Tinto is an isolated hill in the south of the

Central Lowlands The Central Lowlands, sometimes called the Midland Valley or Central Valley, is a geologically defined area of relatively low-lying land in southern Scotland. It consists of a rift valley between the Highland Boundary Fault to the north and ...

just to the north of the

Southern Uplands The Southern Uplands () are the southernmost and least populous of mainland Scotland's three major geographic areas (the others being the Central Lowlands and the Highlands). The term is used both to describe the geographical region and to col ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It comprises little more than one top, which stands on the west bank of the

River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...

, some west of Biggar. The peak is also called "Tinto Tap", with the name Tinto possibly deriving from the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

word ', meaning "fiery", which may refer to its ancient past as a look out beacon. Further known as the "Hill of Fire" it is also suggested exposed red hue felsite rock visible in many places on the hill helped give rise to this name due to the effect seen when a setting sun illuminates the hillside. At the summit sits "Tinto Cairn", and with a diameter of and a height of it is one of the largest

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

round cairns in Scotland, most of which are found at lower elevations. An old Scots children's rhyme tells of the "kist in the mist" at "Tintock tap", ' being the Scots word for "

chest The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...

". On Tintock tap, there is a mist, And in that mist, there is a kist, And in that kist, there is a cup, And in that cup, there is a drap. Tak' up that cup, and drink that drap, that's in yon kist, on Tintock tap! It is accessible for walking and is one of the premier locations for

hanggliding Hang gliding is an air sports, air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised, fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium al ...

and

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or in a cocoon-like 'pod' suspended be ...

. Tinto is located near the small villages of

Thankerton Thankerton is a small village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. It is located between Biggar and Lanark, and situated between Quothquan Law and Tinto (two local hills). Thankerton's name derives from an early feudal lord call ...

and Wiston. Tinto is also the venue for one of the most popular hill running races in Scotland which is held annually in November.

Artistic recognition

Tinto Hill was painted by

John Pairman John Pairman (1788–1843) was a Scottish portrait and landscape painter operational in the 19th century. His style is derivative of his contemporary, David Wilkie. Life Pairman appears to have spent most of his early life in Biggar, South La ...

in 1841.

References

External links

Tinto Hill race

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Marilyns of Scotland Donald mountains Grahams Mountains and hills of the Southern Uplands Landforms of South Lanarkshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Clydesdale and South East Glasgow {{SouthLanarkshire-geo-stub