Nickies Knowe

About Nickies Knowe

Situated in the heart of the Moffat Hills, this rounded, grassy dome offers a quiet perspective on the Southern Uplands. Often bypassed for its higher neighbour Lochcraig Head, the summit provides a clear vantage point over the deep Talla valley, looking across to the massive bulk of Broad Law.

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Did You Know?

• •In Scots dialect, a "Knowe" is a hillock or knoll. The name "Nickies" likely commemorates a local shepherd or inhabitant, which is a common naming convention for the various subsidiary tops and shoulders found throughout the Southern Uplands.
• •The summit is often visited as part of a high-level ridge walk starting from the Megget Stone, an ancient boundary marker located at the highest point of the road between the Talla and Megget reservoirs.
• •To the west, the hill overlooks the Gameshope Burn, a remote valley that is the focus of a major rewilding project aimed at restoring native montane scrub and woodland to the area.
• •The view north-west is defined by the Victorian engineering of the Talla Reservoir and the prominent masts on Broad Law, which stands as the highest point in the Moffat Hills range.
• •While the summit provides easy walking, the approach from the north is guarded by a series of deep peat hags that frequently turn a straightforward stroll into an unplanned obstacle course.