Fife Hills: Wether Hill (335m), Outh Hill (324m), Cult Hill (264m), White Hills (310m),
Perth and Kinross Hills: Scaur Hill
The western Cleish hill are much less visited than their better known neighbours to the east. However, being over 300m they form some of the highest ground in Fife. Wether Hill and Outh Hill are the eighth and ninth highest hills in Fife, respectively. Cult Hill on the opposite side of the road holds fourteenth place in the height league.
Route Map
Wether Hill, Outh Hill, Scaur Hill, White Hills
The moorland area covering Outh Hill, Wether Hill and Scaur Hill is somewhat boggy in places and the suggested route below attempts to utilise the driest ground. However, if you are not keen on rough wet ground this may not be a good route for you.
Distance: 7.5 km / 4.5 miles
Ascent: 230 m / 750 feet
Terrain: rough (mostly) pathless moorland, very wet in places (good footwear essential and gaiters recommended)
Facilities: parking for about three cars at Outh Bridge NT 064 945 (opposite Knockhill Race Circuit) on the A823. Please note that access from this point is actively discouraged by the farmer.
Head through the two gates onto the grassy hillside and follow sheep tracks north west, roughly parallel to the road. When you start to approach the back of a house, leave the path and head in a roughly northwards direction directly up Outh Hill. Apart from a sheep feeder there is nothing to mark the actual summit.
The hard work starts now and from here onwards the ground can be very wet in places. Long grass in the drier bits doesn’t help either.
The easiest route across to Scaur Hill and Wether Hill starts at grid ref NT 057 955. To reach this point it is best to keep going northwards keeping to the higher ground before turning left to reach the forest edge. It is necessary to climb a double fence arrangement to enter the forest. The first fence is a wall topped with a fence which may be a bit awkward but the second fence is low and is easily stepped over.
Enter the forest via the firebreak and turn north west into a narrow fire break. Do not be tempted into following the wider firebreak north as it is hard going and leads to wet ground! The narrow firebreak provides an easy route through the forest emerging at a stand of decidious trees. From here, bear right and cross the fence in front of you. The barb wire has been removed at one point although this is also the wettest ground, so it may be easier to climb it elsewhere. Once on the other side follow muddy animal tracks around the west side of Scaur Hill until the gorse bushes on your right abate. Climb the steep grassy south western flank of the hill to reach the summit with excellent views over the surrounding area.
Descend back to the wee coll and then keep right descending south of some small cliffs to reach a lochan and track. Reaching the track without getting wet feet may be tricky! Turn left and climb the locked gate back into the forest.
The next 850m is easy walking along the forest track. Keep right when you reach a junction (otherwise you will end up back at the road) and climb another locked gate. There are well preserved remains of limekilns at this point. Keep on the track and soon after passing a patch of deciduous trees there is a firebreak on your right alongside a fence (grid reference NT 045 955).
Go up this firebreak which soon turns into a reasonable trodden path. When the fence turns to the right, go left into the trees to reach the open hillside and a short walk over long grass, to the summit of Wether Hill.
The descent can be varied by following the forest edge eastish to reach an obvious fence. At this point a path (of sorts) follows the fence into the trees downhill. The path soon turns right when it meets a fence and quickly rejoins the outward route back to the track.
Return to the gate at Scaur Hill (in Autumn 2019 there was a notice on the gate about a bull in the field although the inhabitants seem to be sheep and girl cows). Either climb the gate and follow animal tracks around the west side of Scaur Hill back to where you crossed the barb wire fence or, if you don’t mind swamp, nettles and sitka spruce, keep the fence to your left and follow it back to your earlier crossing point.
From here it is probably best to return to the decidious trees and use the outward route through the firebreak back to the open hillside.
Once at the edge of the forest you climb the double fence again to access the grassy hillside. You can now either retrace your outward route over Outh Hill or simply follow animal tracks (muddy in places) around its western flank and keep parallel to the road to return to Outh Bridge.
White Hills
The 310m TumpBeag (hills with 15 – 19m prominence) summit of White Hills can also be included. Its grassy summit dome is easily reached from the gate at Outh Bridge.
An alternative start point is possible from the road at NT 052 955 where the forest track starts from. Careful parking is required so as not to block the gate. From here it is possible to to do Wether Hill and Scaur Hill avoiding most of the wet ground.
Cult Hill
Cult Hill is an outlier of the Cleish Hills and stands alone surrounded by farmland. At 264m it is one of the higher points of Fife with panoramic views all around. It makes a short outing on its own even when combined with the nearby hill fort.
Distance: 2.8 km / 1.7 miles (there and back)
Ascent: 70m / 230 m
Terrain: field edges and grass land. Can be muddy.
Facilities: small parking area for a couple of cars on the east side of the A823 at NT 035 956
An openable gate allows access into the field on the west side of the road. Walk along the field edge (somewhat muddy) towards the hill, with a wall to your right. At the end of this field an open gateway takes you into the next field but now with the wall to your left. There may be sheep in these fields so keep dogs on a lead. At the end of the second field it is necessary to negotiate a wall / fence with a strand of barb wire to access the hillside. Once over the fence proceed directly up to the trig point for panoramic views.
If you wish to continue to the fort a further wall / fence needs to be negotiated. This is probably easiest done by using the wooden gate into the field to your left and crossing the fence from there. There are old electrified strands on this fence so check its not live before climbing!
Return by your outward route.
Fife Walking 