Wanlockheadnestles in
the Lowther Hills at the head of
the Mennock Pass
in the Southern Uplands. It
is the highest village( 1,531ft, 467m
)
in Scotland
and
on the Southern
Upland Way
Tracks and fences provide useful waymarks for the outward half of this
route across the undulating hills west of Wanlockhead, with a return
along part of the Southern Upland Way.
A covering of snow will make route-finding trickier in places, but this
isn't a hill walk of any great seriousness. providing adequate notice
is taken of the weather and conditions underfoot.
Park on the B797 at the southern end of the village, just before the
Wanlockhead sign. Walk down towards the village and cross over left
after the bowling green to a track that starts left of a white
house. This track zigzags up the flanks of Black Hill to meet a new
vehicle track at the top. Turn right here and follow this vehicle track
for a short distance to a line of old wooden fence posts leading to the
top of Green Hill, the eastern outlier of Stood Hill not named on the
1:50,000 OS map.
Beside the fence posts is a grassy track. Ascend this over the top of
Green Hill to a fence and follow it left to a three-way fence junction
near the ill-defined summit of Stood Hill. The return route comes in
from the right.
Continuing beside the fence, make along descent to the col below the
surprisingly steep face of Willowgrain Hill and ascend to its top.
Beyond this point, heather and grass tussocks make the going a bit
rougher and wetter in places but the route continues on the track
beside the fence.
Pass over an unnamed hill and descend to meet the Southern Upland Way (
SUW ) at the col below Conrig Hill. Conrig is easily ascended from here
and offers pleasant views south-west over Sanquhar to the Caisphairn
hills.
Return to the col, go over the stile on to the SUW and follow it north,
down towards the ruin at Cogshead. Recent felling has churned up the
track in its lower reaches but as it starts to ascend. the SUW is
signposted off right on to a track leading to Cogshead.
After a short distance, a SUW waymark indicates that the route heads
off left and uphill to a fence and stile leading on to open hillside.
Spaced waymarks make the route a little unclear at the start, but the
path contours the hillside, crossing plank bridges over various burns,
before starting an ascent to a fence with a stile and gate below
Highmill Knowe.
Turn right off the SUW and follow the fenceline over Glengaber Hill and
up on to Stood Hill to meet the three-way fence junction. Cross over to
gain the track over Green Hill and follow it back down to Black Hill
and Wanlockhead.
