Scotland
Carlin's Cairn
807M
2648FT
About Carlin's Cairn
Situated on the rugged Rhinns of Kells ridge, this high Galloway Donald offers a wilder alternative to the busier peaks of the Merrick range. Its summit is dominated by an unusually large, well-built stone pile. Most walkers reach it via the long, grassy spine from its higher neighbour, Corserine.
Key Statistics
Rank
3rd Highest in Region
Parent Range
Southern Uplands
Prominence
?
99m
Nearest Town
Dumfries and Galloway
Geology
You are walking across a foundation of sandstone and mudstone, the two primary rocks that make up this fell’s rugged terrain.
Nearby Fells
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NX496883
Latitude
55.1667°N
Longitude
4.3612°W
Did You Know?
- •The name 'Carlin' stems from the Scots and Gaelic for an old woman or a witch. Local folklore attributes the massive summit cairn to a woman who supposedly carried the stones to the top in her apron to build a monument for Robert the Bruce while he was a fugitive in the Galloway wilds.
- •The hill is a key point on the Rhinns of Kells traverse, a ten-mile ridge walk that stays mostly above the 600m contour. It is frequently accessed from the east via Forrest Lodge, following the forest tracks through the sprawling Galloway Forest Park.
- •From the summit, the view west is dominated by the vast, shimmering peat bogs of the Silver Flowe National Nature Reserve, set against the dramatic, craggy backdrop of the Merrick and the Range of the Awful Hand.
- •Despite the name suggesting a single cairn, the summit plateau is so expansive and often wind-blasted that you may find yourself wandering between various piles of stones, questioning which one actually belongs to the legendary Carlin.