The Dungeon Hills are a range of hills in the Galloway Hills range, part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. The central of three parallel ridges, they are neighboured by the Range of the Awful Hand to the west and the Rhinns of Kells to the east. The range is also perpendicular to the Minnigaff Hills range, immediately south. In total, these four ranges are part of the Galloway Forest Park.
The hills of the range are the lowest and craggiest of the Galloway Hills with the highest, Mullwharchar, reaching 692m. They are split between East Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway along the Mullwharchar-Dungeon Hill col, following the Pulskaig Burn. Often regarded as the roughest hills in the Southern Uplands, walks can frequently take longer than anticipated due to the underfoot conditions of tussocks and bog. The range is the most remote of the Galloway Hills as the nearest road link to the north is approximately 2 miles away at Craigmalloch on the banks of Loch Doon, requiring an approach along an unclassified road. [1] As a result, many hillwalkers begin their walk at the Glentrool Visitor Centre to the southwest and follow the path past Loch Trool to then ascend opposite the Gairland Burn and eventually to Loch Valley and Loch Neldricken. A longer but initially easier path can be followed from the same start point, following the path to the Merrick, but cutting right at Culsharg bothy and following the Buchan Burn to Loch Enoch for a clockwise round instead.
From north to south the hills are:
| Summit | Height (m) | Listing [2] |
|---|---|---|
| Craigmawhannal | 357 | Tu [3] |
| Hoodens Hill | 568 | Tu,5,DDew [4] |
| Mullwharchar | 692 | Ma,Hu,Tu,Sim, G, D,DN,Y [5] |
| Dungeon Hill | 620 | Hu,Tu,Sim, D,GT,DN,Y [6] |
| Craignairny | 595 | Tu,5,DDew [7] |
| Craignaw | 645 | Ma,Hu,Tu,Sim, G, D,DN,Y [8] |
| Snibe Hill | 531 | [9] |
| Craiglee | 531 | Ma,Hu,Tu,5,DDew,Y [10] |
The SSSI Ramsar Silver Flowe, lies directly east of the range, and is a blanket mire, described as the least-disturbed area of acid peatland in southern Scotland. [11] [12] It forms part of the Silver Flowe-Merrick Kells Biosphere Reserve, which incorporates a considerable portion of both ranges to the west and east, and is a Natura 2000 site. [13] The area is very popular with invertebrates and swarms of Odonata, Syrphidae and Lepidoptera during summer are common. [14] Most of the surrounding lochs suffered severe acidification in the past, however have made partial recoveries and Brown trout populations, often restocked, remain stable. [15] [16] [17] [18] The rivers Doon, Cree and Dee all either originate or have tributaries originating from the range.
A number of the surrounding landmarks have peculiar names not found anywhere else in Scotland. Names include: the Rig of the Jarkness, Clints of the Buss, Lump of the Eglin, the Wolf Slock and Seggy Gut. [19] Most of the hill names are of Scottish Gaelic origin, such as Mullwharchar (Maol Adhairce). [20]
Kirkcudbrightshire, or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the informal Galloway area of south-western Scotland. For local government purposes, it forms part of the wider Dumfries and Galloway council area of which it forms a committee area under the name of the Stewartry.
The Merrick, or simply Merrick, is a mountain in the Range of the Awful Hand, a sub-range of the Galloway Hills range, part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. The summit elevation is 843 metres, making it the highest mountain in the Southern Uplands and southern Scotland.
The Southern Uplands are the southernmost and least populous of mainland Scotland's three major geographic areas. The term is used both to describe the geographical region and to collectively denote the various ranges of hills and mountains within this region. An overwhelmingly rural and agricultural region, the Southern Uplands are partly forested and contain many areas of open moorland - the hill names in the area are congruent with these characteristics.
Dalmellington is a market town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In 2001 the village had a population of 1,407. The town owes its origins to the fault line separating the Southern Uplands of Scotland from the Central Lowlands. Dalmellington sits at the issue of a river from the uplands into Dalmellington Moss plain.
The Galloway Hills are part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland, and form the northern boundary of western Galloway. They lie within the bounds of the Galloway Forest Park, an area of some 300 square miles (800 km2) of largely uninhabited wild land, managed by Forestry and Land Scotland. The unusual place names reflect a mixture of the Old Norse and Scottish Gaelic languages and hint at the range of influences which have acted on society within the area over the centuries.
Loch Doon is a freshwater loch in Carrick, Scotland. The River Doon issues from its northern end, while the loch itself receives waters from Gala Lane and Loch Enoch via Eglin Lane.
