Glen Roy
Glen Roy is now classified as a national nature reserve valley in the Scottish Highlands. It is especially known for the geological phenomenon of parallel roads ( "Parallel Roads" ).
Location and Access
Glen Roy is located a northern tributary of Glen Spean, about 25 km northeast of Fort William. In Glen Roy Roy the river, which flows into the River Spean at the outlet of the valley flows. There, the village is Roybridge with its own railway station on the West Highland railway line. From the British National A86 road here branches off a narrow one-lane driveway into the valley, which reaches 15 km Brae Roy Lodge.
Phenomenon of parallel streets
On the slopes of the valley can be seen at 260 m, 325 m and 350 m, three parallel lines that look remotely like roads, hence their name.
In fact, it involves three narrow terraces, which indicate the shoreline of a former lake. It was formed about 13,000 years ago during a temporary short, lasting only 900 to 1100 years climate cooling. Back then moved glacial ice in front of the west, blocking the natural water drainage through the Glen Spean. So dammed up there and in the side valleys on a lake, the water level rose so long, until he finally at 260 m reached a threshold terrain over which the water could flow into the Strath Spey to the northeast. With the further advancement of the Ice Barrier which the Glen Roy extending arm was separated from the lake in Glen Spean, so that the water continued to rise in this position until a new drain to the south was at 325 m. In a still further advance of the glacier front and the drain was blocked and eventually be ascended to 350 m lake drained to the north. In the later retreat of the glacial ice, the reverse trend was run through, so that the lake first again the middle, then took the lower level before it finally disappeared altogether. By each of several hundreds of years long persistence of the lake level at the same level were formed on the shore by wave erosion, freezing and Tauprozesse of sea ice today visible as parallel roads narrow terraces on the valley slopes.
Today, the parallel streets no longer run perfectly horizontal, but to Northwest minimally increasing ( slope of 11-14 cm per km). This can be explained by the slightly uneven uplift of the local land mass during the melting of the ice sheet earlier.
Geological history of the decryption
Originally held the parallel streets for the enigmatic work of fairies or hunting for paths of the Celtic warrior Fingal. Even in the late 18th century it was believed that the terraces were created for hunting: it had once beaten narrow corridors in the forest and there paved the ground; Wild startled to have been so attracted to the parallel streets, on the edge of which archers had hidden in the woods to hunt the prey.
In the 19th century the strange lines become a much discussed topic in the young geology were. Among the scientists who were concerned with were the Reverend William Buckland, James Geikie, Joseph Prestwich, Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin. This came during his visit in June 1838 to the knowledge, the lines showed the course of the previous sea coast. 1840 disagreed with him Louis Agassiz, one of the last great zoologist, the Darwinian theory of evolution resisted, with the still recognized as valid Glazialtheorie. It was not until about 40 years later, shortly before his death, Darwin admitted publicly to have been wrong with his theory of the parallel streets. Already in 1861 he wrote, however, in a letter: "I am destroyed because of Glen Roy on the ground. My scientific publication was one gigantic blunder from beginning to end. "
The parallel streets are enjoying today great interest both to scientists who are intrigued by the dramatic processes that have shaped the landscape, as well as tourists who are attracted by the natural wonder.