns for its second year, offering residents and visitors the chance to explore the River Annan through science, storytelling, and hands-on discovery.
The ImMerse Festival runs from Saturday 20th to Saturday 27th September 2025, combining environmental science with cultural heritage, inviting participants to explore how human communities and natural systems have shaped each other over centuries.
The festival programme consists of seven carefully curated events that follow the River Annan’s journey from its mouth at the Solway Firth upstream to its source in the Moffat Hills. Each day reveals different aspects of the river’s story, from the saltmarsh ecosystems where fresh water meets the sea, to the ancient woodlands and healing wells of the upper catchment.
The programme is designed to be enjoyed as stand-alone events, or as a week long immersive experience. It includes expert-led sessions on citizen science, visits to historic estates, explorations of innovative hydroelectric schemes, and woodland walks, culminating in a challenging hike to find the river’s source. All events are free of charge, but some require advance booking due to limited capacity.
Shovi Anjum, Project Officer at Solway Firth Partnership, said:
“The River Annan constantly reshapes the Solway’s saltmarsh, eroding some areas while building up others. We can track this with citizen science, showing how the marsh traps sediment, filters water and protects the coast.
“The ImMerse festival offers a wonderful way to experience these dynamic processes firsthand, helping participants understand how their local environment responds to changing conditions while discovering ways they can contribute to ongoing monitoring and conservation efforts.”
The ImMerse Festival is part of SCAMP Landscape Connections project with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and D&G Climate Hub. ImMerse is delivered by a partnership including SCAMP Landscape Connections, D&G Climate Hub and Annan Harbour Action Group, and is supported by funding from Net Zero Scotland.
Jenna Cairns from D&G Climate Hub added:
“We are really excited to be part of ImMerse in its second year, exploring the River Annan and the Solway’s precious merse; the saltmarsh environment that has been so intrinsically connected with the history and culture of our coast since time immemorial.
“This year’s programme of events is designed as a complete journey of discovery, showing how interconnected our river systems are with the communities that depend on them. There are some inspiring speakers who will share rare insights into the river and its landscapes, as well as exciting opportunities to get directly involved in citizen science.”
One of the festival’s strengths is its integration of human history with environmental science. Participants can hear from Alexander Bell-Irving, whose family has lived alongside the River Annan since around 1200, offering insights into how land management practices have evolved and what sustainable stewardship might look like for future generations. They can also meet David Johnstone of Annandale Estates to find out about Johnstone Bridge’s innovative hydro scheme and the capacity of the river to generate power.
The programme culminates with artist and filmmaker John Wallace leading participants to the river’s source, sharing insights from his decade-long exploration of how climate change is affecting Scotland’s upland watersheds. John added:
“There’s a Border saying – ‘Annan, Tweed & Clyde aa rise up on ae hillside’ but that’s not strictly true! In the high country beyond the Devil’s Beeftub, water drips, seeps, runs and rushes through an intricate patchwork of hills and bogs, gills and sikes, eventually making its way to three different sides of Scotland. Ten years on from the start of my examination of early climate change impacts and our human relationships with this diverse landscape, I’m looking forward to leading an artist’s-eye walk in search of one – or many – of the sources of Annan Water.”
Event booking: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/scamp-landscape-connections-114062349241
