Scotland
Fell Hill
417M
1368FT
About Fell Hill
Rising above the eastern side of the Water of Ken, this prominent Southern Uplands summit offers a rewarding perspective on the Rhinns of Kells. Though modest in height, its status as a Marilyn ensures a sense of isolation amidst the rolling, often boggy moorland and nearby forestry plantations of Dumfries and Galloway.
Key Statistics
Rank
380th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Southern Uplands
Prominence
?
184m
Nearest Town
Moniaive
Geology
Fell Hill is built from the Gala Unit 2 formation. You are walking over wacke, a gritty and muddy type of sandstone.
Nearby Fells
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NX721844
Latitude
55.1381°N
Longitude
4.0064°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is a tautology, combining the Old Norse 'fjall' (mountain) with the English 'hill'. This reflects the historical layering of languages in the Southern Uplands, where Norse influence on local terminology survived alongside later Scots and English additions.
- •From the summit, the view west across the Glenkens is dominated by the long, craggy spine of the Rhinns of Kells, with the distinctive profiles of Meikle Millyea and Little Millyea clearly visible across the valley.
- •Despite its relatively low elevation of 417 metres, Fell Hill qualifies as a Marilyn because it possesses over 150 metres of prominence, standing significantly independent of its neighbours.
- •The approach often requires a pragmatic attitude toward local forestry operations; your primary navigational challenge is rarely the gradient, but rather finding a path that hasn't been recently repurposed by a timber harvester.