As I started planning my trip to Dumfries and Galloway, the main walk I knew I wanted to do was to hike the Merrick. Located in Galloway Forest Park, this is the highest peak in southern Scotland at 843 meters. It’s a great walk and the views are absolutely phenomenal. There are so many great walks in Dumfries and Galloway, but this was one of the best! Here’s what you need to know about hiking the Merrick!
Starting The Hike Up The Merrick
The starting point for the route up the Merrick is at Bruce’s Stone, east of Glentrool. There is lots of (free) parking available between two car parks here. There are no toilets or facilities here, so make sure to plan in advance. As with all hikes in the UK, I recommend bringing a waterproof rain jacket and rain pants, plus wearing plenty of layers. With the wind at the top, I needed my fleece and gloves—on a nice day at the end of May! I’d wear sturdy hiking boots (I love my Scarpa Mistral boots!), and this steep hike definitely merits hiking poles if you have them. You’ll need OS map OS Explorer 318: Galloway Forest Park North for this hike. Check out my full outdoor gear guide here!
The Ascent Up The Merrick
From the parking for Bruce’s Stone, there is a large board and a sign for the trail that denotes the start of the path for the Merrick. Following the noise of the waterfall, the trail is easy to follow as it goes along a stream/small river.
Eventually you’ll reach a bothy, Culsharg (or Kilsharg) bothy. Unfortunately all bothies were closed when I did this hike, but it’s a nice place to stop. It took me about 35 minutes from leaving the car to get to the bothy.
After the bothy, you’ll cross a forest track and a bridge, before following the path up into the woods. This is fairly steep and can be slippery after rainfall, so be careful.
You’ll come out into the open, and as you keep going up you can see the summit of Benyellary in the distance. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to see out to Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man! The path winds its way up and it’s a steep climb up to Benyellary—there’s a big cairn here to mark the summit. In good weather, you can easily see the path and the summit of the Merrick from here. It took me about 1 hour and 25 minutes from the starting point to get to the summit of Benyellary.
The ridgeline to the summit point, known as the Neive of the Spit, is very exposed and there’s little to no escape from the elements here. Thankfully I had fantastic weather when I went! But it was still very windy and for some reason my hands ended up really cold. I put my gloves on even though it was the end of May! The path is very straightforward in good visibility, and there’s a large trig point to mark the summit of the Merrick. It took me almost exactly 2 hours total to reach the summit.
The views here are absolutely stunning! You can see all of the Galloway Hills, the three lochs, Loch Doon in the distance… the best part for me was that there was no one else around. I only passed two people on my way up, a fell runner and then a man I chatted with at the summit. He told me that if I was looking for solitude to head to the Galloway Hills, since I’d probably have them all to myself. I definitely felt that way standing at the summit. While I saw maybe about 10 other people (who were hiking up as I was hiking down), it was pretty spectacular to get these views all to myself.
The Descent Down
The most straightforward route down the Merrick returns by the same path. Simply follow the same path down past Benyellary, through the woods, and back to the parking area. There is a longer, alternate route that takes you past the lochs—however this is meant to be very boggy and entails much more difficult navigation and some pathless areas. I chose to take it easy and descend the same way.
It took me 1 hour and 40 minutes to get back down to the parking area. I am definitely glad I had my hiking poles for the steep descent! This hike up the Merrick is approximately 8.5 miles altogether. It took me 4 hours and 15 minutes, which included many photo stops and stopping for lunch. WalkHighlands has a fantastic description of the hike on their website.
Planning Your Trip
The Merrick, and the starting point at Bruce’s Stone, is a remote location. There’s nothing nearby really, and you will need a car as there is no public transportation. The Glentrool Visitor Center is a few miles away, where there are toilets and facilities. Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more. If you’re looking for accommodation, the nearest places to stay would most likely be Glentrool or Newton Stewart. If you’re looking to camp, the nearest site would be Glentrool Camping and Caravan Site. You can look for other options in the area below.
The Merrick was the one hike I was desperate to do on my trip to Dumfries and Galloway, and it did not disappoint! Camping and being flexible with days meant I lucked out with excellent weather and gorgeous views. This hike is strenuous but not overly difficult, and well worth it for the views. I hope this helps planning a trip to Galloway Forest Park and hiking up the Merrick!
Have you hiked the Merrick or another walk in Galloway Forest Park?
You might like my other posts:
What To See And Do In Dumfries And Galloway, Scotland
The Best Walks In Dumfries And Galloway, Scotland
Hiking Ben Hope: Scotland’s Most Northern Munro
Ben Nevis: Hiking Britain’s Highest Mountain
My Outdoor Gear Guide For Hiking And Camping In The UK
All of my Scotland posts and hiking posts!
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