Ben Cruachan
Ben Cruachan | ||
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View of the Ben Cruachan massif from the neighboring Beinn a 'Chochuill to the north |
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height | 1126 m ASL | |
location | Highlands , Scotland | |
Notch height | 879 m | |
Coordinates | 56 ° 25 '36 " N , 5 ° 7' 54" W | |
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The Ben Cruachan ( Gaelic : Cruach na Beinne ) is the highest mountain in the Council Area Argyll and Bute in southwest Scotland at 1126 meters . The Gaelic name roughly means mountain of mountain peaks . In addition to the highest peak of the massif of the same name, the 998-meter-high Stob Diamh , which is slightly offset to the northwest, is also classified as Munro . The other peaks of the massif, some of which are also over 1000 meters high, are not sufficiently independent and are only classified as top. Due to its location at the south-eastern end of the mountains from Rannoch Moor to the south-west, the Ben Cruachan offers a view of large parts of Argyll and Bute as well as the southern part of the Inner Hebrides .
The massif of Ben Cruachan, which extends east of Taynuilt approximately in an east-west direction, the highest point of which bears the same name, lies north of Loch Awe and south-east of the inlet Loch Etive, which extends far inland . In its upper area, the Ben Cruachan is interspersed with boulders and is steep. From the main chain of the massif, shorter ridges run south and north, the most important peaks together form a chain of peaks also known as the Cruachan Horseshoe . This encloses the Cruachan Reservoir , the upper storage basin of the Cruachan Power Station pumped storage power plant . The power plant, which was built between 1959 and 1965, uses the gradient between Loch Awe, which is only 36 meters above sea level, and the storage basin, which is around 400 meters higher.
The Ben Cruachan is usually climbed from the south, with many Munro excavators committing the entire Cruachan Horseshoe with the neighboring Stob Diamh. The starting point is the Falls of Cruachan railway station on the branch of the West Highland Line to Oban on the north bank of Loch Awe , which is only served in summer . The A85 from Perth to Oban runs along the railway line at the foot of Ben Cruachan . The ascent runs along the Allt Cruachan to the dam of the reservoir and further west of the reservoir to a Bealach between the southern, 918 meter high pre-summit Meall Cuanail and the main summit. This is reached via a steep rocky ridge. The highest point is marked by a cairn .
Individual evidence
- ↑ waymarking.com: The Highest Point in Argyll & Bute (Ben Cruachan) , accessed June 18, 2018
- ^ Scottish Mountaineering Club Munro List , accessed June 18, 2018
Web links
- Ben Cruachan on walkhighlands.co.uk (English)
- The Ben Cruachan on munromagic.com (English)