Hill of Barnweil and Wallace's Monument plus Mauchline Hill

11 March 2019

 

Participants: Neil and Ben

Where: Hill of Barnweil, 153m/502', P 59m, Tump, OS 70, NS 407 295 and Mauchline Hill, 198m/650', P 41m. Tump, OS 70, NS 510 275

 

There was a temporary break in a spell of poor weather, enough to tempt me out to do these two Tumps near Tarbolton/Mauchline in Ayrshire. I was attracted to Barnweil Hill by the fact that it had a gothic sandstone tower on top which had been built to commemorate William Wallace, one of a number of such towers in lowland Scotland. This one was completed in 1857 thus predating its more famous cousin in Stirling (also at the top of a Tump) by several years. The architect of the Barnweil Tower was Robert Snodgrass of Beath and it appears to have been paid for by local benefactors. Unfortunately, local authority financial cuts have meant that it is no longer open to the public- a shame as the hill itself is a great viewpoint and the view from the top of the tower must be spectacular. There are however descriptive plaques set into the sandstone base that praise Wallace and lend further interest. Here are some photos of the Tower.....

 

 

And a view looking east.....

 

On the way to Barnweil, I diverted to Mauchline to tick off Mauchline Hill. Not a lot to see here- a very wet track to a transmitter station, a walk through some equally wet scrub and a high point in the middle of a field.....