📌 Galloway Forest Park, Dumfries & Galloway
★★★
Lamachan Hill is the highest summit in the group of hills in between Glentrool and The Queen’s Way, deep in Galloway Forest Park. It’s joined to shapelier Curleywee (what a fantastic name!) by a delightful ridge, but the lower slopes of both hills have long sections of demoralising tussocks, making for exceptionally rough going in places. Bring your swear jar for those bits, and savour the approach track while it lasts. There are a couple of carved stones to visit too: one overlooking Loch Trool, the other with views of Loch Dee.
📷 Chronological photo guide
Bruce’s Stone at the start 
Loch Trool 
Crossing Gairland Burn 
Track south of Glenhead 
View up Glenhead Burn 
Dragonfly 
Down Glenhead Burn 
Dargall Lane 
Giant’s Axe Head Stane 
Bennanbrack from the ascent to White Hill 
White Hill summit, looking north to Loch Dee 
View west to Lamachan Hill 
White Hill from the ascent of Curleywee 
Curleywee summit, looking east 
Path west to Lamachan Hill 
Scars of Bennanbrack 
Coire below Curleywee & Bennanbrack 
View back to Curleywee from the bealach 
Bennanbrack summit, looking south to Wigtown Bay 
View ahead to Lamachan Hill 
Lamachan Hill, near summit 
Descending north, The Merrick in the distance 
Descending northeast towards Loch Dee 
Glenhead Burn 
Dargall Lane before regaining the track
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at minor road end in Glen Trool, 4 mi east of Glentrool Village
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NX 416804
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.092895,-4.484316
❌ No public transport within 1 mi
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
▶ 17 km / 11 mi | ▲ 910 m | ⌛ 7-8 hr
Features: ✞ Bruce’s Stone; 🪨 Giant’s Axe Head Stane; △ Curleywee (674 m, Donald); △ Lamachan Hill (717 m, Torbett / Donald)
⬤ Tough | Excellent track for approach & return. Extremely rough, tussocky, pathless ascent to White Hill & for lower part of descent from Lamachan Hill. Upper slopes give better going, sometimes with a faint path.
Download file for GPS➡️ Clockwise lollipop circuit with minor variations: start – Bruce’s Stone – track up Glenhead Burn to burn just beyond Giant’s Axe Head Stane – Corse Knowe of White Laggan – White Hill – Curleywee – Bennanbrack – Lamachan Hill (summit near wall end) – return nearly to Bennanbrack – descend NNE then ENE to Dargall Lane at 330m contour – rejoin outward track below – start
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: A few unidentified birds of prey. Sheep, newt in Dargall Lane, dragonflies & butterflies, nest full of baby mice near Buchan Bridge.
Weather: Early cloud sheet clearing during ascent, then sunny with a little high cloud. Gusty east wind, reaching 20°C at car park.
June 2023
