Scotland
Black Law
698M
2290FT
About Black Law
Tucked within the rolling expanse of the Manor Hills, this substantial Donald offers a classic Southern Upland experience. The rounded, peaty summit provides a sense of immense scale and solitude, looking across the deep valley of the Megget Water toward the towering, mast-topped plateau of neighbouring Broad Law.
Key Statistics
Rank
33rd Highest in Region
Parent Range
Manor Hills
Prominence
?
103
Nearest Town
Scottish Borders
Geology
You are walking over layers of gritty, muddy sandstone. This durable rock forms the solid foundation of Black Law.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NT222279
Latitude
55.5388°N
Longitude
3.2332°W
Did You Know?
- •The name combines the Scots 'Law', referring to a rounded hill, with 'Black', signifying the dark heather and peat hags that characterise its upper reaches.
- •It is typically climbed as part of a high-level horseshoe from the Megget Stone, a route that traverses the head of the Talla and Megget valleys.
- •The summit offers a commanding view over the Talla Reservoir, a Victorian engineering feat that supplies water to Edinburgh via a thirty-mile-long aqueduct.
- •As a Donald, it belongs to a list of Lowland hills over 2,000 feet compiled by Percy Donald, who famously preferred these rolling tops to the steeper Highlands.
- •The 'Black' in its name is less a poetic description and more a practical warning about the state of your gaiters after crossing the summit peat hags.