Lochnagar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lochnagar | |
|---|---|
 Lochnagar face seen from Meikle Pap |
|
| Elevation | 1155 m (3790 ft) |
| Location | Aberdeenshire, Scotland |
| Prominence | c. 670 m |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 44 |
| OS grid reference | NO244861 |
| Listing | Munro, Marilyn |
| Translation | Little loch of the noisy sound (Gaelic) |
Lochnagar is a mountain in the Grampians of Scotland, located about five miles south of the River Dee near Balmoral. It is named after Lochan na Gaire, the 'little loch of the noisy sound', a loch to be found in the mountain's northeast corrie. Today the lochan is popularly called Lochnagar too. The summit is usually referred to as Cac Carn Beag, meaning "small cairn of faeces" in Gaelic. Beinn Chìochan ('breast mountain') is an alternative Gaelic name.[1]
The mountain's principal feature is a north-facing corrie around which most of the subsidiary tops as well as the main peak sit. The mountain is a Munro and is popular with hillwalkers at all times of the year. The most common route of ascent is from Glen Muick. Care should be taken on the summit in poor visibility; the plateau is mostly devoid of obvious features and has steep cliffs on its northern edge.
Lochnagar is located on the Royal Estate at Balmoral, and the mountain itself has royal links. It is the setting for a children's story, The Old Man of Lochnagar, originally told by Prince Charles to his younger brothers, Andrew and Edward, and published in 1980 with royalties going toward The Prince's Trust.
A malt whisky distillery located near the Balmoral estate on the south side of the River Dee produces the Royal Lochnagar Single Malt whisky.
It is a site for breeding Dotterel (Charadrius morinellus) and this has led it to be designated as a Special Protection Area.
'Lochnagar' is the name of a crater in the Somme created by a massive mine explosion during the First World War.
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Also the name of a poem by George Gordon, Lord Byron, and of a song made of it.
