40. Cockleroy Hill in Bathgate Hills
Cockleroy Hill is formed from a quartz-dolerite sill which was intruded into existing layers of basalt. The pre-historic fort on the summit is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Cockleroy is a well-known for the views it provides across the Midland Valley. The hill is composed of quartz-dolerite as part of the Midland Valley Sill. This is a tough igneous rock, a variety of dolerite that contains small amounts of quartz. It has formed when magma intruded into existing basalt layers: the dolerite is similar to basalt, but because it cooled down more slowly underground there was more time for the crystals to form and these are just big enough to be seen with the naked eye, unlike in (most) basalts.
The late Bronze Age - Iron Age hillfort, known as Wallace's Bed, is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. A stone arrowhead was found at the summit.
Cockleroy is situated west of Beecraigs Country Park, and can be reached by foot from the car park to the east of the hill in the adjacent Country Park. The hill is private land, so respect the land management of grazing sheep and follow the Scottish Outdoor Access code. Nearby geodiversity sites are Wairdlaw Quarry (21), Hilderston Silver Mine Quarry (28) and Beecraigs Quarry (41).
