Black Mount

About Black Mount

Rising prominently above the A702 near Dolphinton, this bulky Southern Uplands Marilyn offers a straightforward but rewarding ascent through heather and grass. Its position on the edge of the range provides an excellent vantage point, looking across the Medwin Water valley toward the higher tops of the Culter Hills.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is a straightforward English description of the hill’s dark, heather-clad slopes, which distinguish it from the paler, grass-covered hills found further east toward the Meldons.
• •Situated on the border of South Lanarkshire and the Scottish Borders, the hill serves as a prominent landmark for travellers on the A702, marking the transition from the rolling farmland of the Clyde valley to the higher Southern Uplands.
• •The summit trig point offers a clear line of sight to the distinctive, broad-shouldered profile of Tinto to the west, while the entire chain of the Pentland Hills is visible stretching away to the north-east.
• •Walkers often approach from the north-east near Dolphinton, following the old drove road that skirts the northern flank before striking up the steeper ground to reach the 516-metre high point.
• •The summit is a broad, exposed plateau that offers very little in the way of shelter, proving that 516 metres is more than high enough to host a truly miserable microclimate when the wind picks up.