Viewpoint in the Bathgate Hills, West Lothian
★★★
Cockleroy (Red Hat, or the King’s hat) is an insignificant hill by most standards, but happens to be one of the highest points in the low-lying Central Belt between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The 278-metre summit offers outstanding and wide-ranging views over the Ochil Hills, Campsie Fells, West Highlands, Linlithgow and the Pentland Hills, and there are faint earthworks belonging to an ancient summit fort. It’s said that Scottish knight William Wallace took rest in a a rock cavity (“Wallace’s Bed”) at the top, though truth be told, he could have picked a more sheltered spot. The path from the nearby road is short and straightforward – for a longer leg-stretcher, start from Beecraigs Country Park visitor centre.
Location
O.S. Grid Reference: NS 989744
GPS coordinates: 55.953849,-3.621643
No public transport within 1 mi
Car park at
Key info
Always open
Free
From the car park it’s a 15-min walk (each way) to the summit with 70 m of height gain. Follow a wide path west through the forest (or narrower alternatives), then climb more steeply on open grass for the final section (⬤ Easy).
