Innerdouny Hill with Mellock Hill

This ascent on to Innerdouny Hill is very straightforward by means of a forest track. However the descent route is very rough in places and may not be to everyone’s liking. Return by your outward route if you are not happy with rough ground. The ascent of Mellock Hill is optional on the descent route.

Distance: 9 km / 5.5 miles
Ascent: 325 m / 1050 feet
Terrain: Forest track and trodden path for ascent. Tussocky fire break and rough ground for descent.
Start/finish: Parking area at Littlerigg grid ref NO 0132 070 on the B934.

Route Map

From the small car park a track goes up hill into the forest, behind a cottage. Keep to this track where there has been much felling in the area and the views are more open than the map would suggest. After 1.3km a junction is reached. Keep right here ignoring the core path arrow that points left. Stay on the track for a further 2.4 km skirting around the northern slopes of Innerdouny Hill.

When you reach the high point of the track at NO 038 076, leave the track on a well trodden path heading up the hill to your right. This path is easy to follow alongside a fence. As you approach the summit the path leaves the trees and fence, to head towards a trig point on open ground.

If you don’t want to do the rough descent, simply return by your outward route.

To include Mellock Hill, descend in the direction you came back to the fence. When you reach the fence, go left into a fire break away from the main path. There is a feint path that can picked up at the left hand edge of the tussocky fire break. After 160m go left into another fire break, don’t continue to the end of the first fire break. Again there is a feint path in places that can be used to aid progress. After 600m a junction with another fire break is reached. Ignore this and continue straight on for a further 300m to where a track meets the fire break. Again ignore the track by keeping straight on until you reach a fork in the fire break. Take the left hand fork to reach the edge of the forest 320m after the track.

Exit the forest.

If you wish to include the ascent of Mellock Hill, climb the fence in front of you and head up the hill on rough ground close to the deer fence. Once at the summit, unless you want to climb the deer fence, you will need to return the way you came up, back to the edge of the forest.

If not including Mellock Hill, don’t cross the fence but turn right and make your way alongside the edge of the forest on increasingly rough grassy ground. Your options for route choice become more limited as you become channelled in between the deer fence to your left and a burn to your right. However, keep on going until the point at which you need to cross the burn.

Once the burn is on your left, make your way up the steep bank to your right hand side. It’s less than 100m across the rough felled ground to rejoin the forest track that leads back to the car park.