- Schiehallion
Infobox Mountain
Name = Schiehallion
Photo = Schiehallion NW ridge.jpg
Caption = The north-west ridge of Schiehallion in April
Elevation = 1083 m (3554 ft)
Location =Perth and Kinross ,Scotland
Range =
Prominence = "c." 718 m
Parent peak =Ben Lawers
Topographic
OS "Landranger" 51
First ascent =
Easiest route =
Grid_ref_UK = NN714548
Listing =Munro , Marilyn
Translation = Fairy Hill of the Caledonians
Language = Gaelic
Pronunciation =Schiehallion (Gaelic: Sìdh Chailleann, pronounced|ʃiˈxaʎən̪ˠ) is a prominent
mountain inPerth and Kinross ,Scotland . It is popular with walkers due to its accessibility, ease of ascent and spectacular views; in 2000 it was estimated that between 17,500 and 20,000 walkers a year made the ascent. [cite web| url=http://www.jmt.org/east-schiehallion-estate.asp| title=Information about the pathwork| publisher=John Muir Trust | accessdate=2008-01-30] Since 1999 the eastern side of the mountain has been owned by theJohn Muir Trust .The name "Schiehallion" is an anglicised form of the Gaelic name "Sìdh Chailleann", which is usually translated as 'Fairy Hill of the
Caledonians ' but may also be translated as 'The Maiden's Pap', or 'Constant Storm' [ [http://www.sillittopages.co.uk/schie/schie57.html Maskelyne on Schiehallion] from the RMS Archives] .The Schiehallion experiment
Schiehallion's isolated position and regular shape led
Nevil Maskelyne to use the deflection caused by themass of the mountain to estimate the mass of theearth in a ground-breaking experiment carried out in1774 . Following Maskelyne's survey, Schiehallion became the first mountain to be mapped usingcontour line s. The experiment was repeated in2005 as an educational initiative led by scientific consultantsCounting Thoughts .Ascent
By far the most commonly used route starts from the Brae of Foss car park, which is maintained by the
Forestry Commission , and 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 4.5 km in length. It had become exceedingly eroded by the passage of many thousands of walkers by the time the estate came into the hands of the JMT, and the scar was visible from quite a distance. The organisation therefore decided to construct a new path, following a slightly different line, that would be better able to handle the pressure of visitors.Trivia
Schiehallion is sometimes described as the centre of
Scotland . The justification is that the line oflatitude midway between the most northerly and southerly points on the Scottish mainland, and the line oflongitude midway between the most easterly and westerly points, intersect very near the summit of Schiehallion.Schiehallion was the setting for the final showdown in
Grant Morrison 's comic series Zenith.The
Harviestoun Brewery produce a cask-conditionedlager called Schiehallion.One of the major oilfields on the UK's continental shelf is named after the mountain Schiehallion. Operated by BP it is situated in the North Atlantic approximately 180 miles west of the Shetland Islands.
A dance ("Schiehallion") and a figure, the "Schiehallion Reel", in Scottish Country Dancing are named after the mountain.
External links
* Computer generated summit panoramas [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/GRW/Schiehallion-N.gifNorth] [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/GRW/Schiehallion-S.gifSouth] [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas.html index]
ee also
*
List of places in Perth and Kinross
*List of places in Highland
*List of places in Aberdeenshire
*List of places in Stirling district
*List of places in Argyll and Bute
*List of places in Fife
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