Although theoretically visible, looking from S-N, Merrick is almost entirely obscured by Lamachan Hill and as such, confirmed sightings are very rare.

An interesting feature on the mountain is the presence of several large partly buried granite boulders at about 800 m on the broad west ridge.

[5] They are glacial erratics, but the exact mechanism is unclear that has brought them to rest close to the highest point of the Southern Uplands and over 200 m higher than any currently occurring granite in the Galloway Hills.

Be aware that if descending in poor visibility a very common mistake is to walk down the west ridge into remote terrain.

The total round-trip distance from Glen Trool to the summit and back is approximately 9 miles (14 kilometres).