Lochnagar
Lochnagar north side seen with the homonymous lake, from the east
The Lochnagar is a Scottish mountain in the Cairngorms mountain range, which form a part of the Scottish Highlands. He is classified as a Munro and the highest elevation in the southern Cairngorms, which are largely separated from the northern part of the valley of the River Dee.
Origin of the name
Until the 17th century only the Gaelic name Beinn Chìochan was in use, the translated means Mountain of the breasts. Later the name Lochnagar a naturalized, which was in turn originally only the name of the small lake below the north face of the mountain. Lochnagar is a Anglifizierung - either from Lochan na Gaire and its importance as a " sea of noise " or " lake of laughter " or as Lochan Gearr meaning " Small Lake ". The former points to the sounds that are often heard over the lake. This goes back to the talk nettle -like layer of the lake, which is similar to a classical amphitheater circled by the semi-circular, about 200 m high north face of the mountain, which throws back all the sounds of the lake and this possibly still may be potentiated. Common fall or climb winds on the wall provide an additional sound effect. Another name that is commonly used, however, only for the summit plateau of the mountain is Cac Càrn Beag, meaning " Small dog droppings " means something. A literal translation gives "Little dirty mountain". Both characterizes the high plateau of the mountain, which has only sparse vegetation and dotted with small stone hills. Vulgar place names such as the former can also be found in other parts of the Highlands, such as the nearby Devil 's Point.
Ascent
The shortest, albeit with 6 to 7 hours walking time there and back not to be underestimated way to the Lochnagar starts in Glen Muick at the ranger station Spittal of Glenmuick. The first wide dirt road follows the Glen Muick to the large mountain lake Loch Muick, which in turn is the left hand surrounded by alluvial glass allt - Shiel, at the hiding a small Victorian hunting lodge in the local woods. From there, a small trail follows the stream of glass Allt steeply at first and leading around the waterfalls, later flat over the high plateau of the mountain up to the summit.
The return trip can be alternatively also traveled over the edge of the north wall. On stage he then goes down to the saddle of the Fox Cairnwell, between the secondary peaks Meikle Pap (left hand ) and Cuidhe Crom (on the right ) and rises slowly from the rolling hills. After some time, the narrow footpath meets a larger dirt road and follow it down to the abandoned homestead Allt -na- giubhsaich. After re- crossing the valley floor of the Glen Muick you reach the starting point. The trail over the summit can of course be done the other way around.
Trivia
- After the mountain the Whiskey Distillery Royal Lochnagar is named. The suffix " Royal" dates back to Queen Victoria, who had delivered the whiskey in their nearby summer residence of Balmoral Castle and the whiskey the official name suffix " Royal " conferred.
- The explosion crater of a tunnel mine in the First World War, which is located near the French village of La Selle Bois near the town of Albert, was named " Lochnagar mine ".
- Prince Charles in 1980 published a children's book entitled The Old Man of Lochnagar ( "The Old Man of Lochnagar "), which is based in part on his own childhood experiences on the privately owned by the British Royal Family at Balmoral.