Walking the Galloway Hills

The Galloway Hills are southern Scotland's best-kept secret, a vast, roadless granite wilderness of heather ridges, peat bogs, dark lochs and ancient oakwood that sees a fraction of the footfall of the Highlands yet rivals them for rugged natural beauty. At their heart stands the Merrick, the highest point in the Southern Uplands at 843m, alongside 27 other tops over 2000ft, four Corbetts and the UK's first designated dark sky park. This trusted Cicerone guidebook by Ronald Turnbull covers 34 day walks and one long-distance route across the Galloway Hills, with walks ranging from 4 to 33km (2 to 20 miles) and graded 1 to 5 to suit a range of experience levels. Route descriptions are paired with 1:50,000 OS mapping and downloadable GPX files, with detailed planning information, bothy locations and the fascinating history of this little-known corner of Scotland throughout. 34 day walks and one 82km (53-mile) long-distance route across the Galloway Hills are included, covering Glen Trool, the Awful Hand, Loch Doon, the Glenkens and Talnotry, with walks taking between 2 and 11 hours Walks are graded from 1 to 5 to reflect the full range of terrain of Dumfries and Galloway, from well-laid paths to rugged, pathless granite ground, making this guidebook useful for walkers of varying experience 1:50,000 OS mapping and downloadable GPX files are included for every walk, essential for navigating terrain where paths are faint or absent, and remote ground demands good map and compass skills Bothy information and longer expedition options allow routes to be combined into multi-day backpacking trips, with a dedicated appendix covering bothy locations across the area Rich historical and natural context throughout, covering the geology, wildlife, ancient oakwood, Galloway Forest Park and the area's remarkable medieval history as a centre of guerrilla warfare For experienced hillwalkers seeking a lesser-known alternative to the Highland crowds, the Galloway Hills deliver in every way. From the summit of the Merrick to remote corners, this guidebook is the ultimate companion for exploring one of Scotland's most rewarding and underrated hiking areas.