The Law

Rising steeply above the Clackmannanshire town of Tillicoultry, this prominent Ochil peak offers a direct, breathless ascent. Though often treated as a stepping stone to its higher neighbour, Ben Cleuch, its sharp southern prow provides one of the finest vantage points over the Forth Valley toward the distant Pentlands.

• •The name is derived from the Old English 'hlāw', meaning a rounded hill or mound, a term frequently found across the Scottish Lowlands and the Borders to denote a prominent height.
• •This hill serves as a primary gateway to the higher Ochils, with the path up its southern ridge providing the most direct, albeit punishingly steep, route from the valley floor to the main plateau.
• •Looking south from the summit cairn, the view is dominated by the industrial skyline of Grangemouth and the three bridges crossing the Firth of Forth, set against the volcanic backdrop of Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh.
• •The hill’s western flanks drop sharply into Mill Glen, a dramatic gorge whose water once powered the numerous textile mills that defined the character of Tillicoultry during the Industrial Revolution.
• •Despite the name, the only local ordinance enforced on these slopes is the law of gravity, which feels particularly heavy as you negotiate the final few hundred metres of the ascent.