AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Craigowl Hill is the highest point of the Sidlaw Hills at 455 metres (1,493 feet), a broad whaleback of a summit standing just eight kilometres north of Dundee. Crowned by a cluster of communications masts that make it a landmark visible from miles around, the hill is the go-to outdoor escape for Dundonians seeking sweeping views over the city, the Firth of Tay, and the Highlands beyond.↗↗↗
The classic way to reach the top is the ABC circuit — a circular walk linking Auchterhouse Hill, Balkello Hill, and Craigowl itself. At around 7.5 kilometres with 333 metres of ascent, it takes two and a half to three hours and delivers three distinct summits, each with its own character and vista. The route is moderate but varied: heathery slopes, gorse-lined paths, woodland sections, and open hillside under grazing cattle.↗↗
Good to know
- Mountain peak
- 9 kmfrom Dundee center
- 4.6 / 517 reviews
- Dundee
What Makes Craigowl Special
The name Craigowl comes from Gaelic creag gobhal, meaning forked hill — a reference not to the hill's shape but to a junction of paths at a pass on its eastern flank where travellers once chose between a high route or a low one into Glen Ogilvie. The hill itself is a long, smooth ridge rather than a pointed peak, and its grassy slopes are classified as a Marilyn (a hill with at least 150 metres of topographic prominence) and a Hardy.
