Scotland
Hillshaw Head
652M
2139FT
About Hillshaw Head
Sitting within the rolling grass of the Culter Hills, this Donald offers a classic Southern Uplands experience. While the 2017 Clyde Wind Farm extension now occupies its western slopes, the summit remains a quiet spot for those completing the high-level circuit between Culter Fell and Hudderstone.
Key Statistics
Rank
64th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Southern Uplands
Prominence
?
54m
Nearest Town
Culter Water Head
Geology
You are walking on the Shinnel Formation, where ancient layers of sand and mud have been compressed and hardened into tough, solid rock.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NT048246
Latitude
55.5059°N
Longitude
3.5082°W
Did You Know?
- •The name likely stems from the Scots word 'shaw', meaning a small wood or thicket, indicating that these now-barren slopes once supported significant tree cover.
- •Since 2017, the hill’s western flanks have been part of the Clyde Wind Farm extension, making it a prominent site for renewable energy production in the Southern Uplands.
- •It is most commonly climbed as part of a long horseshoe ridge walk, connecting it to the higher dome of Culter Fell and the neighbouring Garsman's Hill.
- •The summit offers a clear, unobstructed view of the distinct 'Biggar Pap'—the prominent cone of Tinto—rising across the Clyde Valley to the northwest.
- •Navigating this section of the range was once notoriously tricky in mist, but the construction of gravel wind farm access tracks has simplified the approach considerably for the modern walker.