West Lomond

West Lomond
Fife
West Lomond
Range:	Lomond Hills
Summit:	1,713 feet NO197066 56°14’42"N, 3°17’50"W

West Lomond is the highest point in Fife, and the highest peak in the Lomond Hills. The conspicuous peaks of West Lomond, and its neighbour East Lomond, are visible for many miles around, which explains their name, the 'Lomond' or 'Beacon' hills.

The hills' distinctive shape is caused by their geology: a volcanic dolerite cone rises above an escarpment of carboniferous sandstone and limestone layers.

On the summit are the remains of an Iron Age Hill fort.

Ascent

West Lomond is usually climbed from Craigmead car park on the Falkland-Leslie road, as this sits at a height of almost 1,000 feet. From the car park, leave the trees by a wishing gate, and follow a broad grassy path roughly north-west which joins a track after about 350 yards. Follow this track and subsequent path, which has recently been re-laid to limit erosion, all the way to the summit cone of West Lomond.

On reaching the base of the summit cone, one has the choice of two possible routes of ascent. One path zigzags steeply up the eastern (near) face of the hill, whilst the other, the easier route, skirts round to the north of the peak, before climbing up the far side to the summit.

As the hill's prominence would suggest, one obtains a marvellous panorama from its summit, not only of the surrounding countryside, but of the greater part of the Central Lowlands, the Southern Highlands and the Grampian Mountains.

Another route of ascent leaves from the Bunnet Stane and climbs diagonally up the steep north slopes of the escarpment to a gap in the cliffs, above which one gains the plateau a short distance from the summit cone. On this route there are more interesting features to the landscape, however the climb is steeper and begins at a much lesser altitude than the Craigmead car park.

References

West Lomond at sunset, from the Howe of Fife

• Scottish National Heritage
• Walk Scotland
• School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh