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 'pass of the small cairn' 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.

Lochnagar is located on the Royal Estate at Balmoral, and the mountain itself has royal links. It is the setting for the children's novel written by Prince Charles for his children called The Old Man of Lochnagar which describes the exploits of a man living in a cave in the cliffs under the mountain, near the corrie loch.

There is a malt whisky distillery producing the Royal Lochnagar whisky, which is located near the Balmoral estate on the south side of the River Dee.

It is a site for breeding Dotterel (Charadrius morinellus) and this has caused it to be designated as a Special Protection Area.

Lochnagar is also the name of a crater in the Somme created by a massive mine explosion during the First World War.