Walking the Galloway Hills

Guidebook describing mountain walks in the Galloway Hills of southern Scotland, covering Trool, Minnoch, Doon and Talnotry. Offering solitude and rugged natural beauty, this rocky, heathery wilderness presents some great hiking opportunities suitable for experienced hillwalkers. Includes summaries of longer backpack/bothy trips.

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Overview

This guide covers 34 day walks and one long-distance route in the wild and remote hills of Galloway. Although there are some shorter and easier routes, many of these hill walks are long and on rugged terrain, so are more suitable for experienced walkers. The walks cover the evocative areas of The Merrick, The Awful Hand, The Rhinns of Kells, the Minnigaff hills and Cairnsmore of Fleet, among others.

The guide uses OS 1:50,000 maps with detailed route descriptions and photos accompanying each route. Key information such as distance, time, and ascent are given. A harshness grade gives an indication of how rough the ground is expected to be, and suggestions of variants, shortcuts and ways to extend each walk are also given.

The Galloway Hills are small, but special. They stretch just 15 miles from west to east, and 25 miles north to south almost as small as Snowdonia. Within this largely pathless area there are 28 summits over 2000ft (600m) including four Corbetts. Plenty of background information is given on the region's fascinating and important history.

Table of Contents

Contents
Introduction
Harshness and heather
Geology of the Galloway Hills
Wildlife and wet
Free Forest of Buchan
Forest park and biosphere
Climbing and scrambling
When to walk
Getting here, getting around, staying the night
Maps and GPS
Safety in the hills
Using this book
Section 1: Glen Trool
Route 1 Water of Minnoch and Glen Trool
Route 2 Water of Trool
Route 3 Around Loch Trool
Route 4 Fell of Eschoncan to Bennan
Route 5 Merrick and Rig of the Buchan
Route 6 The Three Lochs
Route 7 Craignaw
Route 8 Craiglee and Rig of the Jarkness
Route 9 Mulldonoch to Curleywee
Route 10 Caldron of the Merrick
Section 2: The Awful Hand
Route 11 Kirriereoch Hill and Merrick
Route 12 The Awful Hand: Shalloch to Benyellary
Route 13 Shalloch on Minnoch
Route 14 Craigmasheenie and Shiel Hill
Section 3: Loch Doon
Route 15 Craiglee of Doon
Route 16 Hoodens Hill and Mullwharchar
Route 17 Northern Rhinns of Kells from Loch Doon
Section 4: The Glenkens
Route 18 Garryhorn and the northern Rhinns of Kells
Route 19 Cairnsmore of Carsphairn
Route 20 Craig of Knockgray
Route 21 Corserine from Forrest Lodge
Route 22 Southern Rhinns of Kells
Route 23 Mulloch Hill
Route 24 Waterside Hill
Route 25 Dunveoch
Section 5: Talnotry and the south
Route 26 Larg Hill to Curleywee
Route 27 Curleywee by Stronbae Hill
Route 28 Millfore
Route 29 Cairnsmore of Fleet from the north
Route 30 Cairnsmore of Fleet from the south
Route 31 Clints of Dromore
Route 32 Knockman Wood
Route 33 The Thieves Stones
Route 34 Wood of Cree
Section 6: Expeditions
Route 35 Not the Southern Upland Way
Other routes

Appendix A Route summary table
Appendix B The bothies
Appendix C Information points

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