Schiehallion (;
Name
The name comes from the
Scottish Gaelic Sìth Chailleann, meaning "fairy hill of the
Caledonians";
compare nearby
Dunkeld (Gaelic
Dùn Chailleann), whose name means "fort of the Caledonians".
A Lowland name for the mountain, recorded in the 18th century, was "Maiden Pap".
["Perthshire afforded us a remarkable hill, nearly in the centre of Scotland, of sufficient height, tolerably detached from other hills, and considerably larger from east to west than from north to south, called by the people of the low country Maiden-Pap, but by the neighbouring inhabitants Schiehallion, which I have since been informed signifies in the Erse language Constant Storm; a name well adapted to the appearance which it so frequently exhibits to those who live near it, by the clouds and mists which usually crown its summit"
]
Location
Schiehallion lies between
Loch Tay,
Loch Rannoch and
Loch Tummel, about to the west-north-west of Aberfeldy in
Perthshire.
The mountain, with an elevation of , is isolated from other peaks and has an almost perfectly conical shape from the west. The view of the broad eastern flank attracts many visitors to the shores of Loch Tummel.
Schiehallion is sometimes described as the centre of Scotland, as it lies only 5 km west of the centre of gravity of (a uniform plane in the shape of) mainland Scotland. The folk group Gaberlunzie sang a song "The Back of Schiehallion", meaning Scotland.
Botany
The slopes of Schiehallion are rich in botanical life, with
Calluna,
and
blaeberry.
Blanket bog and heather moorland change colour with the seasons. The limestone pavement provides nutrients, supporting plants including dog's mercury, lily of the valley and
Anemone nemorosa.
Geology
The majority of Schiehallion consists of
quartzite, a rock formed from an original sand by heat and pressure. Quartzite is a white or pinkish rock, in which the dominant mineral is
quartz. People often mistakenly think that Schiehallion is an extinct volcano because its shape is reminiscent of an active volcano; in fact, it was formed by sedimentary processes and the shape is the result of erosion by ice during the ice ages.
History
The slopes of Schiehallion have been inhabited and cultivated since the first millennium BC until approximately two hundred years ago.
Schiehallion has been used for grazing sheep and
Deer stalking.
Since 1999 the eastern side of the mountain has been owned by the John Muir Trust.
The Schiehallion experiment
Schiehallion's isolated position and regular shape led it to be selected by the English astronomer
Charles Mason (of Mason–Dixon line fame) for a ground-breaking experiment to estimate the
Earth mass in 1774.
The deflection of a pendulum by the mass of the mountain provided an estimate of the mean density of the Earth, from which its mass and a value for Newton's gravitational constant
G could be deduced. Mason turned down a commission to carry out the work, and it was instead coordinated by the
Astronomer Royal,
Nevil Maskelyne. He was assisted in the task by mathematician
Charles Hutton, who devised a graphical system to represent large volumes of surveyed heights, later known as
.
Footpath
A
Munro mountain, Schiehallion is popular with walkers due to its accessibility, ease of ascent and views from its summit. An estimated 17,500 to 20,000 walkers made the ascent in 2000.
Most walkers start from the Forestry and Land Scotland car park at Brae of Foss, which lies just outside the boundary of the John Muir Trust estate. The route, which initially heads southwest before turning west to follow the main ridgeline of the hill, is about in length.
Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, can be seen to the west from the summit of Schiehallion.
By 1999, when the John Muir Trust bought the estate, the main path had become exceedingly erosion by the passage of many thousands of walkers. The scar was visible from quite a distance. The organisation therefore decided to construct a new path, following a different line, better able to handle the pressure of visitors.
In culture
In the folklore of Perthshire
On the southwestern side of the mountain lies the well-concealed
Uamh Tom a’ Mhòr-fhir (= cave (
uamh) of the mound (
tom) of the big man (
mhòr-fhir)), featuring in the folklore of
Rannoch as an entrance to the underworld.
[
A.D. Cunningham, Tales of Rannoch, Published by A.D.Cunningham and Perth & Kinross District Libraries, 1989. ] The
Scottish Gaelic word
tom can mean not only a natural
hillock or knoll of round or conical form (or, indeed a natural thicket/mound of vegetation) but also a grave mound or
Retrieved at 19.40 on Friday 16/2/24. Accounts of a ghostly dog haunting the lower slopes of Schiehallion serve to reinforce such an association, since such portals to the supernatural realms are traditionally guarded, in Scottish folklore and mythology, by the
Cù-sìth, (= fairy dog).
The mountain is also one of the haunts of the ancient winter goddess of Scotland known as the
Cailleach.
Modern cultural references
The Schiehallion oilfield in the North Atlantic is named after the mountain.
One of the major oilfields on Scotland's continental shelf, it is operated by BP and situated approximately west of the Shetland Mainland.
Schiehallion was the setting for much of book two of Grant Morrison's comic series Zenith, and also the electro-magnetic prison for the Chimera creature which would play a major part in subsequent books.
The Harviestoun Brewery produce a Cask ale lager called Schiehallion.
A Scottish country dance ("Schiehallion") and figure, the Schiehallion Reel, are both named after the mountain.
The song "Schiehallion" was featured on the 1994 album Time For A New Day by the independent band King Rizla.
Pipe Major Donald Shaw Ramsay composed a 3/4 march entitled "Schiehallion".
The England-based band "Schiehallion Pipes and Drums" (named for the Munro) led by Drum Major Jim (Jaimie) Gibb, has adopted the march as their signature tune. It is the lead-in tune on their album Hail! Schiehallion.
The Anglo-Cypriot power metal band Gloryhammer mentions Schiehallion in the song "The Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny" on the album Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex and refers to the popular misconception that mountain is a volcano.
==Gallery==
External links
See also
-
List of places in Perth and Kinross
-
List of mountains in Scotland
-
Maiden Paps
-
Breast shaped hills
Footnotes
