OS Map of Moorbrock Hill

Moorbrock Hill

Few people visit Moorbrock Hill (2,133 feet) in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-west Scotland. It stands largely forgotten amongst a group of rounded, grassy hills that lie sandwiched between the Galloway Hills to the west and the Lowther Hills to the east. This hill group is often referred to as the Carsphairn Hills but the name is relatively recent and not that long ago the hills were known variously as the Cumnock Hills, the Scaur Valley Hills, or the Hills of Deugh. The parent peak of Moorbrock Hill is Windy Standard, to which it is connected by a broad grassy ridge that runs northwards over an intervening top called Keoch Rig. Moorbrock Hill is steep-sided all round and on its upper eastern flank there is a line of screes called Moorbrock Gairy. As is common hereabouts, however, the summit is a surprisingly level plateau. Deep, steep-sided valleys lie to the east and west of Moorbrock Hill and their streams flow southwards into the Water of Ken. The Ken Valley is almost deserted now but it was once widely populated and the remains of prehistoric and mediaeval settlements can still be seen. In the upper part of the valley there are in fact over a hundred burial cairns that date back to the Bronze Age. Moorbrock Hill is most easily climbed from the Ken Valley. A couple of cars can be left at the foot of the Moorbrock estate road, which can then be followed on foot up to the cottages at Moorbrock. The route continues northwards beyond the cottages and follows a track up the east side of the Poltie Burn, passing through a gap in a conifer plantation. At the top of the conifer plantation, it is best to leave the track and continue straight up the steep southern slopes of Moorbrock Hill. From the summit there are spectacular views back over the Ken Valley and westwards towards Beninner and Cairnsmore of Carsphairn ( www.flickr.com/photos/67668518@N08/8591659733/in/set-72157632759122808/ www.flickr.com/photos/67668518@N08/8591659733/in/set-7215... ). The outlook to the north, however, has now been ruined by the sizeable wind farm on Windy Standard. The picture was taken looking northwards towards Moorbrock Hill from the Moorbrock eastate road. The whitewashed cottages at Moorbrock can be seen in the middle distance.

25-May-12 • Tony Garofalo • flickr

mountain rural walking landscape outdoors scotland countryside pentax hiking hill scenic donald graham hillwalking dumfriesandgalloway southernuplands windystandard waterofken moorbrockhill kenvalley carsphairnhills newdonald moorbrockgairy cumnockhills scaurvalleyhills hillsofdeugh 9452921926