Why is there a van at the bottom of the Devil's Beef Tub?

The image of the upturned van was posted on the Dumfries and Galloway What's Going On? Facebook page. Credit: Dumfries and Galloway What's Going On?

An image of an upturned van at the bottom of a huge chasm in Dumfries and Galloway has been attracting a lot of attention on social media.

It was posted by Dumfries and Galloway What's Going On? with the question "Does anybody know the story behind it?"

Another image shows the size of the Devil's Beef Tub - a dramatic hollow within a circle of hills north of Moffat.

You can spot the van as a tiny white dot, surrounded by the hills:

The tiny white dot at the bottom of the photo is the van. Credit: Dumfries and Galloway What's Going On?

Within hours of the photo being posted, a number of people revealed the story behind the van.

Brian Marshall, from Dumfries, posted: "This van has been there for years. Story is a woman was driving towards Moffat, lost control & went all the way to the bottom but came out with only a broken arm."

"The local authorities decided the recovery of the van would be too expensive so left it there."

An old BBC news article supports Brian's account, revealing that a woman driving the van was involved in an accident on the A701.

The article states that the van plunged 500ft down into the Devil's Beef Tub, but that the woman escaped serious injury.

Whatever the story behind the van at the bottom of the Devil's Beef Tub, it's still there, and still getting plenty of people talking.