Tarfessock

About Tarfessock

Located within the rugged Range of the Awful Hand, this craggy Donald offers a quieter experience than its famous neighbour, Merrick. While often overlooked, the ridge between here and Kirriereoch Hill provides excellent walking over rough, pathless terrain, with the southern lochans adding a distinct character to this wild Galloway landscape.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is likely derived from the Gaelic 'Tarbh-fhasach', meaning the bull's wilderness or pasture, suggesting these high slopes were historically used for seasonal grazing.
• •It forms a central link in the 'Range of the Awful Hand', a series of five peaks that resemble a hand when viewed from the west; Tarfessock sits between Kirriereoch Hill and Shalloch on Minnoch.
• •The summit provides a clear, unencumbered perspective south across the silver-dotted lochans of its own southern top toward the deep forest trough of Glen Trool.
• •The hill and the neighbouring farmhouse of the same name were once part of the vast estates belonging to the Marquess of Ailsa, whose family, the Kennedys, held significant power in south-west Scotland.
• •As the lowest of the Donalds in its immediate range, Tarfessock suffers the indignity of being entirely invisible from the top of the Merrick, effectively hiding in the shadow of the bulkier Kirriereoch Hill.