Hills and Mountains of the UK

Best enlarged The cone shaped peaks centre right of picture are; (L to R), Buachaille Etive Beag (958m) and Buachaille Etive Mòr (1022m). In Gaelic the are known respectively as; The little shepherd of Etive and the big shepherd of Etive. The mountain on the right of picture is Beinn Ceitlein (883m), possibly meaning Caitlin's hill.

Best enlarged Taken from our holiday cottage garden.

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Best enlarged Loch Etive (Scottish Gaelic, Loch Eite) is a 30 km sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It reaches the sea at Connel, 5 km north of Oban. It measures 31.6 km (19 3⁄4 miles) long and from 1.2 km ( 3⁄4 mile) to 1.6 km (1 mi) wide. Its depth varies greatly, up to a maximum of 150 m (490 ft). The River Etive drains into Loch Etive from its source near Kingshouse on Glencoe, Rannoch Moor. A small, single track road runs alongside the river for its 18km course to the loch – this road is widely regarded as one of the most picturesque roads in all of Scotland. The mountain on the right of picture is Beinn Ceitlein (883m), possibly meaning Caitlin's hill.

Best enlarged The clear but peat stained water from the River Etive mixes with the sea water of the loch. Loch Etive (Scottish Gaelic, Loch Eite) is a 30 km sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It reaches the sea at Connel, 5 km north of Oban. It measures 31.6 km (19 3⁄4 miles) long and from 1.2 km ( 3⁄4 mile) to 1.6 km (1 mi) wide. Its depth varies greatly, up to a maximum of 150 m (490 ft). The River Etive drains into Loch Etive from its source near Kingshouse on Glencoe, Rannoch Moor. A small, single track road runs alongside the river for its 18km course to the loch – this road is widely regarded as one of the most picturesque roads in all of Scotland. From 1847 a steamer service from Oban carried passengers to a pier in the area of the pier now used for the loading of logs onto ships (just visible at right of picture) at the north end of the loch. From there the passengers would board a carriage service that took tourists up Glen Etive to see Glen Coe. The name Etive is believed to mean "little ugly one" from the Gaelic goddess associated with the loch. It heads east for half its length alongside the main road and rail link to Oban, before heading northeast into mountainous terrain. The narrow mouth of the loch results in its most unusual feature, the Falls of Lora. Part of the north bank has been designated a Special Area of Conservation in particular due to old sessile oak woods. Surprisingly, a small colony of around 20 common seals is resident in Loch Etive.

Best enlarged The fence to the right is a 'deer fence' used to prevent the animals making a meal of sapling and young trees.

Best enlarged *No idea what Urr means - perhaps the inhabitants of the glen could not decide what to call it;-))

Best enlarged Aaccording to local sources, in the early 20th century two boys, the McGregors, who probably lived in this cottage across the River Etive from the local school had to cross the river in a 'bucket' suspended on a rope in order to attend the school. Along with their books and their lunch they were also expected to bring a couple of blocks of peat each for the fire! At the time these two boys were the only pupils The school referred to above:

Best enlarged The pictures shows the ridge and corries between the peaks of Glas Bheinn Mhor, left (997m) and Ben Starav, right (1068m)

Best enlarged The photo was taken in October 2009, not as indicated

Loch Linnhe is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. The part upstream of Corran is known in Gaelic as An Linne Dhubh (the black pool, originally known as Loch Abar), and downstream as An Linne Sheileach (the salty pool). The name Linnhe is derived from the Gaelic word linne, meaning "pool" Loch Linnhe follows the line of the Great Glen Fault, and is the only sea loch along the fault.[2] About 50 kilometres (31 mi) long, it opens onto the Firth of Lorne at its southwestern end. The part of the loch upstream of Corran is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) long and an average of about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) wide. The southern part of the loch is wider, and its branch southeast of the island of Lismore is known as the Lynn of Lorne. Loch Eil feeds into Loch Linnhe at the latter's northernmost point, while from the east Loch Leven feeds in the loch just downstream of Corran and Loch Creran feeds into the Lynn of Lorne. The town of Fort William lies at the northeast end of the loch, at the mouth of the River Lochy.

