Summit Hike and Visit to Leadhills
Wednesday, July 12: Hikes to the Summit of Lowther Hill and the village of Leadhills
Today the students divided into two groups and ventured out on the trail in different directions. One group hiked up to the “golf ball” (the photos will give you a better sense of how this radar tower, which is visible from all corners of the village, got its name) at the summit of Lowther Hill. Although the summit of Lowther hill stands at 2378 ft. above sea level, the climb up to the summit is only 300 m (1000 feet) due to Wanlockhead’s elevation. We startled a few grouse on our way up to the summit, and the path was quite rough in spots. But the view from the top was well worth the climb. We observed wind farms along the ridge line in all directions. The increase in the number of wind farms in and around Wanlockhead has become a source of contention among the villagers, who are resistant to the encroaching technology for a number of reasons, which the students have been made aware of through their conversations with locals at the Inn next door. The second group participated in a hike along an old railway line to Leadhills, the closest neighboring village.
