, photo = Merrick1.jpg , photo_caption = , elevation_m = 843 , elevation_ref = , prominence = 705 m , prominence_ref = , listing = Ma,Hu,Tu,Sim, C, D,CoH,CoU, CoA,DN,Y,T100,P600,P500 , translation =

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well a ...

: ''Finger'' , location =

Southern Uplands The Southern Uplands ( gd, Na Monaidhean a Deas) are the southernmost and least populous of mainland Scotland's three major geographic areas (the other two being the Central Lowlands and the Grampian Mountains and the Highlands, as illustrate ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, range =

Range of the Awful Hand The Range of the Awful Hand is a range of hills in the Galloway Hills range, part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. The most westerly of three parallel ridges, the range is neighboured to the east by the Dungeon Hills and the Rhinns of Kells ...

, coordinates = , grid_ref_UK = NX 42760 85547 , topo = OS ''Landranger'' 77 , map = Scotland , type = , age = , first_ascent = , easiest_route = The Merrick, or simply Merrick ( gd, A' Mhearag), is a mountain in the

, a sub-range of the

Galloway Hills The Galloway Hills are part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland, and form the northern boundary of western Galloway. They lie within the bounds of the Galloway Forest Park, an area of some of largely uninhabited wild land, managed by Forestry a ...

range, part of the

. The summit elevation is , making it the highest mountain in the

and southern

Line of sight

The view between Merrick and

Snowdon Snowdon () or (), is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (') in Gwynedd (historic ...

is the longest line of sight in the British Isle

Although theoretically visible, looking from S-N, Merrick is almost entirely obscured by Lamachan Hill and as such, confirmed sightings are very rare.

Granite boulders

An interesting feature on the mountain is the presence of several large partly buried

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies und ...

boulders at about 800 m on the broad west ridge. They are

glacial erratic A glacial erratic is glacially deposited rock differing from the type of rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundr ...

s, but the exact mechanism is unclear that has brought them to rest close to the highest point of the

and over 200 m higher than any currently occurring granite in the

Walking

The shortest route of ascent is from the car park in

Glen Trool Glen Trool ( gd, Gleann an t-Sruthail) is a glen in the Southern Uplands, Galloway, Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Gre ...

. The car park is located near ''Bruce's Stone'', a monument commemorating the victory of

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...

over the English forces of

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...

at the

Battle of Glen Trool The Battle of Glen Trool was a minor engagement in the First War of Scottish Independence, fought in April 1307. Glen Trool is a narrow glen in the Southern Uplands of Galloway, Scotland. Loch Trool is aligned on an east–west axis and is fl ...

in 1307. The Merrick is a relatively straightforward and easy hike from the car park near Bruce's Stone. The route climbs past the Culsharg bothy then up on to Benyellary. After dropping slightly the final climb to the summit trig-point is made. Be aware that if descending in poor visibility a very common mistake is to walk down the west ridge into remote terrain. The total round-trip distance from Glen Trool to the summit and back is approximately .

Climbing

Because of the nature of the rock, no good rock climbing has been recorded on the Merrick. However, in winter after a good freeze there are a number of good ice climbs of up to 200 m on the Black Gairy, which lies west of the summit.

Subsidiary SMC Summits

References

External links

The Merrick routes map, tourist trail and large images
* Link to computer-generated virtual panoramas from Merric
NorthSouth
{{Authority control Marilyns of Scotland Donald mountains Corbetts Mountains and hills of the Southern Uplands Mountains and hills of Dumfries and Galloway Climbing areas of Scotland Highest points of historic Scottish counties