Creag Bheag

Creag Bheag
The hill as seen from Kinussie golf course
Highest point
Elevation487 m (1,598 ft)[1]
Prominence159[1]
ListingMarilyn
Coordinates57°05′18″N 4°04′19″W / 57.0883710°N 4.0719483°W / 57.0883710; -4.0719483
Naming
English translationsmall rock
Language of nameScottish gaelic
Geography
Parent rangeGrampian Mountains
OS gridNH 74600 01742
Climbing
Easiest routeHike from Kingussie

Creag Bheag[1] is a prominent hill in Scotland.

Etymology

Summit cairn; in the background on its left the cairn of the S sub-sumit

The word Creag is a variation of crag (rock), while the gaelic term Bheag can be translated as small.[2]

Features

Pathway to the hilltop

The hill overlooks from NW the centre of Kingussie; its E flanks are bordered by the Gynack Burn, a left-hand tributary of River Spey, and the N face dominates the Loch Gynack. The hilltop is marked by a cairn, as well as a nearby S summit almost at the same elevation of the main summit. Because of its topographic prominence the hill is classified as a Marilyn.[1]

History

Due to the easy access and the good panorama from its summit the Creag Behag has always been a popular walk. In 1828 some young men of Kingussie erected a memorial cairn, now disappeared, in order to mourn the loss of Alexander, the 4th Duke of Gordon. While the cairn can't be anymore identified, its memory appears in a Rev. Thomas Sinton's text of 1906.[3][4]

Access to the summit

The ascent to Creag Behag from Kingussie is considered a classic hillwalk, appreciated for the panoramic view from the hilltop on the surrounding area. The hike runs on well maintained and waymarked footpaths .[5]

Nature conservation

The hill, along with the surrounding area, is part of the Cairngorms National Park.

References

Media related to Creag Bheag at Wikimedia Commons

  1. ^ a b c d "Creag Bheag". DoBIH (Database of British and Irish Hills). Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  2. ^ Turnbull, Ronald (2017). Walking in the Cairngorms - Over 100 Walks, Trails and Scrambles Including Lochnagar. Cicerone Press. ISBN 9781783625260. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Cairns in the landscape: Migrant stones and Migrant stories in Scotland". Landscapes Beyond Land - Routes, Aesthetics, Narratives. Berghahn Books. 2012. p. 127. ISBN 9780857456717. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Gaelic Poetry & Song Emigration" (PDF). Cairngorms National Park Authority. 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  5. ^ Hansen, Heather (June 2022). "57 Creag Behag". Walking Great Britain - England, Scotland, and Wales. Mountaineers Books. ISBN 9781680513189. Retrieved 11 June 2022.

Panorama

  • Southward panorama
    Southward panorama
  • Loch Gynack and Creag Mhor from Creag Bheag
    Loch Gynack and Creag Mhor from Creag Bheag