How many seasons can you experience in a day? And how many local landmarks can you see in 4 hours? For Biggar Ramblers walk up Black Mount on 30th June we had the full range of seasons from wintry wind and drizzle at the start to warm sunshine on the way back down. And Black Mount is a great hill for views.
Black Mount, on a smaller scale than Tinto Hill at an altitude of only 516 metres, nonetheless stands out as a distinctive hill in the area. The nine walkers set off from Elsrickle on the public pathway to Walston. Once over the brow and through several gates, the route up Black Mount bears right and climbs the spine, following the fence to the trig point on the top. At the start, it was hard to make out the tops of Tinto, Coulter and Carden, but at every stage of the climb, the views opened out. At the trig point it was possible to see clear tops for Tinto, Coulter Fell, Broughton Heights, Mendick Hill and the Pentlands. It was also possible to make out Traprain Law and the Bass Rock. This is a short hill walk of just under 5 miles, but nonetheless worth it for views of this lovely countryside, even on a day with less than perfect weather.