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This fine
pyramid of a hill, seen from many points, does not make Corbett height,
instead falling into the group of hills called the Grahams. Its name means
the fiery or beacon hill, and as such it shares a similar history to Ben
Lomond and others, hills of outstanding use as a means of communicating
long distances by beacons. The umber-coloured stones were also convenient
in building forts and the staggeringly huge cairn on Tinto which looks
down on the trig point, a short distance from the battered indicator topping
the cairn.
Begin at
Fallburn, just off the A73, where there is ample parking and the start
of a well-beaten track. This is all but impossible to miss and leads SSW
up Totherin Hill, which has a cairn just east of the track at 479m. Continue
a little way on to a fork in the track. The left fork continues up the
ridge proper while the right contours above the very fine symmetrical
coire that is Maurice's Cleuch (gully). Some may wish to take the left
fork if the hill is heavily iced in winter.
The final
part of the track parallels a fence to the foot of the spreading cairn,
which has several sheltering walls on its south flank. The view is of
rolling, grassy hills and fields, with the nascent River Clyde shining
to the southeast.
The adventurous
may care to descend by walking over Scaut Hill (586m) and Wee Hill (385m),
to find a way north over fields and by small tree plantations just west
of St John's Kirk. Otherwise, descend by the ascent route. Picture is
taken from Scaut Hill.
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