The Mount

Situated at the quieter southern end of the Pentland Hills near Carlops, this rounded moorland summit offers a sense of isolation often missing from the busier northern peaks. Its heather-clad slopes provide a straightforward ascent, rewarded with an expansive panorama stretching across the Borders and toward the distinctive Moorfoot Hills.

• •The name is a straightforward Scots-English descriptive term for a prominent rising, serving as a key landmark for those navigating the historical routes through the southern Pentlands.
• •The hill sits adjacent to the "Thieves' Road," an ancient track once used by drovers and cattle rustlers to move livestock undercover between the Scottish Borders and the markets of the Lothians.
• •From the summit, the eye is drawn southward across the rolling landscape of the Borders towards the distant, bulky profile of Culter Fell and the hills of the Southern Uplands.
• •The western flanks of the hill form part of the catchment for the North Esk Reservoir, with the local peat hags feeding the headwaters of the River North Esk.
• •Despite the name's suggestion of alpine grandeur, the primary challenge of the ascent is usually the meticulous negotiation of saturated peat hags rather than any technical difficulty.