Scotland
Ben Horn
520M
1706FT
About Ben Horn
Rising above the Sutherland coast, this heather-clad Marilyn offers a quieter, wilder experience than its nearby neighbour, Ben Bhraggie. The ascent typically follows forestry tracks before opening into rugged moorland, eventually rewarding walkers with a clear panorama encompassing the Dornoch Firth and the isolated, conical peak of Morven to the north.
Key Statistics
Rank
155th Highest in Region
Parent Range
North West Highlands
Prominence
?
354m
Nearest Town
Highland
Geology
Ben Horn is built from sandstone and conglomerate. You are walking on layers of compressed sand and stone made from pebbles and rock fragments cemented together.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NC807063
Latitude
58.0302°N
Longitude
4.0213°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is likely derived from the Gaelic Beinn na h-Eòrna, meaning 'Hill of the Barley', suggesting that the sheltered lower slopes were historically used for cultivation.
- •From the summit cairn, the view stretches across the vast expanse of the Flow Country, a peatland environment of international ecological importance that dominates the interior of Sutherland and Caithness.
- •Despite its modest height, the hill's isolation gives it a prominence of over 300 metres, providing an unobstructed sightline south across to the Tarbat Ness lighthouse on the Easter Ross peninsula.
- •It remains a classic 'second-choice' hill; most visitors to the area satisfy themselves with the monument on Ben Bhraggie, leaving the superior vista and solitude of Ben Horn to the more ambitious walker.