Scotland
Whiteknowe Head
513M
1683FT
About Whiteknowe Head
Tucked away in the heart of the Manor Hills, this modest dome offers a quiet, peat-hued retreat from the more popular Borders summits. Its rounded, grassy slopes provide a broad platform for looking across the deep trough of Manor Water towards the higher, sturdier bulk of Dollar Law and the Broad Law massif.
Key Statistics
Rank
310th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Manor Hills
Prominence
?
28
Nearest Town
Scottish Borders
Geology
Whiteknowe Head is built from gritty sandstone and fine-grained siltstone. These layers, known as Gala Unit 7, form the solid foundation you are walking on today.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NT268297
Latitude
55.5555°N
Longitude
3.1607°W
Did You Know?
- •The name derives from the Scots 'knowe', meaning a small hill or knoll, while 'white' likely refers to the pale, bleached appearance of mat grass that covers these slopes during the winter months.
- •Positioned on the eastern fringes of the range, the summit offers an excellent perspective over the Manor Water valley towards the sprawling 800-metre peaks of the Broad Law range to the west.
- •Hillwalkers typically visit this summit as a transition point while navigating the high, rolling ridge connecting the Glenrath Heights with the Blackhouse Forest area.
- •Despite the authoritative suffix of 'Head', the summit is a characteristically gentle Southern Upland rise that requires more navigational focus in the mist than it does physical exertion.