Minnigaff Hills
{{Short description|Range of hills in the Southern Uplands of Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
The Minnigaff Hills are a range of hills in the Galloway Hills range, part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. A southerly range, they are perpendicular to the Range of the Awful Hand, Dungeon Hills and Rhinns of Kells to the north. In total, these four ranges are part of the Galloway Forest Park.
The Hills
The hills of the range are the second lowest of the Galloway Hills with the highest hill, Lamachan Hill, reaching 717m, but cover a much more circular area. They are located entirely within Dumfries and Galloway and, despite the name, are most commonly ascended from nearby Glen Trool to the north, albeit more steeply, rather than Minnigaff itself to the south. A common round takes in Lamachan Hill and Curleywee with the option of Larg Hill, however the most easterly and isolated Donald, Millfore, is normally ascended on its own.{{cite web|author=Walkhighlands |url=https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/grahams/millfore |title=Millfore - Graham |publisher=Walkhighlands |date= |accessdate=2020-04-23}} The higher summits broadly form an 'N' shape and contain far more divergent satellite ridges and individual hills than the other three ranges.
From west to east (excluding all satellite ridges) the hills are:
Ecology
The SSSI Cairnbaber, lies on the northeast slopes of Millfore and is an example of a SNH priority habitat, Inland Rock Outcrops.{{cite web|url=https://www.dumgal.gov.uk/media/19945/Local-Biodiversity-Action-Plan/pdf/Local_Biodiversity_Action_Plan.pdf |title=Biodiversity action plan |publisher=www.dumgal.gov.uk |date= |accessdate=2020-04-23}}{{cite web|url=https://sitelink.nature.scot/site/286 |title=SiteLink |publisher=Sitelink.nature.scot |date= |accessdate=2020-04-23}}
Etymology
A Scottish Gaelic influence is clear on a number of hills in the range; 'Curleywee' is said to come from cor le gaeith (hill in the wind){{Cite web|url=https://www.screel.co.uk/walks/dumfries-galloway/curleywee/|title=Following the fence posts to Curleywee | Drow 'n' Smirr}} and 'Millfore' from meall fuar (cold round hill).{{cite web|url=http://www.screel.co.uk/walks/page/25/ |title=Drow 'n' Smirr | Some walks, mostly in SW Scotland, often in waterproofs | Page 25 |publisher=Screel.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2020-04-23}} 'Larg Hill' may derive from Irish: learg (slopes of a hill).{{cite web|url=https://deriv.nls.uk/dcn23/7987/79870136.23.pdf |title=Irish local names explained |date= |accessdate=2020-04-23}}{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/studiesintopogra00maxwiala/studiesintopogra00maxwiala_djvu.txt |title=Full text of "Studies in the topography of Galloway; being a list of nearly 4000 names of places, with remarks on their origin and meaning, and an introductory essay" |date=2016-10-23 |accessdate=2020-04-23}} An area of land was historically given to the Mackie of Larg by Robert the Bruce; known still as Cumloden, just north of Minnigaff and 5 miles from Larg Hill itself.MacKay, A. (1906). The Book of Mackay. Edinburgh: Norman MacLeod. 'Lamachan Hill', historically 'Lommachan', may derive from Irish: loma (bare).{{cite web|url=https://www.focloir.ie/en/dictionary/ei/loma |title=loma - Translation to Irish Gaelic with audio pronunciation of translations for loma by New English-Irish Dictionary |publisher=Focloir.ie |date= |accessdate=2020-04-23}}
References
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{{coord missing|Dumfries and Galloway}}
Category:Mountains and hills of the Southern Uplands