Scaw'd Law

About Scaw'd Law

Situated in the rolling Lowther Hills, this double-topped Donald straddles the border between Dumfries and Galloway and South Lanarkshire. It offers a classic Southern Uplands experience: expansive grassy slopes and a sense of isolation, whether approached from the steep glens of Durisdeer or the quiet Daer Reservoir.

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Did You Know?

• •The name 'Scaw'd' is derived from the Scots word for 'scabbed' or 'scalded,' used to describe landscape features where the ground is bare, stony, or eroded rather than covered in thick turf.
• •The summit consists of a broad, wind-swept plateau with two distinct rounded humps; the northernmost point is the true summit, standing approximately 300 metres away from its southern twin.
• •The hill is frequently climbed via the Well Path from Durisdeer, a historic mountain pass that provided a vital transit route through the Southern Uplands as far back as the Roman occupation.
• •From the summit, you get an excellent perspective of the industrial-looking masts atop neighbouring Lowther Hill to the west, and a long view south across the Nith Valley toward the Galloway Hills.
• •The administrative boundary between Dumfries and Galloway and South Lanarkshire runs directly over the top of the hill, often marked on the ground by old, weather-beaten fence lines.
• •Despite the name suggesting 'scabbed' or dry, bare earth, any hiker approaching from the Daer Reservoir side will likely find the terrain consists mostly of saturated peat hags.