Scotland
Belling Hill
354M
1163FT
About Belling Hill
Rising above the remote moorlands of the Southern Uplands, this Marilyn offers a quiet, solitary experience. Its rounded, grassy slopes are typical of the Borders landscape, providing an unimpeded vantage point over the winding Ettrick Water and the sprawling timber plantations of the nearby Craik Forest.
Key Statistics
Rank
706th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Southern Uplands
Prominence
?
151.6m
Nearest Town
Chesters
Geology
Belling Hill sits on a foundation of stacked sandstone and soft, clay-rich mudstones formed from layers of ancient sediment.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NT642118
Latitude
55.3992°N
Longitude
2.5668°W
Did You Know?
- •The name likely stems from the Middle English or Scots word 'belling,' which refers to the bellowing or rutting of deer, a common seasonal sound in these quiet Border forests.
- •Despite its modest height of 354 metres, it qualifies as a Marilyn due to its isolation; the land drops away significantly on all sides to provide a prominence of 152 metres.
- •The summit provides a clear perspective on the Southern Upland landscape, overlooking the vast sheep walks of the Ettrick Valley and the higher silhouettes of Ettrick Pen and Windfell Doe to the west.
- •This area was historically part of the 'Middle March,' a lawless region once dominated by the Border Reivers and the powerful Scott families who operated out of nearby fortified peel towers.
- •Reaching the top usually requires negotiating a quintessential Southern Upland mix of thick heather and peat hags, proving that a hill's character is rarely determined by its altitude alone.