Scotland
King's Seat Hill
648M
2126FT
About King's Seat Hill
Rising steeply above the village of Dollar, this prominent Ochil summit offers a classic hill walk. The terrain is typical of the range: steep, grassy flanks giving way to a broad, undulating plateau. Its position makes it a perfect vantage point for surveying the Forth Valley and the higher neighbouring peaks of Ben Cleuch.
Key Statistics
Rank
6th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Scotland
Prominence
?
135m
Nearest Town
Devonside
Geology
You are walking across ancient volcanic layers of solidified lava and stony rock. These slopes are reinforced by tough, speckled crystalline rocks.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NS933999
Latitude
56.1806°N
Longitude
3.7191°W
Did You Know?
- •The name likely stems from its commanding position overlooking the Lowlands; it was historically a site from which Scottish royalty, staying at nearby Stirling or Linlithgow, could survey the surrounding territory.
- •Most walkers approach from the south via the dramatic Dollar Glen, a deep gorge containing the 15th-century Castle Campbell, which sits perched on a spur directly below the hill’s slopes.
- •The summit provides an exceptionally clear vista of the Forth Valley, where the three Forth Bridges and the Kelpies sculptures are visible against the distant backdrop of the Pentland Hills.
- •At 648 metres, it is classified as a Donald—a list of Scottish Lowland hills over 2,000 feet first compiled by Percy Donald in 1935.
- •Despite the name, do not expect a throne; the 'seat' is a modest stone windbreak that offers the only protection from the wind that perpetually rakes the Ochil plateau.