Best enlarged Staffin (Scottish Gaelic: Stafain) is a district with the Gaelic name An Taobh Sear, which translates as 'the East Side', on the northeast coast of the Trotternish peninsula of the island of Skye. It is located on the A855 road about 17 miles (27 km) north of Portree and is overlooked by the Trotternish Ridge with the famous rock formations of The Storrand the Quirang. The district comprises 23 townships made up of, from south to north, Rigg, Tote, Lealt, Lonfearn, Grealin, Breackry, Cul-nan-cnoc, Bhaltos, Raiseburgh, Ellishader, Garafad, Clachan, Garros, Marrishader, Maligar, Stenscholl, Brogaig, Sartle, Glasphein, Digg, Dunan, Flodigarry and Greap. The Kilmartin River runs northwards through the village. From where it reaches the sea a rocky shore leads east to a slipway at An Corran. Here a local resident found a slab bearing a dinosaur track, probably made by a small ornithopod. Experts subsequently found more dinosaur prints of up to 50 cm, the largest found in Scotland, made by a creature similar to Megalosaurus. At about 160 million years old they are the youngest dinosaur remains to be found in Scotland. A Mesolithic hunter-gatherer site dating to the 7th millennium BC at An Corran is one of the oldest archaeological sites in Scotland. Its occupation is probably linked to that of the rock shelter at Sand, Applecross on the coast of Wester Ross. In the modern era this part of Skye retains a strong Gaelic identity with 61 per cent of the local population recorded as speaking the language in 2001. In September 2010,Comunn na Gàidhlig named Staffin as their "Gaelic Community of the Year", in the first year this competition has run. In 2011 it was reported that Staffin Island may be the last in Scotland where the old tradition of having cattle swim between grazings is still carried out. Crofter Iain MacDonald, who used to swim with the animals, now uses a boat to encourage them to swim from Staffin Island to Skye in early spring and back again in October. The maze of grassy hummocks and domes providing the backdrop to Staffin Bay are part of the Quiraing, the largest landslide in Britain. 2km wide, the Quiraing stretches all the way from the escarpment down to the sea and covers a total area of 8.5 sq km, but it’s actually part of a much bigger series of ancient landslides all along the Trotternish ridge. The name Quiraing comes from Old Norse 'Kví Rand', which means "Round Fold". Within the fold is The Table, an elevated plateau hidden among the pillars. It is said that the fold was used to conceal cattle from Viking raiders.

The Storr (Scottish Gaelic: An Stòr) is a rocky hill on the Trotternish peninsula of the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The hill presents a steep rocky eastern face overlooking the Sound of Raasay, contrasting with gentler grassy slopes to the west. The Storr is prime example of the Trotternish landslip, the longest such feature in Great Britain. The Old Man of Storr ( Bodach an Stoir) is the large pinnacle on the right of the picture.

Staffin (Scottish Gaelic: Stafain) is a district with the Gaelic name An Taobh Sear, which translates as 'the East Side', on the northeast coast of the Trotternish peninsula of the island of Skye. It is located on the A855 road about 17 miles (27 km) north of Portree and is overlooked by the Trotternish Ridge with the famous rock formations of The Storrand the Quirang. The district comprises 23 townships made up of, from south to north, Rigg, Tote, Lealt, Lonfearn, Grealin, Breackry, Cul-nan-cnoc, Bhaltos, Raiseburgh, Ellishader, Garafad, Clachan, Garros, Marrishader, Maligar, Stenscholl, Brogaig, Sartle, Glasphein, Digg, Dunan, Flodigarry and Greap. The Kilmartin River runs northwards through the village. From where it reaches the sea a rocky shore leads east to a slipway at An Corran. Here a local resident found a slab bearing a dinosaur track, probably made by a small ornithopod. Experts subsequently found more dinosaur prints of up to 50 cm, the largest found in Scotland, made by a creature similar to Megalosaurus. At about 160 million years old they are the youngest dinosaur remains to be found in Scotland. A Mesolithic hunter-gatherer site dating to the 7th millennium BC at An Corran is one of the oldest archaeological sites in Scotland. Its occupation is probably linked to that of the rock shelter at Sand, Applecross on the coast of Wester Ross. In the modern era this part of Skye retains a strong Gaelic identity with 61 per cent of the local population recorded as speaking the language in 2001. In September 2010,Comunn na Gàidhlig named Staffin as their "Gaelic Community of the Year", in the first year this competition has run. In 2011 it was reported that Staffin Island may be the last in Scotland where the old tradition of having cattle swim between grazings is still carried out. Crofter Iain MacDonald, who used to swim with the animals, now uses a boat to encourage them to swim from Staffin Island to Skye in early spring and back again in October.

Best enlarged Staffin’s harbour – known locally as “The Slip” – is regarded with great affection by the community’s residents, both past and present. The Slipway, built more than a century ago, was effectively a lifeline for generations of local people with essential supplies being delivered by boat. It was, and is, a source of fish and other seafood and the slipway area is a key recreational asset for Staffin’s community and visitors whether it is fishing, camping, walking or bird watching. The link below shows the view towards The Slipway. www.ipernity.com/doc/cardiganieuan/44163952

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