Loch Ken is a 9 miles (14 km) long freshwater loch in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies in the Glenkens, where it is fed from the north by the Water of Ken and from the west by the Dee. It continues as the Dee south from Glenlochar, where the water is held back by the Glenlochar Barrage. Part of the Galloway hydro-electric power scheme, the barrage regulates the river's flow.
Cairnsmore of Fleet is an isolated mountain in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. The mountain forms an unafforested granite massif, whose highest point is about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of Newton Stewart. It is the highest of the "Solway Hills" sub-range, and the southernmost of Scotland's 219 Grahams, thus making it, or rather its subsidiary top, Knee of Cairnsmore, the most southerly mountain in Scotland. The view to the south takes in the Cree Estuary and Wigtown Bay, and extends as far as the Lake District, the Isle of Man and Snowdonia. The highest summits of the Galloway Hills can be seen to the north, and Ireland is in the view to the west.
Loch Enoch is a multi-basin freshwater loch in Galloway, to the east of Merrick and south of Mullwharchar. The loch is situated in a granite basin and has several small islands and some beaches on its shore. The sharp granite sand of these beaches was collected and sold for sharpening knives and scythes. The catchment area's vegetation is mainly Purple Moor Grass and Heather.
The Range of the Awful Hand is a range of hills in the Galloway Hills range, part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. The most westerly of three parallel ridges, the range is neighboured to the east by the Dungeon Hills and the Rhinns of Kells. The Minnigaff Hills also lie southeast. In total, these four ranges are part of the Galloway Forest Park. The ridge is split between South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway.
The Carsphairn and Scaur Hills are the western and eastern hills respectively of a hill range in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. Ordnance Survey maps don't have a general name for the hill area as a whole. Also, Ordnance Survey use "Scar" rather than the local spelling of "Scaur" - the word is pronounced as "Scar" however. In their Landranger Series of maps, it requires four separate sheets to cover the area.
Mullwharchar is a hill in the Dungeon Hills, a sub-range of the Galloway Hills range, part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. Mullwarchar is situated to the north of Loch Enoch, west of Corserine, northeast of Merrick and east of Kirriereoch Hill. There are 3 cliffs on the mountain named The Slock, The Tauchers and The Organ Pipes and some routes on these are occasionally climbed. Mullwharchar's summit is fairly flat and dotted with erratics.
The Round Loch of Glenhead is a small upland single basin loch in Dumfries and Galloway. It is situated within Galloway Forest Park to the west of the hill Craiglee. It forms a pair with the nearby Long Loch of Glenhead. Both lochs are of similar sizes and each have a small island. The two lochs are separated from Loch Valley and Loch Naroch to the north by the Rig of the Jarkness. The loch is drained to the southwest by Round Loch Burn, which after joining into Glenhead Burn flows into Loch Trool.
Situated in south-west Scotland, the Silver Flowe-Merrick Kells biosphere reserve is composed of two separate sites.
Silver Flowe is an area of patterned blanket mire in the Galloway Hills, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Located around 16 km north northeast of Newton Stewart, it forms part of the Galloway Forest Park. An area of 620 hectares has been designated as a Ramsar Site.
Milldown is a hill in the Rhinns of Kells, a sub-range of the Galloway Hills range, part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is located immediately north of Meikle Millyea - between these two hills lie the Lochans of Auchniebut, a series of small water bodies at an approximate elevation of 650m - possibly the highest permanent water bodies in the Southern Uplands. As well as this, the hill is also flanked on its SW side by forest plantation - possibly the highest planted commercial forestry in the Southern Uplands. Like most of its neighbours, it is most easily climbed from the east at Forrest Lodge.
Meaul is a hill in the Rhinns of Kells, a sub-range of the Galloway Hills range, part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is climbed from a number of directions; most commonly from Garryhorn near Carsphairn, often as part of a complete traverse of the ridge.
Alhang is a hill in the Carsphairn and Scaur Hills range, part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is the lowest Donald hill in the range; Meikledodd Hill is 1m higher. The northern slopes of the hill are the source of the River Afton. It is most easily climbed from the Water of Ken to the east or as a round from Glen Afton to the north.
The Rhinns of Kells are a range of hills in the Galloway Hills range, part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. The most easterly of three parallel ridges, they are neighboured to the west by the Range of the Awful Hand and the Dungeon Hills. The eastern portion of the Minnigaff Hills range lies immediately southwest of the range. In total, these four ranges are part of the Galloway Forest Park. The ridge is located entirely within Dumfries and Galloway, with the base of the western flanks being a northwestern boundary of the county.
The Minnigaff Hills are a range of hills in the Galloway Hills range, part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. A southerly range, they are perpendicular to the Range of the Awful Hand, Dungeon Hills and Rhinns of Kells to the north. In total, these four ranges are part of the Galloway Forest Park.
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