| Cairnsmore of Fleet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 711 m (2,333 ft)[1] |
| Prominence | 522 m (1,713 ft)[1] |
| Listing | Ma,Hu,Tu,Sim, G, D,DN,Y,P500[2] |
| Coordinates | 54°58′32″N 4°20′30″W / 54.97556°N 4.34167°W |
| Naming | |
| English translation | Scottish Gaelic: Big Hill of Fleet[3] |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland |
| Parent range | Galloway Hills, Southern Uplands |
| OS grid | NX 50121 67048 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 83 |
Cairnsmore of Fleet is an isolated mountain in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. The mountain forms an unafforested granite massif, whose highest point is about ten kilometres (six miles) east of Newton Stewart. It is the highest of the "Solway Hills" sub-range, and the southernmost of Scotland's 219 Grahams, thus making it, or rather its subsidiary top, Knee of Cairnsmore, the most southerly mountain in Scotland.[4] The view to the south takes in the Cree Estuary and Wigtown Bay, and extends as far as the Lake District, the Isle of Man and Snowdonia.[5] The highest summits of the Galloway Hills can be seen to the north, and Ireland is in the view to the west.[6]
It is home to the most extensive area of open moorland in Galloway, and has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The summit and eastern flanks of the mountain (an area of 1,922 hectares) are designated as a national nature reserve, which is managed by NatureScot.[7]
Cairnsmore of Fleet lies in the south of the council area Dumfries and Galloway, and in the historic county of the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright.
- ^ a b "Cairnsmore of Fleet". www.hill-bagging.co.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ "Cairnsmore of Fleet". www.hill-bagging.co.uk. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ "Place-names in and around the Fleet Valley" (PDF). Gatehouse Folk. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ R. Anderson; T. Prentice, eds. (2015). The Grahams and The Donalds. Scottish Mountaineering Trust. pp. 14–15. ISBN 978-1-907233-19-7.
- ^ "Cairnsmore of Fleet". Galloway Mountain Rescue Team. 2006. Archived from the original on 8 October 2007. Retrieved 26 April 2007.
- ^ The Story of Cairnsmore of Fleet National Nature Reserve. p. 8.
- ^ The Story of Cairnsmore of Fleet National Nature Reserve. p. 6.