Scars of Milldown

Tucked within the rugged Minnigaff range, this rocky shoulder offers a quieter perspective on the granite wilderness of the Galloway Forest. Part of the ridge connecting Milldown to the sprawling heights of Craignaw, its character is defined by steep, scree-covered slopes and the remote, pathless terrain typical of the Southern Uplands.

• •The term 'Scars' originates from the Old Norse 'sker', referring to a cliff or a steep, rocky face, which describes the broken, craggy ground dropping away from the summit ridge towards the Loch Dee basin.
• •This summit is most often visited as part of a high-level traverse connecting the Rhinns of Kells to the Range of the Awful Hand, a route that avoids the notoriously boggy valley floors but requires navigating through dense granite boulders.
• •From the summit, you gain an excellent view directly across the Silver Flowe—a unique patterned peatland system—towards the sharp profiles of the Dungeon Hills and the remote Coran of Portmark.
• •Given its location in the heart of the Galloway Forest Park, the Scars sit within the UK’s first International Dark Sky Park, where the lack of light pollution makes the nearby remote valleys some of the darkest spots in Europe.