Scotland
Black Hillock
548M
1798FT
About Black Hillock
Rising above the eastern Grampians near Ballater, this rounded moorland summit offers a quiet, pathless alternative to the busier Cairngorm peaks. Its broad, heather-clad slopes provide an expansive sense of isolation, looking across the Girnock Burn towards the rugged, north-facing corries of Lochnagar.
Key Statistics
Rank
208th Highest in The Cairngorms
Parent Range
Data coming soon
Prominence
?
28
Nearest Town
Aberdeenshire
Geology
You are walking over the Glen Gairn Pluton, a massive block of granite formed from molten rock that cooled and hardened deep underground.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NJ242021
Latitude
57.1036°N
Longitude
3.2529°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is a literal English description of the hill's appearance, where 'black' refers to the dark, dense heather cover or the exposed peat common across the Mounth's moorland.
- •The summit offers an excellent vantage point for viewing the sprawling eastern Grampian mountains, specifically the grand corries of Lochnagar and the distant white dome of Beinn a' Bhuird.
- •The ascent is typical of the Aberdeenshire foothills, involving a mix of old estate tracks and pathless, heather-bashing terrain that demands solid navigation in poor visibility.
- •Calling a 548-metre peak a 'hillock' is a fine example of Scottish topographic modesty, usually voiced by someone who hasn't just spent an hour dragging their boots through the surrounding peat bogs.