How difficult is Tinto?

Tinto carries a 1/5 (easy) grade on the OutdoorSCOT scale. Count on about 8km, 480m of ascent and a 2-3 hour day on the standard route. Ground conditions: The eroded main path has been substantially repaired with imported aggregate, giving solid footing for the entire ascent.

How much drop does Tinto have?

The drop is 443m: measured from the summit of Tinto down to the saddle joining it to higher terrain.

Where's the parking for Tinto?

Park at NS964374 near Glasgow. Double-check the grid reference on an OS map first; informal laybys here fill early in high season.

What's the best month to climb Tinto?

Aim for April, May, June, July, August, September, October on Tinto. In the remaining months treat it as a winter hill — full kit, solid navigation, and a look at the relevant SAIS avalanche forecast before you go.

Can dogs go up Tinto?

Dogs are fine on a lead. The route passes livestock or ground-nesting bird habitat, so keep them close throughout.

By the OutdoorSCOT editor

Photo: Iain Lees / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Geograph

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Graham · Southern Uplands

Tinto

Tinto (711m) is the great red hill of Clydesdale at NS95, rising in solitary splendour from rolling farmland between Lanark and Biggar. Its Bronze Age summit cairn — one of the largest in Scotland at around 6m high and 45m across — has been a landmark for four millennia. Views on a clear day reach from Goatfell on Arran to the Cheviots, from the Cumbrian Lakes to the Pentlands. Few Scottish hills are so widely loved by their local communities.

Quick facts

Height: 711.6m/ 2335ft
Prominence: 443 m
Distance: ~8 km
Ascent: ~480 m
Time: 2–3 hrs
Difficulty: 1 / 5Easy
Grid ref: NS953343
Parking: NS964374
Nearest: Glasgow· Glasgow 47km
Dogs: Dogs on lead required near livestockDog-friendly guide ↗

Height and prominence cross-checked against the Database of British and Irish Hills (CC BY).

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Standard route

grassy path 30% · moorland path 40% · stony summit path 20% · summit area 10%

8km · 480m ascent · 3 hrs

From the Tinto Hill car park at Fallburn (NS964374), the public path strikes south-east up the broad north ridge, gaining height steadily on a well-worn stone surface. A clear shoulder at Totherin Hill marks the halfway point before the final pull to the summit cairn. Around 8km out-and-back with some 480m of climb — the most-walked hill route in the Southern Uplands.

Terrain

The eroded main path has been substantially repaired with imported aggregate, giving solid footing for the entire ascent. The northern flank carries cropped sheep turf either side of the trail. Watch for foot-twisting hidden burns where springs emerge through the path. The summit cairn is unmistakable in any visibility.

In winter

Tinto's red felsite holds verglas readily and the open shoulder catches drifting snow in every direction. Whiteout on the broad summit dome is genuinely disorienting; the path is usually visible as a line of darker ground, but if buried, compass-and-pacing back to the shoulder of Totherin is essential.

Kit for this: the winter Munro kit list · which boots take crampons

Outside the SAIS network. No Scottish Avalanche Information Service forecast covers Tinto. SAIS forecasts six areas only — Northern and Southern Cairngorms, Creag Meagaidh, Lochaber, Glencoe and Torridon — and this hill is outside all of them, so there is no avalanche forecast to read for it. In winter, use MWIS Southern Uplands ↗ for mountain weather, judge snow stability from first principles, and treat any cornice or wind-loaded slope with extra caution.

Best time of year

Best OK Avoid

Getting there

Glasgow1h 8m
Edinburgh1h 11m

Parking: NS964374

OS maps: OS Landranger 72

Mobile signal: Excellent signal — Tinto Hill is one of the most prominent radio relay points in central Scotland

Current conditions

Daylight Today

11h 51mwalking daylight

Sunrise: 07:42
Sunset: 18:19
Civil dawn: 07:05
Civil dusk: 18:56

NOAA Solar Calculator · 14 October 2026

Tinto weather: forecast, wind exposure and winter notes →

Pair with

Curated multi-hill combinations from Tinto.

Two-hill day
Tinto + Culter Fell
Link Tinto with Culter Fell for a full upper Clyde valley Graham double on the Southern Uplands fringe
22km · 1200m ascent · 8 hrs

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Around Tinto on the SCOT network

Getting there, basing yourself, and what to do off the hill.

On TripSCOT

station

Getting there: Glasgow Queen Street

West Highland Line southern terminus; Highland Main Line

48km from the hill

tripscot.co.uk

Before you go

Hillwalking carries real risk and the responsibility for any day on the hill is yours. Conditions in Scotland change fast and can differ sharply from the forecast — check the weather and the ground before you commit, turn back when the day stops working, and carry map and compass with the ability to use them rather than relying on a phone.

The distance, ascent and time shown on this page are editorial estimates for the usual line, not measurements from a recorded track — that is what the ~ means. Treat them as a rough shape of the day. Your own pace, the conditions and the exact line you take will all move them.

Mountain forecasts: MWIS and the Met Office mountain forecast. Access rights and responsibilities are set out in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

We check what we publish, but we cannot check the route on the day you walk it. Nothing here is a substitute for your own judgement.

Tinto — common questions

How difficult is Tinto?: Tinto carries a 1/5 (easy) grade on the OutdoorSCOT scale. Count on about 8km, 480m of ascent and a 2-3 hour day on the standard route. Ground conditions: The eroded main path has been substantially repaired with imported aggregate, giving solid footing for the entire ascent.
How much drop does Tinto have?: The drop is 443m: measured from the summit of Tinto down to the saddle joining it to higher terrain.
Where's the parking for Tinto?: Park at NS964374 near Glasgow. Double-check the grid reference on an OS map first; informal laybys here fill early in high season.
What's the best month to climb Tinto?: Aim for April, May, June, July, August, September, October on Tinto. In the remaining months treat it as a winter hill — full kit, solid navigation, and a look at the relevant SAIS avalanche forecast before you go.
Can dogs go up Tinto?: Dogs are fine on a lead. The route passes livestock or ground-nesting bird habitat, so keep them close throughout.
Will I get phone signal on Tinto?: Excellent signal — Tinto Hill is one of the most prominent radio relay points in central Scotland
Is Tinto safe in winter?: Tinto's red felsite holds verglas readily and the open shoulder catches drifting snow in every direction. Whiteout on the broad summit dome is genuinely disorienting; the path is usually visible as a line of darker ground, but if buried, compass-and-pacing back to the shoulder of Totherin is essential.

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