Mormond Hill

Mormond Hill and its antenna

Aerial masts on Mormond Hill

Mormond Hill (from the Gaelic --mor-- meaning big and --monadh--for hill) is a large hill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland not far from Fraserburgh. The villages of Strichen and New Leeds can be found at its foot hills.

It also has a smattering of disused satellite dishes and masts on top, remnants from Cold War NATO communications and British Telecom having a presence on the site.

The hill is mentioned in the traditional Scottish ballad known as Mormond Braes.^[1] The word 'Brae' is held to mean 'hill' in Scottish Gaelic, while the rest of the ballad is a mix of English and Scots, with references to 'Strichen toon'. The ballad is about a girl who's lost her lover and is preparing herself to face the world and get another.

The White Horse and the White Deer (Stag)

A white horse is depicted on the side of the hill made from white quartz that has been placed into position to make the shape. It is a war memorial to a Sergeant who gave up his horse for his Captain in battle.

The white deer (also known as 'The white stag') was created in a similar way, with quartz on the side of the hill but was made as a wedding present rather than as a memorial.

Unusually, these are the only two hill figures located in Scotland. There are three more in Wales and roughly 50 more in England. The White Horse is one of sixteen horses in the United Kingdom, whilst the stag is one of two stags in the United Kingdom, although the other is more of a natural figure which simply looks like one.

References

1. ^ http://www.rampantscotland.com/songs/blsongs_mormond.htm

External links

General Information-

• General History and Information

Satellite Dish Information-

• NATO and Telecommunications Details
• 'Ban The Bomb' Information on old NATO Communications

Coordinates: 57°36′N 2°04′W / 57.6°N 2.067°W / 57.6; -2.067