Introduction The Loch Grannoch slabs lie near the Loch of the same name on an outlier of Cairnsmore of Fleet in the southern Galloway Hills. There is a wealth of beautiful granite rock on the mountain, but finding continuous rock is not so easy..... This page was compiled by John Biggar, a professional Mountaineering Instructor and member of the AMI, who lives locally and was involved in some of the first ascents here. Contact me (details above) if you want to know more about climbing in Galloway or want to learn how to climb or abseil. This page was compiled with care, but it is not guaranteed error free.
Access The access is long, but can be done relatively quickly by bike. Park at the Fleet railway viaduct near the disused Gatehouse of Fleet Station (at the end of the B796 from Gatehouse of Fleet). From here follow forestry roads as marked on the map, and signposted on the ground, to Loch Grannoch Lodge at the south end of Loch Grannoch. The lodge is currently run as an outdoor centre. From the Lodge the first slabs are reached in about 10-20 minutes walk, the way is obvious. An overview of the various climbing areas is pictured below, the Loch Grannoch Lodge is just down to the right in amongst the trees.
No climbing here in the spring due to nesting birds.
Some of the best climbing is on the lowest slabs, known as the Lodge Slabs
A short way further up the hill are the very clean M slabs, with their motorway network....routes here are 12-15m long by the time you get to the belays. Small cams recommended, but even then many routes are tricky to protect. M63 is particularly recommended, a very sketchy finish.
Further up the hill to the west is the Madman area, with rather vegetated routes.
Enjoy it!!
