Lomond Hills

The Lomond Hills rise on the border between Fife and Kinross-shire as a group of three main peaks: West Lomond, East Lomond and Bishop Hill. West Lomond, at 522 metres, is the highest point in Fife and the tallest of the three. The hills form a long escarpment over ten kilometres long, with steep sandstone and limestone cliffs on the northern and western sides. East and West Lomond sit just under five kilometres apart, separated by a high plateau around 350 metres above sea level. Bishop Hill lies further south, connected by a deep valley called Glen Burn. The peaks themselves are volcanic in origin, while the lower slopes are built from Carboniferous sandstones and limestones. The hills hold traces of Iron Age forts on East Lomond and at Maiden Castle, a grassy knoll between the two main peaks. Limestone was once quarried here, and the remains of a limekiln and quarry can still be seen on East Lomond’s southwest slopes. The northern slopes belong to Falkland Estate, a historic hunting ground where Scottish kings stayed at nearby Falkland Palace. The Lomond Hills Regional Park covers about 65 square kilometres, with most land privately owned but some managed for public access. Six reservoirs were built here to supply water to growing mining towns in west Fife. Visitors find well-marked paths up both East and West Lomond, with the easiest route starting from Craigmead Car Park between the two peaks. From the summits, views stretch from the Highlands to the Scottish Borders and out to the sea in the east. The steep northern slopes of East Lomond carry downhill mountain-bike tracks, while paragliders often launch on windy days. Glen Vale and Maspie Den offer dramatic gorges with walking trails leading to waterfalls and undercut rock faces. Carlin Maggie and John Knox’s Pulpit are striking rock outcrops along the escarpment, linked to 17th-century covenanters.