Creag Meagaidh

Coordinates: 56°57′06″N 4°36′10″W / 56.95162°N 4.60274°W / 56.95162; -4.60274
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Creag Mèagaidh
Glen Spean, Scotland
Parent rangeGrampian Mountains
OS gridNN418875
Topo mapOS Landranger 34, 42
Listed summits
of Creag Meagaidh
Name Grid ref Height Status
Càrn Liath NN472903 1,006 metres (3,301 ft) Munro
Stob Poite Coire Ardair NN428888 1,054 metres (3,458 ft) Munro

Creag Meagaidh (

Glen Spean in the Highlands of Scotland. It is a complex mountain, made up of a flat summit plateau, with five ridges spreading out from it, overlooking five deep corries; it is most famed for the cliffs surrounding the corrie of Coire Ardair on the north-eastern face.[3] These crags are a renowned venue for ice climbing
. Creag Meagaidh rises to 1,130 metres (3,710 ft).

The neighbouring peaks of Stob Poite Coire Ardair and Càrn Liath are sometimes called the Creag Meagaidh range. The Creag Meagaidh massif is part of Creag Meagaidh

dotterel
.

Climbing

All three peaks in the range may be climbed from

bealach between Creag Meagaidh and Stob Poite Coire Ardair. Creag Meagaidh may also be climbed from Moy to the southeast.[3]

These crags are a renowned venue for winter and ice climbing, although being somewhat vegetated they are less suited to summer climbing.[4]

In 2016 a person died in an avalanche on Creag Meagaidh and a second person was taken to hospital in a serious condition. [5]

Nature and conservation

Flora and fauna

Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)[6]
An information board at Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve
An information board at Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve
Map showing the location of Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve
Map showing the location of Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve
LocationHighland, Scotland
Coordinates56°57′06″N 4°36′10″W / 56.95162°N 4.60274°W / 56.95162; -4.60274
Area39.5 km2 (15.3 sq mi)[7]
Established1986[6]
Governing bodyNatureScot
Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve

A number of nationally important plant species can be found at Creag Meagaidh, including

downy willow and sibbaldia.[10]

Over 150 species of invertebrates have been recorded on the summit plateau. This number include rarities such as the large wolf spider, which within Scotland is found only on one or two of the highest summits. One species of fly that has been identified at Creag Meagaidh, Spilogona trigonata, is not found anywhere else in Britain, being generally restricted to Scandinavia and North America.[11]

According to NatureScot, 137 different bird species have been recorded within the Reserve.

chaffinch, willow warbler, tree pipit and wren.[13]

There are three species of deer found at Creag Meagaidh NNR:

Mountain hares are common on the higher parts of the reserve, whilst pine marten and otter can occasionally be found at lower altitudes. There has been only one sighting of the Scottish wildcat in recent years.[11]

Conservation designations

Creag Meagaidh has several overlapping conservation designations, testament to its diverse range of habitats and important features: it is a National Nature Reserve (NNR), a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Protection Area (SPA) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).[14] The Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve is classified as a Category IV protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[6]

History

The earliest historical records for Creag Meagaidh are from the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, when the area was farmed by tenants who grew crops on the lower slopes and grazed cattle on the higher ground during the summer. Following the

evicting the tenants and consolidating the holdings into a single sheep farm, and by 1790 there were around 20,000 sheep in the parish of Laggan. In 1784 Creag Meagaidh was restored to the Macpherson family.[15]

The first recorded ascent of Creag Meagaidh is thought to have been made in 1786 by Thomas Thornton, who described the view from the summit in his book, "Sporting Tour".[16]

By the early twentieth century the estate was being managed for sporting interests (

Sitka spruce plantations. There was public opposition to this plan, and in 1985 the estate was sold to the Nature Conservancy Council (predecessor to NatureScot), who declared the area a national nature reserve in 1986.[17]

Gallery

  • Creag Meagaidh and the Coire Ardair seen from Càrn Liath
    Creag Meagaidh and the Coire Ardair seen from Càrn Liath
  • A closer view of the cliffs overlooking Coire Ardair
    A closer view of the cliffs overlooking Coire Ardair
  • Another view of the cliffs
    Another view of the cliffs
  • The north side of Creag Meagaidh
    The north side of Creag Meagaidh

See also

References

  1. ^ "walkhighlands Creag Meagaidh". walkhighlands.co.uk. 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  2. ^ "Database - Creag Mèagaidh". Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  3. ^
    ISBN 9780907521945
    .
  4. ISBN 0947782508
    .
  5. ^ "Climber who died after Scotland avalanche named by police". The Guardian. 19 February 2016. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Creag Meagaidh". Protected Planet. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Creag Meagaidh NNR". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  8. ^ a b The Story of Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve. p. 10.
  9. ^ a b The Story of Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve. p. 11.
  10. ^ "Creag Meagaidh SSSI Citation". Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  11. ^ a b The Story of Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve. p. 13.
  12. ^ "Creag Meagaidh SPA". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  13. ^ a b The Story of Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve. p. 12.
  14. ^ "Creag Meagaidh NNR - About the reserve". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  15. ^ The Story of Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve. p. 15.
  16. ^ Ian R Mitchell, Scotland's Mountains Before the Mountaineers, p. 71-74. Published 2013, Luath Press.
  17. ^ The Story of Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve. p. 16.

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Creag Meagaidh.

56°57′06″N 4°36′10″W / 56.95162°N 4.60274°W / 56.95162; -4.60274

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