Knee of Cairnsmore

This prominent eastern shoulder of the Cairnsmore of Fleet massif offers a rugged, untracked experience typical of the Galloway Highlands. Rising above the remote Big Water of Fleet, the summit provides a commanding perspective over the lonely arches of the Fleet Viaduct and the wild, granite-strewn moorlands of the Silver Flowe.

• •The name describes its topographical position as a 'joint' or spur on the eastern flank of the parent mountain, Cairnsmore of Fleet.
• •Ascents usually begin from the valley of the Big Water of Fleet, passing the decommissioned twenty-arch Fleet Viaduct, a striking Victorian engineering relic of the former 'Port Road' railway.
• •The summit sits within a National Nature Reserve, specifically protected to preserve the habitat of the Galloway Hills' remaining populations of hen harriers, peregrines, and feral goats.
• •In true Galloway fashion, the high ground between here and the main summit of Cairnsmore is frequently defended by a complex system of deep peat hags and hidden mires.
• •Despite being named after a joint, the steep climb from the east ensures you will be well acquainted with the aches in your own knees long before the top is reached.