📌 Galloway Forest Park, Dumfries & Galloway
★★★
Nowhere does place names like Galloway! The Range of the Awful Hand is a chain of 5 hills stretching across a large swathe of Galloway Forest Park, of which the two southernmost “fingers” comprise the lofty peak of The Merrick and lower Benyellary. The summit panoramas are fantastic, with Arran, Ailsa Craig, Kintyre, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Lake District all visible on a clear day. This circuit is a walk of contrasting halves, with a straightforward path providing the direct way up from the popular beauty spot of Glen Trool. You could return the same way for an easier day out, but it all seems a bit easy for what is the fourth highest hill in the Southern Uplands. Returning via 4 lochs amongst craggy moorland allows the perfect circular route… apart from boot-swallowing bogs which often characterise the middle section. We can confirm the going’s largely fine after a dry spell, but beware the Murder Hole: the stagnant western fringe of Loch Neldricken, rumoured to be a past dumping ground for human corpses. Best not go for a swim. Back at the base, don’t miss out on the Bruce’s Stone – overlooking a battle site from the Wars of Independence – as well as the glittering waters of Loch Trool itself.
📷 Chronological photo guide
Climbing by the Buchan Burn 
Waterfall on the Buchan Burn 
Benyellary from the ascent 
Culsharg Bothy 
View west from Benyellary 
Neive of the Spit connecting Benyellary to The Merrick 
The Merrick summit 
Little Spear 
Loch Enoch (left), Loch Arron & Loch Neldricken 
Loch Enoch 
Loch Enoch 
Pass west of Craig Neldricken 
Loch Arron 
Murder Hole, Loch Neldricken 
Looking back to Loch Neldricken 
Loch Valley 
Loch Valley 
Gairland Burn 
View up Glenhead Burn from the last section 
Loch Trool 
Buchan Bridge 
Bruce’s Stone 
Loch Trool
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at minor road end in Glen Trool, 4 mi east of Glentrool Village
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NX 416804
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.093189,-4.483817
❌ No public transport within 1 mi
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
▶ 15 km / 9 mi | ▲ 880 m | ⌛ 5-6 hr
Features:🌊 Buchan Waterfall; △ Benyellary (719 m); △ The Merrick (843 m, Corbett / Donald); 💧 Loch Enoch; 💧 Loch Neldricken & the Murder Hole; 💧 Loch Valley; ✞ Bruce’s Stone
⬤ Tough | Good paths (some tracks) all the way to The Merrick, often surfaced although with some steep sections. Pathless descent to Loch Enoch; intermittent, faint and potentially wet paths follow, gradually becoming clearer as progress south is made.
Download file for GPS➡️ Clockwise circuit: start – Buchan Waterfall – Culsharg – Benyellary – The Merrick – Redstone Rig – Loch Enoch (southern end) – low bealach immediately to west of Craig Neldricken – pass to east of Loch Arron – Murder Hole – Loch Valley – Bruce’s Stone – start
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Our first cuckoo of the season heard. A few grouse and lots of curly-horned sheep.
Weather: Mostly sunny although cloud filling in through the afternoon. Around freezing at the top with a cold northerly wind and the odd very light snow flurry on descent. A few small snow wreaths remaining on The Merrick’s northern slopes.
April 2016
