Ben Alder
| Ben Alder
Beinn Eallair
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 Ben Alder from the north, on the way from Culra Bothy to the northeast ridge |
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| height | 1148 m ASL | |
| location | Highlands , Scotland | |
| Notch height | 783 m | |
| Coordinates | 56 ° 48 '50 " N , 4 ° 27' 54" W | |
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| rock | Mica slate | |
The Ben Alder ( Scottish Gaelic Beinn Eallair ) is a 1148 meter high mountain in Scotland . Its Gaelic name means mountain of rock and water . It is the highest point in the largely deserted and remote region between Loch Ossian and Loch Ericht northeast of the Rannoch Moor and is one of the Munros .
Location and access
The Ben Alder massif is separated from Loch Ericht by the Beinn Bheòil , also a Munro, to the east . Between the two peaks lies Loch a 'Bhealaich Bheithe in an elongated basin , over whose west bank the summit of Ben Alder and its long northeast ridge with steep rock faces rise up. The Ben Alder also drops to the north-west with steep rock faces, whereas it flattens out gently to the west. To the southwest, the mountain also drops more steeply into the Coire Chomhlain , while to the southeast the ridge runs out into the flat saddle of the Bealach Breabag , via which an easy transition to the Beinn Bheòil is possible. South of the highest point, marked by a cairn , lies on the summit plateau with the small Lochan a 'Garbh Choire, one of the highest still waters in the British Isles. Also on the summit plateau are ruins of a camp that was used in the 19th century to map the Highlands by the Ordnance Survey .
Due to its location, Ben Alder is one of the most remote Munros and can only be reached by long walks or by using mountain bikes . For an ascent, Munro excavators therefore generally need at least one night in a tent or in a bothy at the foot of the mountain range. To the south, on the west bank of Loch Ericht, lies Benalder Cottage, which can be reached with a long walk from Loch Rannoch , about 15 kilometers south. To the north is Culra Bothy, about 15 kilometers southwest of Dalwhinnie , which has been closed since 2015 due to asbestos pollution . The most popular ascent is via the rocky north-east ridge and requires easier climbing in the upper part of Coire na Lethchois . Another, but much longer, boarding option is from Corrour Station on the West Highland Line along Loch Ossian and over the west flank of Ben Alder.
Geology and nature
Geologically, the Ben Alder consists primarily of metamorphic rock , mainly mica schist . In its higher elevations this is interrupted by a limestone band. In the western Grampian Mountains , the Ben Alder is one of the most ecologically diverse mountains with wide slopes, peat areas and grassland covered with various heather plants and mosses . In sheltered locations, snowfields often last into summer. The summit plateau is home to a roughly 25 couples embracing breeding population of the rare Mornellregenpfeifer , the Ben Alder is therefore as since 2000 European bird sanctuary ( Special Protection Area classified).
history
In the 18th century, the Ben Alder belonged to the territory of the MacPherson clan . Ewen MacPherson of Cluny , known as Cluny MacPherson and one of the chiefs of the clan, was a supporter of Bonnie Prince Charlie , son of the Stuart pretender during the Second Jacobite Rising in 1745 . After the failure of the uprising, he hid from government troops for nine years, mostly in a cave on Ben Alder, until he finally went into exile in France in 1754. Bonnie Prince Charlie also used the cave during his escape from the lost Battle of Culloden . Whether the cave was actually on the Ben Alder is controversial, however, a location to the east of Loch Ericht, a few kilometers from Ben Alder is now suspected. This historical episode was by Robert Louis Stevenson in his 1886 published and in the years after the Jacobite rebellion gambling adventure novel Kidnapped or The Adventures of David Balfour (English Kidnapped taken). The two protagonists of the novel find refuge with Cluny MacPherson on their escape through the Highlands at Ben Alder.
The Ben Alder made headlines in the mid-1990s when the decayed body of an initially unknown man, who became known as The Man With No Name , was found in the summit area in June 1996 . According to the results of the police investigation, he probably committed suicide with a gun . His identity could only be clarified at the end of 1997; it was a young French man whose last secure stay was a hotel in Glasgow in August 1995. Witnesses had seen him accompanied by another man at Corrour train station, which, together with his inadequate equipment for the long journey to Ben Alder, led his parents to question the police's suicide theory. However, further investigations could not provide sufficient evidence for a murder.
literature
- Chris Townsend: Scotland (= World Mountain Ranges ). Revised Emphasis. Cicerone, Milnthorpe 2012, ISBN 978-1-85284-442-4 (English; Chapter 3:13: The Ben Alder and Laggan Hills ).
Web links
- Ben Alder on walkhighlands.co.uk (English)
- The Ben Alder on munromagic.com (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ The Munros and other hills. Hills. In: smc.org.uk. The Scottish Montaineering Club SMC, accessed on August 29, 2018 (English, enter “Ben Alder” in the search field): “From the Alder Burn, meaning rock water” .
- ↑ a b Ben Alder. In: walkhighlands.co.uk, accessed January 24, 2017.
- ↑ Mountain Bothies Association: Culra , accessed on July 5, 2020
- ↑ Ben Alder. In: munromagic.com, accessed January 24, 2017.
- ^ Joint Nature Conservation Committee: Ben Alder SPA EU code UK9002551 , accessed January 24, 2017.
- ^ David Trainer: Trapped by the lore of the cage. In: The Herald. August 6, 1994, accessed January 24, 2017.
- ↑ Jean Rafferty: Death of a knight errant. In: The Guardian . January 5, 2002, accessed January 24, 2017.