Deadh Choimhead

Often overlooked in favour of Arran’s jagged northern peaks, this Marilyn offers a gentler but rewarding moorland ascent. Rising above the southern end of the island, its heather-clad slopes provide a quieter alternative to Goatfell, commanding a superb, unobstructed perspective across the Firth of Clyde toward the volcanic plug of Ailsa Craig.

• •The name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic 'Deadh Choimhead', meaning 'The Good Lookout', a fitting title for a summit that commands such a wide-reaching view over the southern approaches to the island.
• •The hill is typically climbed via Benlister Glen from Lamlash, a route that trades the rocky scrambling found in the north for a trek through atmospheric, rolling moorland and forestry.
• •To the west of the summit lies the remote Urie Loch, a quiet body of water nestled in the peat hags that is often visited in tandem with a circuit of the local tops.
• •From the summit, the distinctive profile of the Holy Isle is clearly visible in Lamlash Bay, providing a unique perspective on its steep western flanks that is lost to those on the mainland.
• •While hikers on Goatfell are busy comparing Gore-Tex jackets, visitors to Deadh Choimhead are usually busy wondering why they have the entire southern half of the island to themselves.